16.5M GeoComply Transactions During Maryland Sports Betting Launch

Maryland isn’t the biggest state in the Union by size. But its online sports betting launch was a massive one.

From 9 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving through 11:59 p.m., an incredible 16.5 million geolocation transactions took place, according to geolocation leader GeoComply. That number dwarfed transaction totals in five other states over that same timeframe.

GeoComply SVP of Compliance Lindsay Slader said in a statement about the launch:

“A strong start for the regulated market delivers on the promise of new revenues and consumer protections. Marylanders will continue to ditch illegal offshore sportsbooks for the security of legal, regulated operators that provide player safeguards and tax dollars for the state, just as lawmakers intended.”

Maryland online sports betting launch smashes transaction numbers

The much-anticipated launch of Maryland online sports betting brought an onslaught of betting action. However, only bets that took place within Maryland’s borders could be placed through Maryland sportsbook
s.

And who tracks all those betting transactions? Companies like GeoComply. While geolocation companies do much more than identify where a user is located when a betting app is opened, geolocating bets is perhaps their most famous function.

And Maryland had plenty of transactions to track during its opening week of online sports betting. The state smashed transaction totals from neighboring Virginia, which saw around half the transaction action that Maryland did.

Here are GeoComply’s totals for Maryland and four other states:

• Maryland: 16.5 million
• Virginia: 8.5 million
• Indiana: 6.7 million
• Tennessee: 6.6 million
• Colorado: 3.8 million

On Thanksgiving alone, there were 3.7 million geolocation transactions. Additionally, GeoComply noted that seven operators took online bets.

More than 475,000 unique accounts accessed sportsbook apps in Maryland this past week, or one unique account for every 13 people in the state. That ratio was far higher than in:

• Virginia: 1 account per 30 people
• Indiana: 1 account per 29 people
• Tennessee: 1 account per 32 people
• Colorado: 1 account per 30 people

Geolocation transactions and user account totals show that Maryland’s online sports betting launch was a smashing success.

One of the most incredible stats from Maryland’s opening week is that its 16.5 million geolocation transactions were just 0.6 million behind New Jersey. And NJ is the granddaddy of a new generation of massive sports betting states.

What caused the geolocation transaction boom in Maryland?

Maryland picked a great week to launch online sports betting. Last week, the sports world saw the NFL’s slate of Thanksgiving and Sunday games. As well as dozens of FIFA World Cup matches, a full NBA schedule and NHL action.

People within Maryland’s borders were able to bet on the most popular sport in the US, the NFL. And the premier event, FIFA World Cup, for the most popular sport in the world.

The American Gaming Association estimated that 20.5 million Americans plan to bet a total of $1.8 billion on the FIFA World Cup. Maryland is part of those numbers now. And is likely thankful its launch coincided with the massive betting opportunity that the World Cup presents.