Maryland State Lottery opening licensing website in effort to move forward with mobile sports betting

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The logjam could be easing for Maryland's long-stalled effort to allow mobile sports betting in the state as regulators made two announcements on Thursday.

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The Maryland State Lottery says starting Friday, it will open up a licensing website so businesses and people who want to purchase mobile sports wagering licenses can start submitting their financial data.

Meanwhile, the Sports Wagering Commission, known as SWARC, says it could announce the application rules for those mobile licenses on June 29.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Maryland still waiting for mobile sports betting option

The Maryland Live! Casino opened the Fanduel Sportsbook six months ago. Customers say they're glad to have legal sports betting in Maryland, but they are frustrated that they can't place mobile bets like they can in Virginia and D.C.

"You know Maryland is always one of the slowest states in always getting something passed," one customer said. "Some laws, it just takes a long time for Maryland to get things passed."

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Maryland voters gave the okay for sports betting two years ago. Since then, four states have legalized and launched online sports betting markets.

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