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Earlier this year, Maryland tried to pass a referendum to legalize online casino gaming. It failed.
However, the Senator behind the movement — Ron Watson — is taking it as a lesson, not a loss. Watson recently came out with learnings from the failed push. Learnings that will possibly help it get through the door in 2026, when it next has a chance (not 2025). Let’s dig into the details shall we?
Watson’s Efforts Fall Short At The Goal Line
Watson started January by championing the legalization of iGaming (many U.S. states have legalized it elsewhere). Maryland already has casinos, but all betting must be done in-person — there is no online option.
Here’s the thing though: legalizing Maryland online casino gambling requires a referendum. For those less politically savvy, a referendum is the preface to change a constitutional amendment, which is needed for this issue. If the referendum is passed, it doesn’t legalize it all of a sudden. The referendum is solely to get the issue on the ballot for voters to decide.
It’s for this reason that any legalization will have to wait until 2026 — when the midterms are. There is no vote in 2025.
It’s a bummer because it felt like Watson had some strong support. To help his movement, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency dropped a brand-new study. According to their research, legalizing online casinos in the state had the potential of a $900 million in operator revenue. Then by 2029, that revenue could net $300 million in tax revenue for the state. Maryland has a budget deficit at the moment so new revenue could close the gap.
In classic political framing, Watson drilled home the idea that iGaming could solve a ticking time bomb for the state’s budget.
“The outlook for the state suggests revenues are forecast to grow 3.5%, and ongoing spending is projected at 5% from 2025 – 2029. In short, we have a structural deficit at the state level. This is a gap we must close, and iGaming can help.”
Online casino is the last domino to fall in Maryland. As mentioned before, in-person casinos are already a thing. The state has the following six casinos:
- MGM National Harbor – Oxon Hill
- Live! Casino & Hotel – Hanover
- Horseshoe Casino Baltimore – Baltimore
- Hollywood Casino Perryville – Perryville
- Ocean Downs Casino – Berlin (near Ocean City)
- Rocky Gap Casino Resort – Flintstone (near Cumberland)
Sports betting — both retail and online — has been live too. In-person sports betting in Maryland launched in December 2021, while the online component was released the following November. So it’s not like this state (and lawmakers) are against betting. So what gives? Why the opposition to iGaming? Well, Watson has some ideas.
Watson Has High Hopes For 2026
The National Council of Legislature from Gaming States met in August for its annual summer meeting. Watson spoke in a “fireside chat” and spoke honestly about the failed referendum.
“I would have done things a whole lot different. I thought we had our ducks in a row. We needed more.”
Watson said the movement died for two reasons more than anything else — concerns over problem gambling and pushback from bricks-and-mortar casinos.
To us, the latter issue is the main roadblock, In February, two of Maryland’s six casinos — Ocean Downs Casino and Racetrack and Live! Casino and Hotel Maryland — came out against expanded online gambling in the state. The reason? Well, it would hurt their business, of course.
Here again, there was a study to drive the issue. According to the Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce and the Sage Policy Group, online gaming would lead to up to 2,700 fewer jobs and a decrease of 26 percent in land-based revenue. Warning about job losses is always a surefire way to kill a bill’s momentum.
And here’s the kicker: those casino workers are union — not your run-or-the-mill employees. Unions carry a lot of power and they showed up in hearings to voice their opposition. When that happened, Watson said “that was the end of that.” That being his referendum.
As for the problem gambling issue, that’s just pure lip service. How is that going to be a sticking point when all other forms of betting are now legal in the state? Get out of here with that nonsense.
Still, Watson has his eye on 2026. He’ll have a new game plan for it too. Per his own words, he said the issue can’t be run like a normal legislative issue with just a bill. No, it needs to be a full-on campaign with education — both for lawmakers and the public at large. Narrative control essentially.
Watson even busted out an NFL sports analogy to discuss the change of plans:
“We need to treat it like a campaign,” Watson said. “The person who introduces the legislation is just the quarterback. In this case, you need a whole team behind you.”
If Watson is Lamar Jackson, well, he’ll need a steady supporting cast — guys like Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Derick Henry — to get this bill across the goal line in two years.
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