Any chance of sports gambling making it to Maryland this year is officially dead. A bill that would have allowed the activity in the state will not be considered before the end of the legislative season, which means Marylanders will now have to wait at least two years before they can legally start making sports wagers in the state.

The president of the Maryland Senate, Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. announced on Wednesday that the General Assembly is not going to review legalized sports gambling this year. He added, “Sports betting is going to have to wait until next year.”

Miller, along with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and House Speaker Michael E. Busch, had started a push for legalized sports gambling in 2018. The hope was to have the activity launch quickly in order to allow Maryland to be able to compete against other states in the area that were also considering sports gambling legislation.

In a hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Budget and Taxation this past Wednesday to discuss sports gambling, Senator Chris West explained, “This will be a brief hearing, I think, because this bill is a constitutional amendment and it is my understanding that there will be no more constitutional amendments passed this year. So this is kind of a preview of what you’ll see next year.”