Maryland Sports Betting Group Fined $48K By Board Of Elections

Maryland Sports Betting Group Fined $48K By Board Of Elections
Steve Bittenbender Profile Picture
Fact Checked by Jim Tomlin

The Maryland Board of Elections recently fined a sports betting group $48,000 for failing to make timely disclosures about its spending during the campaign three years ago, according to published reports. In that campaign, the state’s voters overwhelmingly approved Maryland online sports betting as well as retail sportsbooks.

The group that was fined is the Sports Betting Alliance, an organization that advocates on behalf of sports gambling interests including some of the well-known online sports wagering companies.

Why MD Sports Betting Entity Was Fined

The group was fined for failing to comply with a state requirement for a 48-hour disclosure of expenditures. The requirements are aimed at reporting expenditures of $10,000 or more.

A spokesman for the gambling group said that the late disclosure issue was a filing error and the matter was quickly reported to the proper authorities.

The fine was the result of an audit of the most recent fundraising cycle.

Along with the Sports Betting Alliance, several other organizations or political action committees were fined for various failures, such as record-keeping and disclosures. Many of the fines were much lower than the one paid by the sports betting group.

quote

Author

Steve Bittenbender

Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.

Cited by leading media organizations, such as: