Maryland online casino referendum fails on final day of session

Legalizing Maryland online casino gambling will have to wait until at least 2026 after a referendum failed to pass the General Assembly before lawmakers adjourned Monday.

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With online casino bills left out of state budget talks, Sen. Ron Watson was hopeful lawmakers could still pass a referendum. Legalizing online casino gambling requires a constitutional amendment and a referendum would have let voters decide the issue in November.

“The unfortunate thing is that we did not pass the referendum,” Watson told LSR on Monday. “Without that referendum, no bill could have a chance. Our next opportunity will not be until 2026, so I think this will be on hold for a while.”

Watson, who has pushed for expanded online gambling in his chamber, pinpointed two distinct hurdles to online casino legislation in the Maryland Senate: problem gambling and cannibalization of brick-and-mortar casinos.