Episode 29: Maryland and the question of cannibalisation

Mickey Ferri and Laura O’Laughlin join Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden to discuss the recent study showing online casino actually expands the market, rather than eating away at the land-based share. 

The case against cannibalisation in Maryland

Essentially mobile gaming is a very different product to in-person gaming, Ferri and O’Laughlin tell the World Series of Politics. That means it’s not likely to grow at the expense of casinos and instead complements land-based revenue – which may even modestly increase. 

For Maryland, there’s an added incentive. Currently 30% of those surveyed in the state are travelling out of state for a casino visit. Of this number, 45% of Maryland players are considering igaming while out of town – that’s a huge opportunity for growth. 

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Maryland igaming: What’s at stake?

It’s the final day before the Maryland General Assembly adjourns today (8 April) and while the igaming bill HB1319 passed the house in March, it remains caught up in the senate budget and taxation committee.

As Jill Dorson reports, that suggests it doesn’t have enough votes to progress. However Delegate Vanessa Attabeary, the bill’s sponsor, has attacked fears of cannibalisation. She has also warned the bill is crucial in replacing offshore igaming with a legal alternative, saying it is “incumbent on [lawmakers] to capture that market and regulate it”.