Maryland Grants Sports Betting Licence to bet365 Ahead of NFL Season

The approval was handed down during a regulatory hearing this week and marks another step in bet365’s rapid US expansion strategy.

The operator will soon debut its sportsbook in Maryland, joining an already competitive market that includes industry heavyweights FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM. This development comes just a week before the highly anticipated kickoff of the NFL season on 5 September – a crucial date in the calendar for US sportsbooks, where operators typically see a surge in betting activity.

Maryland will now become the 15th US state where bet365 is licensed and operational. The company most recently launched in Kansas earlier this month, which was its 14th state entry, following simultaneous launches in Tennessee and Illinois back in March. This determined pace underlines bet365’s ambition to establish itself as a major player in the US sports betting landscape, a market traditionally dominated by US-born operators but increasingly attractive to international brands.

The timing of the approval is significant. In July alone, Maryland sportsbooks collectively handled $364.1 million in bets. Industry observers noted that if the figure had been just $900,000 higher, it would have reached $365 million – a symbolic number for the British operator ahead of its imminent arrival.

While bet365 has yet to issue an official statement regarding the Maryland approval, expectations are that the operator will make its presence felt quickly. Earlier in August, it announced a new partnership with Inspired Entertainment to introduce a suite of virtual sports products, expanding its offering beyond traditional sportsbook lines. That deal, combined with its Maryland launch, signals a period of accelerated growth for the company in the US market.

It has also been a busy period for the MLGCA. At the beginning of August, the agency rescinded a lottery contract previously awarded to Intralot after a review found that the proposal did not comply with state procurement laws. The latest approval for bet365 highlights the regulator’s active role in shaping Maryland’s gaming environment.

As the NFL season approaches, all eyes will be on how bet365 positions itself among Maryland bettors and whether its entry into the state sparks fresh competition in an already vibrant marketplace.