Colleges and universities will be banned from signing certain contracts with sports betting apps in Maryland starting July 1st. The move comes seven months after the apps became legal in Maryland.
Sports-betting apps went live in Maryland on December 1, 2022. State lawmakers had their first crack at managing the after-effects of that during this year’s General Assembly session. And the initial focus was on colleges and universities, and the types of contracts they can sign with apps, and the review process for those contracts.
Baltimore County Senator Shelly Hettleman says SB620 came in response to her reading about a contract one out-of-state university signed with a sports betting app. “For every time one of their students downloaded the app and placed a bet, the university was getting $30 back,” Hettleman explained to WYPR. “When I heard about that, I (said) that should not be happening here in Maryland. That seems predatory to me.” Schools can not sign contracts where they would receive any compensation for getting students to use them starting July 1 in Maryland.
A second bill OK’d by lawmakers, SB621, creates independent evaluators for the contracts colleges and universities can sign with sports betting apps in Maryland. Those evaluators would also look at the content provided on apps by betting experts, influencers, and partners. Hettleman says the move is needed for better transparency.