Fund Maryland’s Future. Protect Our Kids. Stop the Illegal Market.
Right now, Maryland has an opportunity to solve a growing problem and turn it into a win for our community. Illegal offshore betting sites are targeting Marylanders without safeguards, accountability, or benefits to our state. Minors are especially at risk. But Maryland can act. By shutting down illegal operators, we can create a safer, regulated gaming market that protects families, and keep dollars here at home to fund the essential public services Marylanders depend on.
WHY ACTION MATTERS
Illegal online betting is growing fast and Maryland families are paying the price. An August 2025 survey estimates Marylanders now spend $8.62 billion on illegal online betting sites every year, an increase of more than 18% since 2022.That’s not a new market — it’s an existing one operating entirely outside the law.
These illegal offshore sites operate entirely outside of state and federal law. They have no responsible gaming measures, no age verification, no consumer safeguards, and no oversight. They are promoted by celebrities and heavily advertised, leading many Marylanders — especially young people — to believe they are legal and legitimate.
National investigations have exposed a pattern: illegal platforms operating outside the law and targeting minors with impunity.
PROTECTING KIDS COMES FIRST
Without age verification requirements, illegal betting sites make it easy for minors to sign up, deposit money, and gamble — something strictly prohibited by legal, regulated companies.
With illegal, unregulated betting sites:
Kids are unknowingly exposed
Families are left without recourse
Schools, communities, and states pay the price
Maryland already knows how to protect young people - legal, regulated companies are held to strict standards. Illegal operators are not and currently profit unchecked.
Latest News
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![Collage of online casino gaming interfaces]()
Inside the Dark and Predatory World of Crypto Casinos
New York Times
“The sites have spread across social media, taking advantage of the borderless nature of the internet. They offer hundreds of games, including blackjack, sports betting and flashy online slot machines. They operate with fewer restrictions for gamblers by obtaining licenses in small island nations.And, although they are not legal in many countries including the United States, the casinos have become gambling havens where teenagers and problem gamblers play and even earn income by promoting the sites, a New York Times investigation has found.”
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![Screenshot of a Paris Hilton online casino promo]()
How Paris Hilton, Drake, and NBA stars 'create veneer of legitimacy' for disputed sweepstakes casinos
Daily Mail
“In the eyes of many gaming corporations, not to mention lawsuit plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes casinos act as traditional casinos, only without the oversight, consumer protections and tax laws. So not only can they avoid the steep 24-percent federal gambling levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't subject to regulatory hurdles like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming protections.” -
![The artist, Drake]()
Drake has legal trouble over 'deceptive' online gambling site
Chron
“The lawsuit alleges online gambling site Stake.us circumvented state gambling laws and accuses Drake and Ross of exploitative marketing for the company.Justin Killham, the main plaintiff of the lawsuit, says he lost money on the website because of wrongful trade practices and deceptive marketing that labeled the gaming site as a "social casino" that doesn't allow actual gambling, which the plaintiff says allows the site to skate by state laws that make gambling illegal.”
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![Screenshot of a Ryan Seacrest online casino paid ad]()
Sweeps Casinos Continue Utilizing Celebrities’ Likeness to Market Controversial Gaming Ops
Casino.org
“Janel Parrish, a four-time Teen Choice Award winner, is also promoting Chumba Casino. Despite state regulators in Maryland and three other states saying Chumba Casino is running an illegal online gambling enterprise, Parrish recently took to X and Instagram to say why all of her followers should sign up and play.”
A MARYLAND SOLUTION
By legalizing and regulating online casino gaming, Maryland can shutout illegal offshore operators and replace them with regulated companies held to strict standards: mandatory age verification and ID checks, responsible gaming tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion programs, robust consumer protections, and real state oversight and accountability.
The result? Maryland’s youth protected and $1 billion per year reclaimed from the illegal market.
This is revenue the federal government can’t take away. Funding that stays right here in Maryland instead of flowing overseas to illegal operators.
States Are Raking In Billions From Slot Machines on Your Phone
New York Times
Online casino gaming has proven to be an even stronger revenue generator than online sports betting in every state that has legalized both, according to a New York Times report. "It's a matter of how can we come up with our own money. Because we can't rely on the federal government for it,” one state lawmaker said.
Read more
WHY NOW: MARYLAND’S FUNDING CRISIS
Maryland loses almost $1 billion annually to illegal offshore betting companies. This is real money Marylanders are already spending in a market the state doesn’t control — money that should be funding critical priorities here at home:
Public schools and teachers
Healthcare for millions of Marylanders
Care for seniors and people with disabilities
Feeding hungry families
State workers who keep Maryland running
Maryland’s funding crisis is real and it’s here. Earlier this year, a federal funding freeze devastated Maryland’s education system, cutting more than $400 million and forcing reductions in essential programs. State officials have called the situation “catastrophic,” and it’s leaving teachers and families in limbo.
Over 1.5 million Marylanders rely on Medicaid, including almost half of all children in the state and 64% of nursing home residents. Maryland could lose up to $2.7 billion in federal funding annually starting next year, which may cause an estimated 175,000 residents to lose coverage.
More than 680,000 Marylanders depend on SNAP benefits, including 270,000 children. The state could face more than $300 million in new costs due to new federal rules and regulations.
There are thousands of vacancies across key state agencies. Instead of filling these critical positions, budget pressures have forced a hiring freeze and the elimination of hundreds of jobs.
Maryland can fix this.
We don’t have time to wait. Every day we delay, kids remain exposed, essential services remain underfunded, and illegal offshore operators continue draining money out of Maryland. By working together, Maryland can protect kids, strengthen our economy, and invest in the future we all share.