Estates and Trusts - Venue for Administrative and Judicial Probate and Application of Inheritance Tax
HB0017 authorizes and implements internet gaming in Maryland, allowing the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to license and regulate online casino-style gaming. The bill defines internet gaming, sets licensing categories and eligibility standards, and permits certain existing gaming entities—such as video lottery operators and some sports wagering facility licensees—to apply for licenses. It also creates a framework for live dealer games, requires age and identity verification, imposes data security and advertising restrictions, and establishes responsible-gambling tools such as deposit limits, self-suspension, and a voluntary exclusion list.
The bill is also designed as a revenue measure. It directs internet gaming proceeds into a detailed distribution formula that supports education funding, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, local school funding, the problem gambling fund, gaming regulation costs, racetrack and purse accounts, and a small, minority, and women-owned businesses account. It also creates a Video Lottery Facility Employee Displacement Fund to assist workers who may be affected by the shift to internet gaming, and it requires annual reporting on the industry’s effects, including impacts on video lottery facilities and problem gambling.
HB0017 would add a new subtitle to the State Government Article governing internet gaming and would amend several related statutes in the Education, Economic Development, and Labor and Employment Articles to route gaming revenue and address workforce impacts. It would expand the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission’s authority to license, regulate, investigate, and discipline internet gaming participants, while also creating new obligations for licensees regarding consumer protection, privacy, labor peace, diversity planning, and reporting. The bill would also alter education funding calculations beginning in fiscal year 2027 by accounting for county shares of internet gaming proceeds, and it would establish new special funds and revenue allocations affecting schools, local governments, gaming-related accounts, and displaced workers.
The bill’s structure suggests a generally supportive policy approach toward legalizing internet gaming, with a strong emphasis on channeling revenue to education and other public purposes. Its detailed consumer protections, responsible gaming requirements, and social equity provisions indicate an effort to make the proposal more politically and socially acceptable. Because no committee transcripts or vote record were provided, there is no direct evidence of floor or committee sentiment in the supplied materials, but the bill text itself reflects a pro-authorization, revenue-focused posture.
The main points of contention are likely to be the expansion of commercial gaming, the potential impact on existing video lottery facilities and related businesses, and the adequacy of safeguards against problem gambling. The bill anticipates these concerns by creating a displacement fund for affected workers, requiring responsible gaming measures, and mandating studies and reports on the effects of online gaming and unauthorized online gambling-like products. Another likely area of debate is the licensing structure, including preferences for social equity applicants, requirements for minority and women-owned business participation, and the extent to which existing gaming operators receive advantages over new entrants.