Rush Street Interactive-operated BetRivers and affiliate business Gambling.com Group have both announced they will fully launch in Maryland when the state’s legal sports betting market opens tomorrow (November 23).
BetRivers commenced a short soft launch yesterday (November 21), with this to also run for a period today, prior to the operator launching in full tomorrow subject to final regulatory approvals.
The online launch will support the operator’s retail sportsbook, which opened in Baltimore in August following the legalization of in-person betting in December last year.
“The much-anticipated launch of online and mobile sports betting in Maryland is here, and just in time for all the NFL and college football action over Thanksgiving,” Rush Street Interactive chief executive Richard Schwartz said. “We are thrilled to give Maryland’s NFL and college football fans an exciting sports betting experience to enjoy all the holiday action at the touch of their fingertips.
“In addition to football, BetRivers offers them endless entertainment with countless other sports and betting options available for their pleasure, including exciting single game parlays on the NBA and college basketball and bets on the World Cup.”
Meanwhile, Gambling.com Group said it would be ready to support licensed operators in the state from tomorrow, having been issued a vendor registration certification by the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Commission.
In preparation for the opening of the state’s legal market, group launched BetMaryland.com in February 2022, with this website to now be expanded to assist consumers in identifying locally licensed operators and sites.
“The expected launch of the legal online sports betting market in Maryland adds to the tremendous amount of positive momentum for the North American online gaming industry in 2022,” Gambling.com Group chief executive Charles Gillespie said.
“Maryland is taking the right approach by keeping the barriers to entry low and allowing a variety of operators to enter the market. We believe that this will foster competition and ultimately benefit consumers as the operators with the best products rise to the top.”
The latest announcements come after last week it was confirmed that both DraftKings and Betfred had also entered the Maryland sports betting market. Betfred’s physical sportsbook went live from November 18, while DraftKings’ sportsbook app will launch on November 23.
Caesars Entertainment also announced the launch of its mobile sportsbook app in Maryland in preparation for the state opening its regulated market.