Maryland Casinos

Maryland authorized casino gaming through a series of voter referendums between 2008 and 2012. The process was deliberate — the state held separate votes at multiple stages as the scope of gaming expanded from slots-only facilities to full-service casinos with live table games and poker. The result is six geographically distributed commercial casinos serving different parts of the state and the larger DC-Baltimore metropolitan corridor.

There are no tribal casinos in Maryland. Every casino is a commercial, state-licensed operation overseen by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

Maryland’s Six Licensed Commercial Casinos

Maryland's six licensed commercial casino properties

M

MGM National Harbor

Oxon Hill

24/7 · Poker Room

L

Live! Casino & Hotel

Hanover

24/7 · Hotel

H

Horseshoe Casino Baltimore

Baltimore

24/7 · Poker Room

R

Rocky Gap Casino Resort

Flintstone

24/7

O

Ocean Downs

Berlin

24/7

H

Hollywood Casino Perryville

Perryville

24/7 · Poker Room

Live! Casino and Hotel in Hanover (Anne Arundel County) is the second-largest Maryland casino, located between Baltimore and Washington near the BWI airport corridor. The property includes hotel accommodations, a sports bar-oriented venue, multiple dining options, and a gaming floor with table games, slots, and a poker room. Its convenient location off I-95 and near BWI makes it the most accessible Maryland casino for both Baltimore and airport visitors.

Horseshoe Casino Baltimore is a Caesars Entertainment property in the Baltimore waterfront area, the only casino physically within the city of Baltimore. The gaming floor runs table games, slots, and a poker room. Rocky Gap Casino Resort in Cumberland serves western Maryland and draws from the Allegheny Mountains region — the most resort-oriented of the smaller Maryland properties, with a hotel on a lake and outdoor recreation access. Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin (Worcester County) serves the Ocean City resort market with slots and table games. Hollywood Casino Perryville in Cecil County is the smallest and most easterly Maryland property, serving northern Maryland and southern Delaware visitors.

Games at Maryland Casinos

All six Maryland casinos offer slot machines and video poker. MGM National Harbor, Live! Casino, and Horseshoe Baltimore run the largest live table game floors with the widest selection. Poker rooms are active at MGM National Harbor, Live! Casino, and Horseshoe Baltimore. Rocky Gap, Ocean Downs, and Hollywood Perryville have more limited table game selections and no standalone poker rooms. Sports betting retail windows operate at all six properties.

Maryland Gambling Law and Regulation

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency regulates all six licensed commercial casinos and the sports betting market. Casino tax revenue funds education programs under the Maryland Education Trust Fund framework established in the 2008 referendum.

Quick Visitor Reference

• From Washington, D.C.: MGM National Harbor is 15 miles south (~20 min via I-295)
• From Baltimore: Live! Casino is 10 miles southwest (~15 min); Horseshoe Baltimore is in the city
• From Ocean City: Ocean Downs Casino is 7 miles northwest (~10 min)
• Best poker rooms: MGM National Harbor, Live! Casino, Horseshoe Baltimore (all active)
• Best resort package: MGM National Harbor (hotel, spa, theater, Potomac views)
• Sports betting: Legal — retail at all six; mobile statewide via licensed apps
• Minimum age: 21 at all six Maryland casinos