Voters in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland have voted overwhelmingly against the idea of expanding gambling regulations in the town. 1,684 chose to vote on the ballot, and were asked “Do you support the State of Maryland permitted expanded gaming? 76%, or 1,285 of those that chose to answer the question, voted no. The town saw a similar result in 2020, when 72% of respondents answered no.

Maryland has quite open gambling laws. Physical casinos, online sports betting, and pari-mutuel horse racing betting are legal. However, while social and sweepstakes casinos are permitted, online real money casinos are not yet regulated.

Gamblers in the state can still access offshore casinos, including some new casinos that are outshining established brands with generous bonuses and expansive selections of games. According to gambling expert Vlad Grindu, there are lots of new online casinos to choose from, especially as online gambling laws continue to evolve in the US.

While the state of Maryland seems open to the idea of gambling, Chesapeake Beach voters clearly believe the current regulations are expansive enough. Previous moves have attempted to increase the number of gambling machines in the seaside town from 450 to 900.

Even following the 2020 ballot results, where 72% of respondents voted against the idea, Chesapeake Beach Mayor Pay Mahoney has to oppose two bills proposing an increase in the number of machines in the town. On both occasions, the bills failed. Based on those attempts, it seems highly likely that there will be further attempts this time around.

However, Mahoney won’t be the one to oppose this time around as Bruce Wahl was narrowly voted in as the new town mayor.

Maryland saw its gambling laws change in 2021. Governor Larry Hogan signed new legislation that permitted betting on horse racing as well as casino gambling and sports betting. Online sports betting was launched in November 2022, but the state does not yet permit online casino gambling.

Currently, players can play free online casino games or wager at social and sweepstakes online casinos, but players who want to enjoy roulette and other table games must visit physical casinos. The state currently has six licensed casinos, as well as several horse racing tracks.

According to the state constitution, any change to the online gambling law, including the introduction of legal real money online casinos, must receive public approval via ballot. The earliest this could happen would now be in 2026.

There were efforts to change the law in 2024. Opponents to the changes are concerned that legalizing online casinos would cause job and revenue losses at the state’s physical casinos. Local businesses are also concerned that a drop in casino visitor numbers would ultimately lead to a drop in their bottom line.

Proponents of online casinos point to studies showing that online wagering does not cannibalize existing casino revenue. They also point to the fact that Marylanders can access offshore sites already. These casinos are not regulated in the state, which means Maryland does not receive taxes from online gamers.

Since sports betting was legalized in the state in December 2021, Maryland has been reaping the tax rewards. Operators are levied 15% against adjusted revenues and, in September this year, $9.4 million in taxes was raised from more than $500 million in bets. This represented a record month for both revenue and tax revenue, surpassing January’s $8.2 million in sports betting taxes. The vast majority of sports betting handle comes from mobile sports betting.

Delaware and West Virginia, both of which neighbor Maryland, have fully regulated online casino industries. In Delaware, Rush Street Interactive is the only online casino license holder. It brings in $5 million a month in revenue.

Rush Street Interactive also currently holds the only licensed sportsbook license in the state, although officials are considering ending their monopoly and opening the market up to competition. In West Virginia, online casino operators are charged 15% tax on their iGaming revenue.

For the fiscal year ending 2024, casinos received more than $5 billion in wagers, yielding nearly $200 million in revenue and generating nearly $30 million in tax revenue. Considering the tax income that gambling and online gambling can bring to states, it is obvious to see why lawmakers want to expand operations, but Chesapeake beach residents are not keen on expanding gambling laws in their town.