Baltimore Sports Betting Lawsuit Will Be Tried in City Court

Baltimore Sports Betting Lawsuit Will Be Tried in City Court

Baltimore Sports Betting Lawsuit Against DraftKings and FanDuel Will Be Tried in City Court

Posted on: November 18, 2025, 12:26h.

Last updated on: November 18, 2025, 03:03h.

Key Allegations Against DraftKings and FanDuel

Baltimore City’s lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel, filed in April on allegations of Consumer Protection Ordinance (CPO) violations, will be tried in city court.

A FanDuel advertisement, then only a daily fantasy sports company, is seen inside M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL Baltimore Ravens, on Oct. 11, 2015. (Image: Getty)

The Baltimore City Council, Mayor Brandon Scott, the Baltimore City Law Department, and DiCello Levitt, LLP, alleged in April that the sportsbook leaders have targeted and exploited vulnerable gamblers, many of whom are young men, as prohibited by the city’s Consumer Protection Ordinance.

Casino.org reported at the time that the complaint raised allegations that the mobile sports betting giants “use a two-pronged scheme to harm Baltimoreans.”

Federal Court Declines Case, City Court to Proceed

Upon being named as defendants in the matter, counsel for DraftKings and FanDuel asked Maryland’s District Court to take on the case. Last week, a federal judge ruled against the appeal, citing legal doctrine that allows federal courts to refuse cases that involve complex state or city laws and/or policies.

Baltimore’s CPO was overhauled in 2023 to provide the city with more legal authority to take action against companies and industries that local government officials deemed to be engaged in unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices.

The City of Baltimore is taking a critical step forward in our ability to protect Baltimoreans from predatory business practices,” Scott said during his signing of City Council Bill 23-0424.

In March, the Baltimore Department of Consumer Protection was formed to investigate complaints of deceptive and abusive consumer practices.

Case Continues in Baltimore Circuit Court

Following the Maryland federal court’s refusal to accept, Baltimore’s litigation against DraftKings and FanDuel returns to the city’s circuit court.

The plaintiffs allege that the sportsbooks, which went live in Maryland in November 2022, have utilized analytics to single out problem gamblers who aren’t skilled in sports gambling with personal inducements to maximize the books’ profitability. The city is seeking a jury trial.

“DraftKings and FanDuel put corporate greed ahead of the well-being of Baltimoreans, getting users hooked to their gambling platforms and then leveraging troves of data to identify, target, and exploit the most vulnerable among them. Their predatory practices have caused significant harm to our community, and we are taking action to hold them accountable and protect our citizens,” said Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson with the Baltimore City Department of Law.

Market Leaders in Maryland Sports Betting

Through the first four months of Maryland’s 2026 fiscal year (July 2025 through October 2025), DraftKings and FanDuel are in a league of their own in terms of sports betting handle and revenue.

FanDuel took more than $889.4 million in online bets and kept more than $93.4 million of the wagers after paying out prizes and deducting promotional play and other incentives like odds boosts. DraftKings facilitated $668.4 million in mobile wagers to generate revenue of $59.3 million.

FanDuel operates in Maryland through a partnership with Live! Casino & Hotel. DraftKings operates via an online-only sports wagering permit.

BetMGM is FanDuel and DraftKings’ nearest competitor in Maryland. Through its licensing deal with MGM National Harbor, the online sportsbook took $159.1 million in mobile bets during the four months, generating a net win of $17.9 million.

AGA Exit and Wider Industry Context

Casino.org reported earlier today that the sports betting and iGaming leaders abruptly left the American Gaming Association because of their intent to enter the prediction market space. The AGA opposed prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket that offer contracts related to sports.