While Maryland voters likely will have to "wait at least two years to decide whether to legalize sports gambling, a narrow majority of the state’s voters approve of adding lawful sports betting today," according to a poll cited by Hobson & Guskin of the WASHINGTON POST. The poll found 53% of registered voters are "in favor of legal professional sports gambling," with 37% opposed and 10% "having no opinion." Those with strong opinions on the issue were about "evenly divided," with 26% "strongly disapproving of legal sports betting" and 24% strongly approving. The poll found that "voters under 40 were most supportive, with about 7 in 10 favoring sports betting, and men were more likely than women to favor legal sports gambling," 62% to 46%. The poll was "conducted in early October among a random sample of 814 Maryland registered voters reached on cell and landline phones." The results have a margin of error of 4%. To legalize sports wagering, the state General Assembly would "need to approve adding a ballot question, and then a majority of voters would need to support the measure." A Maryland bill "calling for a voter referendum on sports gambling passed the House of Delegates but not the Senate this year, making it unlikely that the state’s voters will get a referendum on the issue" before November '20 (WASHINGTON POST, 11/13).
BAYOU BETTING: In New Orleans, Julia O'Donoghue notes online fantasy sports betting is "coming to 47 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes." Now, there is a "question of whether it will face the same restrictions and high tax rates as casinos, racetracks and video poker operators." Some of the gambling interests already "up and running in the state are expected to get involved in discussions about what the regulation of daily fantasy sports games will look like." The Louisiana Legislature is "expected to pass a tax rate and other regulations for the industry in its lawmaking session that begins April 8." Then, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board will have to "implement new rules" for DFS "based on the laws enacted by the Legislature -- a process that takes at least four months due to requirements for public input." As a result, Gaming Control Board Chair Ronnie Jones said that DFS "likely won’t be available in Louisiana until very late" into '19 (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 11/13).
