Daily fantasy sports can be a somewhat complicated matter in many US states. It is only illegal in a few states but that does not mean it is explicitly legal everywhere else. Many states have remained in a somewhat gray area, allowing residents to play DFS, but not passing any laws to clarify the state’s position on it. Things in Maryland are fortunately pretty straightforward. It was one of the first states in the union to pass a law specifically legalizing paid-entry fantasy sports in 2012. In 2017, this US state also implemented new regulations for DFS, making it more customer friendly. There have been some issues raised with DFS and some politicians have questioned whether or not it should really be exempt from gambling restrictions, but no action has been taken to undo the 2012 law allowing DFS in Maryland.

Todd Winkler, Editor at online-gambling.com

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Todd Winkler has been an editor at online-gambling.com for 6 years. His focus is on guides and articles about poker games, blackjack, and DFS. With relatives in New Zealand, he is also well aware of the gambling industry in the country.

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Online Daily Fantasy Sports in Maryland- Overview

As we have already touched on, although the laws in Maryland have been pretty clear, public opinion has not been so stable. When it comes to DFS, the 2012 law made it legal and nothing has changed that. However, there has been some debate on the subject as some feel that the 2012 law should only be applied to full-season fantasy sport, not daily fantasy sport. Maryland’s Assistant Attorney General has argued that no bill can legalize DFS without a referendum first to change parts of the state’s constitution. Despite this, DFS is currently still legal in the state and we don’t expect that to change any time soon.

Apart from DFS, other forms of gambling are also legal in Maryland. There are six licensed casinos where residents may legally play casino games; four of these also offer poker tables. Pari-mutuel betting on horse races is allowed in Maryland, as are lottery games and bingo. However, online casinos and online poker are both still illegal.

Since Maryland residents can still happily play DFS, let’s take a look at some of the sports on offer in the state.

Online Daily Fantasy NFL – Ravens or Redskins?

Maryland has more reason than most to be interested in the NFL. This state has not one but two teams playing in the NFL: the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore and the Washington Redskins in Prince George’s County. Obviously, there is plenty of reason for residents of Maryland to be invested in this sport. Apart from personal interest, NFL is the most popular DFS league as it is. If you want to participate, you can draft nine NFL players into your team, choose whether you want to play in a private or public contest, and see how your team does!

Online Daily Fantasy MLB – Baltimore Orioles

Like the NFL league, Maryland residents have reason to take more of an interest in Major League Baseball. The Baltimore Orioles are based in this state at play in the MLB. The team’s name is in honor of the state bird, the oriole. While the Orioles performed extremely poorly in 2018, they are trying to improve this year! MLB daily fantasy players must draft ten players to enter a competition. Each player must be on that week’s playing roster, and there must be no more than five hitters on a team. As with all games, there is a salary cap within which you must stay when choosing you team.

Online Daily Fantasy Golf – Time for Tee

Golf may not be the first sport that you think of when you are considering which DFS league to enter, but there is actually a lot of interest. Maryland has a particular affiliation with the sport as well. The Congressional Country Club and Aronimink Golf Club have both hosted numerous professional golf tournaments in Maryland, including the prestigious US Open, the PGA Championship, US Senior Open, Kemper Open and Quicken Loans National. When playing DFS golf, you must choose six golfers while staying within the salary cap. Your players can score points for different things: birdies, eagles, bogey-free rounds, etc.

Online Daily Fantasy NBA – Oh Shucks!

Although Maryland does not have any teams in the NBA, it is still a state that follows basketball. It actually has a team in the CBA (the Baltimore Shuckers) and five teams in the ABA: the Baltimore Hawks, the DBV Warriors, the Maryland Bulldogz, and the PG Valor. The NBA fantasy leagues also have a salary cap, this time at $50,000. Using this money, you need to draft eight players from at least two NBA games.

College Basketball – Maryland Terrapins

The Maryland Terrapins represent the University of Maryland in a number of sports. The men’s basketball team is particularly well known. Although it might have been a while back, it is still known for playing a legendary game in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with many people believing it to be the “greatest ACC game in history”. This took place in the championship of 1974, and although the Terrapins actually lost (103-100 in overtime), the team is still remembered for its unbelievable performance there. In the 2018-19 campaign, the Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team placed 6th seed in the NCAA tournament.

Timeline of Daily Fantasy Sports Legislation

Maryland has had a very interesting history with gambling, with several laws being passed to restrict certain types of gambling when they got a little out of control. Below, we take a look at some of the most important points in Maryland gambling history. If you want to know more about gambling in the state, you can take a look at our main page babout betting in Maryland.

Legal Daily Fantasy Betting Age in Maryland

Maryland is pretty mixed when it comes to its gambling laws. There are licensed casinos in the state where you can gamble legally, and you can even play poker at four of them. Betting on horse racing is also allowed but only if it is pari-mutuel.

Online gambling is a different story in Maryland. The laws on this are very broad so you cannot place a bet legally online. Online poker is also illegal, as is sports betting, both online and offline (except for the pari-mutuel horse racing).

You must be at least 21 years old to play at any Maryland casino, although for pari-mutuel betting the minimum age is slightly lower at 18 years old.

Penalties for illegal gambling in Maryland are pretty severe compared to other states. Some states only prosecute the operator and not the player, but this is not legally the case in Maryland. That being said, there is not really a history of actually prosecuting individual players. Penalties can include both fines and prison sentences.

• DFS Betting Age
  The minimum age to gamble in casinos in Maryland is 21 years old.
• Alcohol Age
  You must be at least 21 years old to drink in the state of Maryland.
• Weed Age
  The use of marijuana for recreational purposes is still illegal in Maryland, although possession of 10g has been decriminalized.

Is Daily Fantasy Betting Legal Outside of the State?

Daily fantasy sports are extremely popular in the USA, with 10% of the population playing. Despite this, many states still have not passed laws to make DFS explicitly legal. While Maryland has, in fact, passed this legislation, it is in the minority. This does not mean that it is illegal in all other states, however, as many allow DFS to be played but have not passed specific laws regarding it.

For example, in March 2016, Virginia passed a law specifically designed to legalize and regulate DFS. West Virginia has not passed such a bill, but in July 2016, the Attorney General’s office issued a statement saying that state law does not prohibit playing fantasy sports games. Therefore, gamblers from the Mountain State can play at WV daily fantasy sites.

A bill passed in October 2017 legalized dfs sites in PA. In Delaware, DFS was originally deemed to be illegal by state officials, but a bill was soon passed to change this and it is now officially legal in the state.

The Best Fantasy Sports App in Maryland

If you are interested in playing daily fantasy sports, then you are probably also interested in playing on your phone. In this day and age, we expect an app for almost everything, so it is unsurprising that the largest DFS sites have developed both mobile optimized pages and downloadable apps. Playing on your phone can be very convenient as you can play anywhere, and the majority of apps run very smoothly so you shouldn’t have any trouble making your picks. We recommend the following app as the best platform in Maryland.

Taxes on Daily Fantasy Winnings: Legal Overview

Any winnings from gambling are subject to both federal and state tax. Federal tax is always 25% but state tax varies from state to state. In Maryland, the state tax is 9.25% on a resident’s winnings, and 7.5% for a nonresident if the winnings total more than $5,000. If your winnings do come to more than $5,000, Maryland income taxes will automatically be withheld.

If your winnings are more than $500, you will need to fill out a Form 502D Declaration of Estimated Tax. If the winnings are less than $500, you must still report the amount on your annual income tax return, but payment of estimated tax is not required. If you would like more information on this, you can take a look at this government page on gambling tax in Maryland.

Upcoming Regulation Changes to Be Aware Of

The most important thing to know is that it is entirely legal to play daily fantasy sports in Maryland. The next thing to keep an eye out for is the possible legalization of online poker. Both Delaware and New Jersey already host regulated online poker and considering their close proximity to Maryland, it would not be surprising if the Old Line State followed suit soon.

Daily Fantasy Guides for Nearby States

• Pennsylvania
• Delaware
• Virginia
• West Virginia