Residents of the state of Maryland recently had the opportunity to cast their vote in a survey conducted jointly by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland aiming to provide a better insight in people’s general attitude towards sports wagering legalization in the state. According to the information obtained via the poll, some 53 percent of the individuals stated they would vote with a yes if the had to legalize betting on professional sporting events today.
Sports wagering is one of the rapidly growing fields across the United States, as it has the potential to attract millions of enthusiasts with its existing offerings. The citizens of Maryland might be making the first steps towards welcoming legal sports betting operation, as they were given the opportunity to publicly state their position via the most recent poll.
Even though the percentage of individuals backing future sports wagering legalization might be only slightly surpassing the 50-percent mark, it is still a support expressed.
Some 53 Percent of the Voters Back the Gaming Offering
Some 53 percent of the voters stated they are willing to see legal sports betting operation throughout the state after lawmakers come up with the necessary regulations overseeing the field. As much as 37 percent of the residents claimed they oppose the introduction of sports wagering on a state level, whereas 10 percent skipped participating in the poll whatsoever.
Following this spring’s overruling of PASPA and the anticipated liberation of the field, the possibility of legal sports betting making it to Maryland has become a more feasible possibility. For reference, September 2017 saw another poll conducted by the same team which showed slightly different results. Back then before sports betting became even more possible, as much as 55 percent of the voters stated they back a potential sports betting expansion in the state.
In the meantime, some 33 percent claimed their strong opposition to wagering on sports events, as it could add up to any existing problem gambling tendencies across the community. This support has been the highest marked up to this point, but it should be taken into account that more than a year has passed since then. Individuals had had the opportunity to learn more regarding the offering, inevitably making an informed choice.
Neighboring States Threaten to Attract Maryland Players
This research and further consideration of the offering eventually led to a slight change of the general opinion. Furthermore, at this point, sports wagering has spread throughout as many as six states, meaning the possibility is more than realistic, which could have resulted in many people recognizing the true impact of such operation.
The younger demographic under the age of 40 turned out supporting the legalization of sports betting the most reaching 70%, whereas most of those above 65 claimed they are not willing to see legal wagering on professional sports events. It could be recalled that this March a 124-14 bill was introduced which had the potential to bring a referendum to November’s ballot.
The House of Delegates gave its approval to it, but unfortunately, the Senate did not receive it in a timely manner, thus scrapping previous efforts. With the help of this question, Maryland residents would have had the chance to give green light to sports betting operation via a vote on 6th November, as this is what the State Constitution mandates.
According to previously issued projections, about 1.5 million additional visitors are going to join in the field in Maryland at some point after the legalization which would result in a considerable boost to the local field. A ballot referendum is the way to go in this situation, but this is not expected to happen anytime soon, as the next such opportunity would be the ballot in November 2020.
This could prove tough for the gaming field, as neighboring states to the liking of West Virginia and Delaware already have sports wagering up and running, while Pennsylvania is expected to launch operation in the foreseeable future.
