Maryland Online Casino Gambling – Legal in 2024?
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Scott Kacsmar
- September 25, 2024
Maryland is home to six brick-and-mortar casinos that offer slot machines and gaming tables, as well as retail sports betting. For the gambler who just wants to play casino games on their favorite mobile device without leaving the house, they are clearly not the best choice.
While the Old Line State legalized online sportsbooks in 2021, the same cannot be said for playing online casino games such as poker, slots, table games, keno and more.
Until the day comes when online casino gambling is given its own legislation, your best choice is to join an offshore sportsbook with all the casino games you love.
Which one should you join? Are online casino sites safe to use in Maryland? Can you win real money? We answer these questions and more in this guide to the best online casinos for Maryland users.
| SPORTSBOOK | TRUST SCORE | ONLINE SINCE | Expert Review | BONUS | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2001
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100% Free Play
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1996
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$500 Cash Bonus
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2002
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55% Cash Bonus
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2001
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$250 Free Bet
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1994
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30% Cash Bonus
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1996
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$500 Cash Bonus
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Best Maryland Online Casino Sites 2024
You might be surprised to discover how many online casinos are available to you in Maryland, which is why we have prepared our top 10 list of online sportsbooks with online casinos that you can join now and have fun winning real money:
- BetOnline – Many unique slot games
- Heritage Sports – Good selection of video poker and table games
- BookMaker – Find the slot games with the highest listed RTP
- BetUS – Play demo versions of exclusive slot games
- BetAnySports – Try seven different casinos at once plus lottery games
- JustBet – Try free casino games and play weekly tournaments
- WagerWeb – Great graphics and sound on games
- SportsBetting.ag – Bad beat jackpots for poker
Are online casinos legal in Maryland?
No, even though other gambling activities are legal statewide, there is no law in place to allow online casino games such as poker, video slots, table games and other casino games.
But with the way gambling is moving forward in the state of Maryland, it is reasonable to believe there will be a push soon to legalize online casino games as well, especially once the revenue starts rolling in from now-legal online sports betting to fund the state’s education programs. Online sports betting in Maryland has been legal since 2021.
There have been no further discussions about expanding the gambling legislation in the state. Until that changes, you can play a wide selection of games and bet on sports at offshore sites like BetOnline, BetUS, BookMaker, Heritage Sports .
Best Online Casinos in Maryland Reviewed
You have seen the top 10 list, now read on to see detailed reviews of our top five choices and the rating criteria we’ve used, which lead to their high placement on our list. Our top five online casinos are all based in Costa Rica, a country where online gambling has been legal for years.
Online sportsbooks and casino sites operating offshore are not bound to the same laws as sites that operate in the United States; they only need to follow the gambling laws where they are located. This is why you should feel free to join these online betting sites today if you want to play online casino games in Maryland without waiting years for legislation to pass.
1. Top Choice for Fast Payouts: BetOnline
Key Features
- Hundreds of casino games, including many exclusive ones
- Some of the highest limits and welcome bonuses
BetOnline is another impressive 9.8 rated online casino. No matter which section you use, you will be treated to a quality experience.
The sportsbook is one of the best for prop picks and parlay building, and you’ll get access to opinionated lines that no other book has for the most popular markets. The racebook has the highest daily rebate (9% on exotic wagers) out there and the esports section is right up there with Heritage Sports for the best.
The BetOnline casino is also loaded with hundreds of games, and many of them are exclusive to the site. You’ll find table games, slots, video poker, cash races, keno, live dealer games and more. New players can get 100 free spins in the casino when they fund their accounts for the first time. Additionally, there is a wide range of promo codes at BetOnline available for users to take advantage of.
2. Top Choice for Live Betting: Heritage Sports
Key Features
- 8% cash back on casino net losses
- Unique perks like free birthday parlay or every eighth deposit for free
We think Costa Rica has the most impressive group of online casinos and Heritage Sports is another receiving an A+ grade from us. This site used to require an invite for users to join, but those days are over. Anyone in Maryland is free to join today.
Once inside, you’ll find one of the best site designs and a go-to mobile site for placing live bets on a variety of global sports markets. The esports section is also one of the best on our list.
The casino is not as loaded as BetOnline, but they do offer free demo versions of every game available, which is a nice touch. The 3D slots and scratchcard games are types of specialty games that not every online casino offers, but they have them at Heritage Sports.
The bonuses at Heritage are not as big as the competitors, but you can get 8% cash back on your net casino losses on the first of every month. This comes with a reasonable 4x rollover, and the maximum bonus is capped at $2,000.
3. Top Choice for Early Lines: BookMaker
Key Features
- Exclusive fast blackjack game
- Good for crypto users
BookMaker is a Costa Rica-based sportsbook that has been online since 1996. Their reputation is well earned as being the sportsbook where the line originates. Those early sports lines are the main reason to join BookMaker, but they do offer an online casino as well.
While there are only 64 casino games on BookMaker, they have an exclusive fast blackjack game that is fun to play. They also provide RTP (return-to-player rate) and volatility info on each game, which is very useful to know if you want to find games that are paying back the most money on a consistent basis. The other casinos in our list hide this info but, ideally, you want to see a RTP rate as close to 100% as possible.
There may barely be 30 slots, but they are at least unique ones that most of the other sites do not have. There are also video poker games, table games and keno.
4. Top Choice for Expert Analysis: BetUS
Key Features
- Practice on casino games with play-for-fun demo versions
- Informative guides to help you get better at gambling
BetUS advertises as “America’s Favorite Sportsbook.” It may be for some as it is a good one, but the casino is also worth checking out, especially if you want to play newer games based on popular media franchises such as Dragon Ball or Squid Game.
A great thing about the casino is that every game can be played for free using a fake money balance. This is good because you can practice on a game and see what you’d win if you wagered a certain amount each spin and if the bonuses or special features in the game might be worth trying to play with real money for. Not every site has free demo versions, but BetUS does for its many unique games.
There are also various tournaments you can enter at the casino, including ones for blackjack, roulette, video poker and three-card poker. They lack the traditional poker tournaments found at BetOnline, but this is better than the selection at other sites like BookMaker and Heritage Sports.
The other way BetUS differentiates itself is by offering original content on BetUS TV, a YouTube channel with expert analysis and picks.
How old do I need to be to play at Maryland casinos?
The legal gambling age in Maryland is 18 years old. At that age, you can visit retail sportsbooks to place a bet on your favorite team or play the state lottery.
In order to visit any of the land-based casinos in the state, you need to be 21 years old. This is because all of the land-based casinos serve alcohol, which is a common practice across the country.
In order to gamble on online games at online gambling sites, the minimum gambling age is 18 years old, or whatever the minimum gambling age is in your state.
Retail Casinos in Maryland
Maryland is home to six land casinos you can visit:
• Horseshoe Casino Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)
• Hollywood Casino Perryville (Perryville, MD)
• Rocky Gap Casino Resort (Flintstone, MD)
• Live! Casino & Hotel (Hanover, MD)
• Ocean Downs (Berlin, MD)
• MGM National Harbor (Oxon Hill, MD)
You can expect to find slots, table games and retail sportsbooks for placing wagers at each location. Some also have a live poker room with daily cash games and tournaments. Check the website for each to find the schedule of poker games available.
Types of Online Casino Bonuses – Promo Codes & Bonus Codes
One of the most popular reasons for you to choose a site will be the promotions it offers. Anyone can boast a good welcome bonus, but it is the other promotions that come later that should keep you coming back.
This next section looks at the different types of bonuses you should count on your favorite online casino sites to have on offer.
Welcome Bonuses
The largest bonus you will likely ever see during your time online casino gambling is the welcome bonus, also known as a sign-up bonus.
These will often be deposit bonuses, or deposit match bonuses, where the site will match 100% (or higher) of your first deposit amount. This can get into thousands of dollars depending on the site and if you use crypto or not. If it’s a casino bonus, it may also come with 10-to-250 free spins on a selection of slots.
These are great bonuses, but you will want to closely read the terms and conditions. Deposit bonuses will have rollover requirements, which is how many times you need to wager the bonus amount before it converts to money you can withdraw.
You also may need to complete a rollover on your first bonus before unlocking further bonuses.
Another thing to look out for is what games the bonus funds are not eligible to use for, or which games they will not qualify for the rollover requirement. Games like craps or live dealer gaming options could fall into this, so be careful about how you use the bonus funds.
Existing Customer Promotions
These online casinos can offer a wide variety of promotions beyond the welcome bonus. Here is a list of some of the other ways that offshore sites offer free money online for users at their casino, sportsbook, poker room, racebook, esports hub and more.
- Reload bonuses (usually in the 20-35% range) for deposits every week
- Cash-back refunds on bad beats in poker or sports like when your team blows a huge lead or gets shutout
- Free bets at the sportsbook, especially for first-time wagers on certain markets
- Enhanced/boosted odds on select sports markets
- Free spins on select casino games
- Double reward points if you play during designated “happy hours”
- Reduced juice sports lines (-108 or -105 instead of -110)
- Weekly casino rebates on your losses
- Parlay boosts on e-sports wagers
- Daily rebates on horse races
- Get your every eighth or ninth deposit on the house
- Free birthday parlay worth up to $500 (Heritage Sports has this one)
- Contests to enter (for free or a fee) to win big prizes or trips
- Refer-a-friend program where you can earn for each friend you refer
- VIP/Loyalty/Reward programs with great perks for valued players
Top Online Casinos in Maryland – Welcome Bonus Comparison
To give you an idea of how the welcome bonuses can vary, we have included a list of the promotions you will find at our top five online casino gambling sites. Read more about rollover requirements in the appropriate section later in the guide.
- BetOnline: 100 free spins (after initial deposit)
- BookMaker: Worth up to $500 on 25% cash bonus (rollover: 8x with crypto, 10x without crypto)
- Heritage Sports: Worth up to $250 on 50% sign-up bonus (rollover: 12x)
- BetUS: Worth up to $3,125 on 125% sign-up bonus (rollover: 10x on sports, 30x on casino)
Payment Methods Available at Maryland Online Casinos
All of the top-rated online casino sites will accept multiple withdrawal and deposit options, including debit cards, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), a bank wire transfer and even crypto options (Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum). Regardless of what forms of gambling you want to enjoy or which payment options you prefer to use, offshore sites offer more options than retail casinos and state-regulated legal sportsbooks.
Be mindful that bank transfers will take the longest period of time for the funds to show as available in your account, whereas many offshore sites offer same-day crypto withdrawal options. Which deposit methods that you choose are entirely up to personal preference, however.
When it comes to financial transactions, there are several things you will want to familiarize yourself with at your chosen site in regard to their accepted payment options:
- Payment methods usually range from old-fashioned (credit/debit cards, checks, money orders, wire transfers, bank wire transfers, vouchers) to more new school methods (eWallets, Zelle, PayPal, P2P apps, and cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin).
- Some sites offer a cash payment negotiation as well
- Minimum deposit/withdrawal limits (usually $10-to-$50)
- Maximum deposit/withdrawal limits (can be a wide range up to tens of thousands of dollars)
- Deposit/withdrawal fees (vary by method from free to pricy)
- Payment processing time (can be almost instantaneous to up to 15 days if waiting on a check)
Game Selection & Variety at Online Casinos in Maryland
If you have never played an online casino before, you may be surprised at just how fun it can be. The graphics look sharp, the sound effects help make you feel like you’re in a real casino and there is a huge variety of games to choose from, including all of your favorite casino games and exotic games.
You just have to find your favorite styles of games. There are plenty of unique slot machines, including Super Slots, to spend your time with. There are video poker games, table games with many variants of roulette, blackjack, and baccarat as well as specialty games (keno, scratchcards, and bingo). There are live dealer games where you can see a real person via video. The range of casino games available is generally much greater than what a casino player would find at retail casinos. This is one of the many benefits that online gambling sites can offer over physical casinos.
What is a rollover requirement at Maryland casinos?
All casino gamblers need to understand this. A rollover requirement must be met by wagering before you can turn your bonus funds into cash that can be withdrawn from offshore casinos.
For example, let’s say you have received $500 in bonus money with a rollover requirement of 25x. Before that $500 can be taken out, you first have to bet $12,500 on casino games (or the sportsbook if it’s a sportsbook bonus).
The highest rollover requirements, usually 20-50x, will be on the casino bonuses. The lower the rollover requirement, the better the deal is for you.
FAQs – Maryland Online Casinos
Can you use gambling apps in Maryland?
Popular United States-based gambling apps (like DraftKings or FanDuel) can not be used for mobile casino gaming; however, mobile-optimized offshore sites function just like native apps.
What online casinos pay out real cash?
All of our top-rated online casinos in our casino review above offer real money games. The only way it is not withdrawable yet is if you are playing bonus money that you have not satisfied the rollover requirement for. That must be done first before those bonus funds are converted into real money.
What is the safest online casino for real money?
If an online sports betting site had a poor reputation, it would never crack our top-rated list or be recommended to anyone. All of the sites we recommended have a reputation you can count on.
Does Maryland tax gambling winnings?
Any gambling winnings or cash prizes will need to be reported to the IRS and will be taxed the same as any other source of income.
What are the six Maryland casinos?
Maryland has six commercial casinos where you can play a range of games, which are Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, Hollywood Casino Perryville, Rocky Gap Casino Resort, Live! Casino & Hotel, Ocean Downs and MGM National Harbor.
