Maryland lawmakers will weigh legalizing internet gambling. How would it work?

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As Maryland lawmakers look for ways to raise money to close a budget gap and fund the state’s priorities, some are looking to online gambling as part of the solution.

Lawmakers again will consider allowing Marylanders to legally play poker, blackjack, roulette and other forms of gambling — with the state taking a hefty cut, primarily to fund education programs.

The proposal, dubbed “iGaming” in Annapolis, will get its first airing at the General Assembly on Wednesday. Lawmakers have wrestled with the idea of internet gambling multiple times but never settled on a plan. Last year, an internet gambling measure passed the House of Delegates but went nowhere in the Senate.

Sen. Ron Watson, one of the measure’s sponsors, said he hopes now is the year, given the state’s budget picture and the momentum of internet gambling in other states. Under the bill he is sponsoring along with Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Howard County Democrat, most of the proceeds would be directed to pay for the state’s ambitious education plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

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