Gaming - Problem Gambling and College Athlete Protections
HB 518 expands Maryland’s gambling regulations to add stronger problem-gambling protections across several gaming products and to impose new limits on certain fantasy and sports wagering activities. The bill requires the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to adopt regulations intended to reduce or mitigate problem gambling, including creating voluntary exclusion lists for lottery, video lottery, fantasy competitions, and sports wagering. It also directs the Commission, when an individual is placed on an exclusion list, to provide that person’s contact information to the Maryland Center for Excellence on Problem Gambling unless the person affirmatively opts out, so the Center can offer free and confidential responsible-gambling assistance.
The bill also creates age restrictions for fantasy competitions, generally prohibiting participation by individuals under 21 and barring operators from offering fantasy contests or related services to those under 21, with a limited grandfathering provision for certain existing accounts created before July 1, 2026. In sports wagering, the bill prohibits player-specific proposition bets on collegiate sports or athletic events and bars both licensees and bettors from offering or placing those wagers. It further adds responsible-gaming requirements for online sports wagering, including age and identity verification, prominent problem-gambling disclosures, self-imposed deposit limits, temporary account suspensions, limits on credit card use, and restrictions on promotional emails during suspensions.
HB 518 also creates a research and data-sharing requirement for sports wagering licensees. Licensees must provide quarterly transactional data and metrics to Morgan State University, Bowie State University, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine for research purposes, while excluding personal data and keeping the information outside the Public Information Act. The bill defines the categories of data to include items such as account bans, complaints, participant ages, geolocation, responsible-gaming feature use, deposits, withdrawals, and indicators of erratic or increased gambling behavior.
The bill’s impact on state law is broad but targeted: it amends Maryland’s gaming statutes to add new consumer-protection rules, new operator compliance duties, and new data-reporting obligations. It also requires the Commission to update its exclusion-list application to include a “NO CONTACT” option for applicants who do not want to be referred to the problem gambling center. The effective date is July 1, 2026.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill’s movement is favorable, with the House adopting the committee-reported version and the bill advancing in the Senate with amendments. The bill’s focus on responsible gambling and youth protections suggests general support for stronger safeguards, while the main areas of likely contention are the 21-and-over restriction for fantasy competitions, the ban on collegiate player proposition bets, and the new reporting obligations imposed on sports wagering licensees. No committee transcript is available here, so the record does not show specific arguments, but the structure of the bill indicates a balance between consumer protection, research access, and industry compliance concerns.
HB 518 amends multiple provisions of the State Government Article governing lottery, video lottery, fantasy competitions, and sports wagering. It requires the Commission to adopt voluntary exclusion procedures and responsible-gambling regulations, adds age-based restrictions for fantasy competition participation, prohibits collegiate player-specific proposition bets, expands online sports wagering safeguards, and mandates quarterly data reporting to specified universities for research. These changes affect the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission, gaming licensees, fantasy competition operators, sports bettors, and individuals seeking gambling self-exclusion or responsible-gambling assistance.
The bill appears to have a generally favorable reception, as reflected by its committee report and House adoption, and by its advancement in the Senate with amendments. The policy direction is strongly protective of consumers and college athletes, emphasizing problem-gambling mitigation, age restrictions, and safer online wagering practices. The available record does not include debate transcripts or vote tallies, so specific support or opposition is not documented, but the amendments suggest some legislative refinement rather than outright resistance.
Likely points of contention include the prohibition on player-specific proposition bets in collegiate sports, which may be viewed as a significant restriction on sports wagering products, and the new 21-year-old minimum for fantasy competition participation, which could affect younger adult users and operators. Sports wagering licensees may also object to the operational burden of enhanced age verification, deposit-limit controls, suspension features, promotional-email restrictions, and mandatory data reporting to universities. On the other hand, advocates for problem-gambling treatment and college athlete protections would likely support these provisions, especially the voluntary exclusion enhancements and the referral mechanism to the Maryland Center for Excellence on Problem Gambling.