Maryland casinos used to only offer 3:2 blackjack games when a player was dealt a natural blackjack. This game has a low house edge. The payout for blackjack games offered by casinos changed when MGM National Harbor opened in 2016. Casinos in Maryland casinos may now pay 6:5 when dealing a natural blackjack if they choose.
Maryland casinos may each offer different rules. You can see a full outline of Maryland blackjack rules from the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency here.
- Natural blackjack may pay 3-to-2 or 6-to-5
- Dealer may hit or stand on Soft 17
- Player may double down on any two cards
- Player may double after splitting a pair
- Casinos must offer Surrender
Casino & Hotel in Hanover offers gamblers 160,000 square feet of action, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Slots, video poker, electronic tables, more than 200 live action table games, and a nearly 15,000 square foot poker room with 50 tables make it easy to find your games of choice.
Casinos Dealing Blackjack in Maryland
Table Games Revenue in Maryland
- Casino has launched the next generation of its online games offering – LIVE! SOCIAL CASINO - a fun, interactive entertainment experience, which borrows heavily from the success of “social casinos” worldwide.
- Casino, located in Arundel Mills, will have preview dates for Live! Rewards cardholders on Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 28. It will then reopen to the public starting at 6 a.m.
Maryland reports their blackjack differently than some other states. Gaming reports are sent out monthly. The games are grouped in two categories: Banked and non-banked table games and terminals (slot machines, video poker, etc.).
Here are table game revenues for June, 2016 in Maryland. This includes revenue from all table games, not just blackjack.
- Non-Gross Table Game Revenue: $839,177,086
- Banked Table Game Revenue: $46,441,844.26
Visit the Maryland Gaming Control Board for more information on casinos around the state.
History of Blackjack in Maryland
Casino gambling in Maryland is still relatively new having started in 2010. Table games weren’t approved until 2012. Today there are six full-service casinos that offer traditional blackjack, poker, slot machines, and other casino games.
The biggest change to Maryland blackjack happened in 2016 when the MGM National Harbor opened. Blackjack rules were altered to allow casino operators throughout the state to change rules and increase the house edge. The new rules give casino operators more flexibility in the product they offer customers. As of the writing of this article, only two the casinos in the state (Hollywood Casino Perryville and Rocky Gap) have kept all 3:2 blackjack games.
Maryland Blackjack News
State Pages: PA Blackjack – Florida blackjack – NJ Blackjack
For many years, Nevada was the only place in the US to play a slot machine. The one-armed bandit has been synonymous with the state for decades.
However, for 21 years, from 1947 to 1968, Americans could find legal slot play in Maryland too.
In terms of significance, this fact makes Maryland one of the only states to ban gambling, then bring it back.
This history likely set the stage for Maryland’s moderate but passionate reintroduction back into the world of slot machines and table games.
The state has also become a pro-sports betting state. Voters overwhelmingly voted yes on Question 2 to legalize Maryland sports wagering during the state’s November 2020 election.
Sweepstakes casinos in Maryland
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Social casino options
Marylanders have all of the typical options for social gaming. Double Down, Big Fish, Slotomania, Zynga, and MyVegas are all available through Facebook or mobile devices. Interestingly, the Hollywood Casino in Perryville does not feature its own social casino option. This is unusual for casinos branded by Hollywood.
Marylanders may want to pay slightly more attention to MyVegas than other states because of its proximity to Borgata in New Jersey. Although it’s not walking distance, Borgata is a short trip from Maryland and does have options for redemption through the MyVegas site. Maryland residents might do well to investigate the slot options on MyVegas.
Maryland sports betting
Just after the calendar flipped to 2020, Sen. Chris West pre-filed SB 58, which would allow horse tracks and casinos to offer regulated Maryland sports betting.
Fast forward to November 2020, when a large majority of voters voted yes on statewide ballot measure Question 2, finally legalizing Maryland sports betting.
Whether that will include online sports betting is still unclear. Lawmakers will likely convene in 2021 to hammer out the details.
Online gambling
Like many states, Maryland does not have a strict law for or against playing games of chance online. However, the state is rather restrictive when it comes to funding those games. Many banks and other financial institutions are closely monitored for any kind of interactions with gambling websites or operators.
The bright spot is that there are three nearby states (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) that either have or are about to have online gambling. It is certain that the Maryland Legislature will be monitoring those states’ successes closely. It is also possible that Maryland could decide to get in on the online game in the near future. Below is a table of likely operators based upon the companies that already have a foothold in the state.
Likely online gambling operators
Operator | Properties Owned/Managed in MD |
---|---|
Caesars Entertainment | Horseshoe Casino Baltimore |
Gaming and Leisure Properties | Hollywood Casino Perryville |
Golden Entertainment | Rocky Gap Casino Resort |
MGM Resorts International | MGM National Harbor |
Saratoga Casino Holdings | Ocean Downs |
The Cordish Companies | Maryland Live! Casino |
State casino operator history
In 1947, four counties in southern Maryland ignored a veto from Maryland’s governor at the time and installed 9,300 gaming machines in their counties. These counties raked in millions of dollars each year. It was estimated to be over $24 million in 1963 alone, and the scene was so hot that it became the main tourist attraction for the area.
However, all good things must come to an end, and in 1968 Maryland outlawed the slot machines. But the fire for gambling in Maryland continued to smolder. In 2008, residents approved a constitutional amendment to allow slot machines in five specific state locations.
Things went well, and in 2012 voters elected to expand the allowed games to include table games at the five casinos. They also voted to extend the operating hours at the casinos and to authorize a sixth casino. The six casinos are in six different Maryland locales – Anne Arundel, BaltimoreCity, CecilCounty, AlleganyCounty, WorcesterCounty, and Prince George’s County. The sixth casino, MGM National Harbor, just opened last December.
Casino revenue
So far, the appeal of these facilities is strong and on the rise. Total revenue for February 2017 alone was over $128 million. The addition of the sixth property is certainly contributing to that figure. MGM National Harbor made $48.8 million in revenue in its first month of operation and its effect on the overall take has been a net positive for the state.
All of this has occurred since 2010, when Hollywood Casino Perryville opened its doors. By the standards of the rest of the state’s casinos, it is a rather modest property. There are 850 slots, 20 table games, and an off-track betting facility (there is no poker room). Yet, four years later, the profile of the state’s gaming industry expanded fivefold – four more casinos opened their doors by August 2014.
The largest of these casinos (and still the largest – MGM National Harbor could only take second place) is Maryland Live! Casino. This massive casino offers its patrons almost 4,000 slot machines, over 200 table games, and a gigantic poker room with 52 tables. There are eight restaurants for patrons to dine, a posh hotel with 310 rooms and 52 suites to reserve, and a 1500-seat entertainment venue. This casino is enough to warrant a stop on the World Poker Tour each year, despite the casino only having been open since June 2012.
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Location, location, location
Maryland Live! and the five other Maryland properties are finding such success because of the tremendous location they enjoy. Maryland is a fairly populous, but small state, which means it is close to many surrounding areas in addition to its own cities and localities. For instance, Maryland Live! is a 15-minute drive from downtown Baltimore and also only a 50-minute drive from Washington D.C.
It is also less than a two-hour drive from both Philadelphia and Dover, Delaware. These two cities have their own options to be sure, but Maryland casinos are close enough to draw from those areas for a change of pace or special events (like the aforementioned WPT). All in all, the future looks bright for Maryland casinos, because even with the saturation of the northeastern casino market, Maryland enjoys a roughly central location from many parts of this area of the country.
Land-based casinos
Property | Location | Number of Slots | Number of Table Games | Number of Poker Tables |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maryland Live! Casino | Hanover | 3,941 | 209 | 52 |
MGM National Harbor | Oxon Hill | 3,212 | 165 | 39 |
Horseshoe Casino Baltimore | Baltimore | 2,186 | 179 | 25 |
Hollywood Casino Perryville | Perryville | 850 | 20 | n/a |
Ocean Downs | Berlin | 800 | n/a | n/a |
Rocky Gap Casino Resort | Flintstone | 662 | 17 | n/a |
State legal environment
Play Maryland Live Online Casino Social
Permitted/Offered? | Notes & Restrictions | |
---|---|---|
Land-based Gambling | Yes | |
Online Gambling | No | |
Lottery | Yes | State and multi-state drawings |
Charitable or House-based Gambling | Yes | |
Minimum Gambling Age | 21 |