HB0610 • 2026

St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - Permit Required

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Delegate T. Morgan
Last action: 2026-05-12
Official status: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 555
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on penalties for operating without a permit or the exact impact on local communities.

Gaming Permit Requirement for St. Mary's County

This law requires organizations in St. Mary's County to get a gaming permit before they can run certain games that involve chance, like paddle wheels or bingo.

What This Bill Does

Requires qualified organizations to hold a gaming permit when operating specific gaming devices in St. Mary's County.
Allows the County Commissioners of St. Mary's County to create rules for managing and enforcing these permits.
Designates a person by the County Commissioners to handle the issuing of gaming permits.

Who It Names or Affects

Qualified organizations in St. Mary's County that want to run certain chance-based games.
The County Commissioners of St. Mary's County who will create rules for gaming permits.
A designated person by the County Commissioners responsible for issuing gaming permits.

Terms To Know

Qualified organization: This includes volunteer fire companies, religious organizations, fraternal organizations, civic organizations, war veterans’ organizations, and charitable organizations.
Gaming device: A mechanism for playing a game of chance such as paddle wheels, wheel of fortune, bingo, Nevada card, and stamp machines.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not specify what happens if an organization operates without the required permit.
It is unclear how many permits will be issued or how they will affect local communities.
The exact regulations that the County Commissioners will create are not detailed in this bill.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

263827/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 263827/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 610 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 610 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
1 On page 1, in line 2, strike “ License” and substitute “ Permit”; in line 3, strike “license” and substitute “ permit”; in line 4, strike “conducts” and substitute “ operates a”; in the same line, after “gaming” insert “ device”; and in line 7, strike “licenses” and substitute “permits”.
AMENDMENT NO.
2 On page 1, in line 21, strike “LICENSES” and substitute “PERMITS”.

Bill History

2026-05-12 Post Passage
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 555
2026-04-01 Senate
Favorable Report by Budget and Taxation
2026-03-22 House
Returned Passed
2026-03-19 Senate
Third Reading Passed (43-0)
2026-03-18 House
Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means
2026-03-14 Senate
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
2026-03-05 House
Third Reading Passed (131-0)
2026-03-04 House
Favorable with Amendments { 263827/1 Adopted
2026-03-04 House
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-03-03 Senate
Referred Budget and Taxation
2026-01-28 House
First Reading Ways and Means
2026-01-28 House
Hearing 2/12 at 1:00 p.m.
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - License Required
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Ways and Means
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - Permit Required
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - Senate - Committee - Budget and Taxation
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Chapter - St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - Permit Required

Official Summary Text

Requiring a qualified organization to hold a gaming permit whenever the qualified organization operates a certain gaming device in St. Mary's County; authorizing the County Commissioners of St. Mary's County to adopt certain regulations; and requiring the Board to designate a person to administer the issuance of gaming permits in the county.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0610*

HOUSE BILL 610
C7, E1 6lr2287
CF SB 357
By: Delegate T. Morgan
Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

St. Mary’s County – Gaming by Qualified Organization – License Permit 2
Required 3

FOR the purpose of requiring a qualified organization to hold a gaming license permit 4
whenever the qualified organization conducts operates a certain gaming device in St. 5
Mary’s County; authorizing the County Commissioners of St. Mary’s County to adopt 6
certain regulations; requiring the Board to designate a person to administer the 7
issuance of gaming licenses permits in the county; and generally relating to gaming 8
in St. Mary’s County. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Criminal Law 11
Section 13–2101 and 13–2111 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYL AND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16

Article – Criminal Law 17

13–2101. 18

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 19

2 HOUSE BILL 610

(b) “County commissioners” means the [Board of] County Commissioners of St. 1
Mary’s County. 2

(c) “Designee” means a person designated by the county commissioners to 3
administer the issuance of bingo licenses OR GAMING LICENSES PERMITS in the county. 4

(d) (1) “GAMING DEVICE” MEANS A MECHANISM FOR PLAYING A GAME OF 5
CHANCE. 6

(2) “Gaming device” includes a paddle wheel, wheel of fortune, chance book, 7
bingo, Nevada card, and a stamp machine. 8

(2) (3) “Gaming device” does not include a slot machine, as defined in § 9
12–301 of this article. 10

(e) “Gaming event” means a carnival, bazaar, or raffle. 11

(f) “Qualified organization” means: 12

(1) a volunteer fire company; or 13

(2) a bona fide: 14

(i) religious organization; 15

(ii) fraternal organization; 16

(iii) civic organization; 17

(iv) war veterans’ organization; or 18

(v) charitable organization. 19

(g) “Sheriff” means the Sheriff of St. Mary’s County. 20

13–2111. 21

(A) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION , A QUALIFIED 22
ORGANIZATION MUST HOLD A GAMING LICENSE PERMIT WHENEVER THE QUALIFIED 23
ORGANIZATION CONDUCTS OPERATES A GAMING DEVICE IN ACCORDANCE WITH 24
THIS SUBTITLE. 25

(B) A qualified organization may hold a gaming event and may operate a gaming 26
device if an individual or group of individuals does not: 27

(1) benefit financially from the operation of the gaming device; or 28
HOUSE BILL 610 3

(2) receive from the operation of the gaming device any proceeds for 1
personal use or benefit. 2

(C) THE COUNTY COMMISSION ERS MAY ADOPT REGULA TIONS, IN 3
CONSULTATION WITH THE DESIGNEE UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION, TO 4
ADMINISTER AND ENFORCE GAMING ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED THE GAMING DEVICE 5
PERMIT REQUIRED UNDER THIS SECTION IN THE COUNTY. 6

(D) THE COUNTY COMMISSION ERS SHALL DESIGNATE A PERSON TO 7
ADMINISTER THE ISSUANCE OF GAMING LICENSES PERMITS UNDER THIS SECTION 8
IN THE COUNTY. 9

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER EN ACTED, That this Act shall take effect 10
October July 1, 2026. 11

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.