Internet Gaming - Authorization and Implementation

HB 1343 would authorize Maryland to offer licensed online gambling by allowing the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to issue licenses to qualified operators. It requires licensees to verify users' age and location before permitting play and establishes a fund to support displaced video lottery employees. Crucially, the bill changes how internet gaming revenue funds public schools: starting in fiscal year 2028, counties must directly allocate gaming proceeds to school budgets instead of counting them toward existing education funding calculations. This affects online gambling companies, state regulators, county governments, and public school systems across Maryland.