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Maryland hearing pits casinos and lottery regulators against social‑games industry over proposed ban on sweepstakes-style sites
Summary
A contentious Ways and Means hearing focused on HB295, a bill to ban so‑called interactive or sweepstakes casinos. Regulators and brick‑and‑mortar casinos said the sites evade oversight and harm consumers; social‑games companies said many products are lawful free‑to‑play offerings with safeguards and that a ban would push lawful operators offshore.
House Bill 295 drew the day’s longest and most heated debate in the Ways and Means Committee, as state regulators, casino operators and makers of social and sweepstakes games squared off over whether Maryland should ban interactive online games that mimic casino play.
John Martin, director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, told the committee HB295 aims to clarify that ‘interactive games’ offered outside state licensing are illegal and are hurting consumer protections and state revenue. ‘For an activity to be gaming or gambling, there must be three elements: consideration, chance, and prize,’ Martin said, urging lawmakers to give regulators clearer tools to pursue…
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