Three of the 10 entities approved for mobile sports betting licenses in Maryland will not be ready for the planned launch of mobile gambling in the state next week.

During a meeting Thursday morning, John Martin of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission said Maryland Stadium Sub, LLC., Long Shot’s, LLC. of Frederick County, and Greenmount OTB, LLC. of Carroll County will not be ready by the Nov. 23 rollout. A spokesperson for the commission said there was no information available about why the rollouts of these three offerings would be delayed.

On Wednesday, the commission approved 10 mobile sports betting licenses in the state, with the goal of making betting functional just before Thanksgiving. State law allows for up to 60 mobile sports betting licenses. Last month, the commission received 21 applications. A majority of the entities are based in central or Southern Maryland.

The additional seven companies granted betting licenses by Sports Wagering Application Review Commission Wednesday are:

• Arundel Amusements, Inc.
• BetMGM Maryland Sports, LLC
• Crown MD Online Gaming, LLC
• CZR Maryland Mobile Opportunity, LLC
• PENN Maryland OSB, LLC
• PPE Maryland Mobile, LLC
• Riverboat on the Potomac, LLC

More applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, the commission said.

“Mobile will account for the bulk of the revenue from sports wagering and we are eager to enable Maryland to enter that market,” said Thomas M. Brandt, Jr., Chair of the commission.

Before they can start taking bets, the new license holders will have to successfully prove to the state that their mobile operating systems work. Businesses will have to conduct demonstrations that involve “live wagering by customers at specific dates and times” set by the state’s Commission on Lottery and Gaming.

These tests play an important role in avoiding mobile gambling disasters, like one that played out in D.C. on Super Bowl Sunday this year. For the entire game, many bettors in D.C. had to miss out on the action after GambetDC, the app operated by the D.C. Lottery, did not work for users of Apple devices. The issue was later attributed to a licensing error with a recent update of the app.

In 2020, roughly two-thirds of Marylanders voted in support of a constitutional amendment to allow sports betting in the state. Late last year, sports betting launched at five casinos across the state.

According to the Maryland Lottery, gambling revenue raised a record $1.5 billion for the state during the last fiscal year; $5.6 million came from sports betting, which at that point had been around in the state for six months. These funds, in turn, go toward supporting reforms on issues including education in the state.

Local fans will have plenty to bet on once the companies launch in Maryland at Thanksgiving: Next week the Washington Commanders face the Atlanta Falcons, and the Baltimore Ravens will play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 27. Next Wednesday, The Washington Capitals will face the Philadelphia Flyers And the Washington Wizards play the Miami Heat.