Any Marylander offered free money by a stranger would naturally think it’s too good to be true.
Yet proponents of online casinos, also known as iGaming, insist that turning every smartphone into a 24/7 casino is a simple way to generate tax revenue with little downside. The evidence tells a different story.
Let’s get real. Nothing comes without a price — and Maryland already has evidence that expanding online gambling carries real economic and social costs.
Independent analysis by The Innovation Group projects legalized iGaming would cost Maryland approximately 1,450 jobs, reduce state economic output by $372 million annually and generate minimal new tax revenue after offsetting losses elsewhere but before accounting for increased social costs. An estimated $870 million in annual social costs from iGaming’s increased addictiveness would sink Maryland in a deep financial hole.
That’s not a fiscal windfall — it’s a bad trade for Maryland workers, taxpayers and families.
Those losses extend far beyond the casino floor. Maryland’s casinos support thousands of union jobs — from dealers and security officers to hotel, restaurant and maintenance workers — that depend on thriving brick-and-mortar casinos.
Maryland is already seeing the consequences of expanded online gambling. A University of Maryland study found more than half of online sports bettors are disordered or at-risk gamblers — well above the national average.
Before legalizing online casinos — a product that Harvard researchers have described as up to 10 times more harmful than traditional gambling — lawmakers should ask whether existing safeguards are working.
Supporters claim iGaming will eliminate the illegal market. Experience suggests otherwise. Bloomberg recently reported illegal operators still account for roughly 71% of Europe’s online gambling market despite widespread legalization.
Maryland lawmakers should prioritize enforcement — including legislation overwhelmingly approved by the State House targeting illegal online gambling operators— rather than assuming legalization alone will solve the problem.
The industry’s promises of “responsible gaming” also ring hollow. As just one example, suspected underage users have placed nearly $2.85 million in wagers through DraftKings and FanDuel in Ohio since 2023. These are the same operators asking Maryland lawmakers to trust them with online casinos.
More than two-thirds (71%) of Marylanders already oppose online casino expansion. They know a bad bet when they see one. Maryland lawmakers should too.
Oliver Barie is the government relations director for the National Association Against iGaming.
