- Maryland’s Lottery, casinos and sportsbooks sent $1.637 billion to the state in fiscal 2026, up $48 million.
- Sports wagering supplied $43.4 million of the year’s $48 million gain, leaving about $4.6 million from everything else.
- Handle rose 11.1% to $6.91 billion while the state’s take rose 48.8% after the mobile tax went from 15% to 20%.
- Casino revenue fell 4.7% in July, the opening month of fiscal 2027, to $157.9 million.
BALTIMORE – Maryland Lottery and Gaming returned $1.637 billion to the state in fiscal 2026, and the sports betting tax supplied roughly 90% of the $48 million increase behind it. Sports wagering paid $132,318,369, up 48.8% from $88,923,572 a year earlier.
The agency announced the total Aug. 7. The comparable fiscal 2025 figure was $1.589 billion.
Sports Betting Carried The Whole Increase
Sports wagering and fantasy sports together contributed $133.3 million in the year that ran July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, against $822.2 million from the six casinos and $681.6 million in Lottery profits. That puts sportsbooks and fantasy operators at about 8% of the total. Sports wagering by itself moved from 5.6% of the fiscal 2025 contribution to 8.1% of this one.
The growth math is more lopsided than the mix. Sports wagering alone added $43,394,797 year over year. Because the combined contribution rose $48 million, casinos, the Lottery and fantasy sports together accounted for the remaining $4.6 million.
The two older lines held their level without adding to it. Casino gaming revenue finished at $1.931 billion, the fifth-best year of the program’s 16, and Lottery sales of $2.676 billion ranked third in a 53-year history.
The Rate Moved, Not Just The Money
Bettors in Maryland wagered $6,911,526,614 in fiscal 2026, up 11.1% from $6,218,831,405 the year before, according to Maryland Lottery and Gaming. Sportsbooks held 11.5% of it, against 11.2% in fiscal 2025.
The state’s take grew more than four times as fast as the money bet. The gap is a tax change. Under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025, signed May 20, 2025, and effective for the fiscal year that began that July 1, operators taking bets through online gambling sites moved from a flat 15% to 20% of taxable proceeds. Retail sportsbooks stayed at 15%.
The split follows the rate. Mobile books now send 15 points to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund and 5 points to the General Fund, which is why sports wagering delivered $99.7 million to education and $32.6 million to general revenue in fiscal 2026.
Maryland is not the only state that has reached for the mobile line this year. North Carolina’s budget squeezes sportsbooks at 23% while leaving prediction markets untouched.
Half The Mix Still Comes From Casinos
Casinos remain the largest single line at 50.2% of the total contribution, ahead of the Lottery at 41.6%. The Education Trust Fund drew $599.1 million from casino proceeds. Adding the $99.7 million routed to the Blueprint fund and $1,029,319 from fantasy competitions, education programs took $699.8 million of the $1.637 billion.
Casino proceeds also sent $103.4 million to the jurisdictions hosting the six properties, $94.7 million to the horse racing industry and $20.3 million to small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses. The Problem Gambling Fund received $4.4 million from casinos and $5.4 million across all sources.
Across the year the Lottery and the regulated gaming industry produced an average of $4.48 million a day for state programs. What changed inside that figure is the mix, which tilted toward mobile wagering placed through Maryland gambling sites.
Fiscal 2027 Opens Lower
Maryland’s six casinos generated $157,864,080 in July, a drop of $7,797,814 or 4.7% from July 2025, and contributed $68,183,830 to the state, down 3.5%. The Education Trust Fund’s share of that was $49,887,124.
Maryland Lottery and Gaming has not yet posted a July sports wagering report. Monthly sports figures typically publish around the 10th of the following month, and the June report landed July 10.