Betr was awarded a Maryland online sports betting license Wednesday by the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, moving the betting app close to an official launch in Maryland. Betr still needs to go through a controlled demonstration with the Maryland Lottery before officially going live in the state.

The sports betting app, which was founded by Jake Paul and Joey Levy, is currently operational in Ohio and Virginia. Betr was operational in Massachusetts but left the market due to economic reasons. Betr’s projected Maryland launch date is yet to be announced.

Betr will enter Maryland’s market as Betfred gets set to exit. It was announced last week that Betfred will depart Maryland’s sports betting market by the end of July. The operator failed to generate significant market share in Maryland, attracting less than $1 million worth of bets in May.

Other Maryland Entrants

In addition to Betr, Veterans Services Corporation (VSC) plans to launch its online sportsbook in Maryland on July 1. Bally Bet is also expected to enter Maryland in July, although an official launch date has yet to be shared.

Betr and other new entrants will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to gain traction in a state dominated by FanDuel and DraftKings.

Both FanDuel ($195.2 million) and DraftKings ($137.4 million) reported a mobile handle of more than $135 million in May. No other Maryland sports betting app reported a mobile handle over $35 million. Betfred, betPARX, Crab Sports, and SuperBook Sports all posted online handles below $1 million.

Betr hopes its product geared toward live betting could captivate Maryland bettors, although it’s expected to fall toward the bottom of operators in terms of market share once it enters Maryland.

“It’s been interesting to watch this industry evolve,” SWARC Chairman Thomas Brandt said at Wednesday’s meeting. “Of course, there are the two big kahunas, as we sort of anticipated, but these guys seem to have identified a niche they want to try to exploit.”