# Maryland HB 0610: St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - Permit Required

Maryland HB 0610, St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - Permit Required, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Todd B. Morgan (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-05-12 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 555) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0610-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0610
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: St. Mary's County - Gaming by Qualified Organization - Permit Required
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-28
- Last action: 2026-05-12, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 555
- Sponsor: Todd B. Morgan (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Gaming, Criminal Law - Substantive Crimes, Crimes and Punishments -see also- Penalties and Sentnc; etc., Equipment -see also- Charging; Med. Equip.; MV Equip; etc., Gaming and Gambling, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Permits -see also- Building Permits, Rules and Regulations, St. Mary's County, Technology -see also- AeroT; BioT; EnergyT; InfoT; MedT; etc
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (174 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- County sets gaming permit office and rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the St. Mary's County Commissioners must name a designee to issue gaming permits. The County may set rules, in consultation with that designee, to run and enforce the permit system. The designee role covers both bingo licenses and gaming permits. Organizations apply through…
- Permits required for charity gaming in St. Mary's: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, qualified nonprofits in St. Mary's County must get a gaming permit to run listed games. They may hold gaming events only if no one operates for personal financial gain and no one gets proceeds for personal use. Money must support the group’s purposes. Volunteer fire companie…
- What counts as a gaming device: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the law defines a “gaming device” in St. Mary's County. It includes a paddle wheel, wheel of fortune, chance book, bingo, Nevada card, and stamp machine. Slot machines are not included.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Todd B. Morgan (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-08 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 43 | 0 | 2 |
| 2026-03-18 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 131 | 0 | 5 |

## Actions (12)

- 2026-05-12: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 555
- 2026-04-08: Returned Passed (House)
- 2026-04-08: Third Reading Passed (43-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Favorable Report by Budget and Taxation (Senate)
- 2026-03-19: Referred Budget and Taxation (Senate)
- 2026-03-18: Third Reading Passed (131-0) (House)
- 2026-03-18: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-03-18: Favorable with Amendments {263827/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-03-18: Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means (House)
- 2026-01-28: Hearing 2/12 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-01-28: First Reading Ways and Means (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-05-12: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_555_hb0610t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-18: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0610t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-01-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0610f.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - Authorization (became law)
- SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishment (became law)
- SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)
- SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-1 Specialists Act) (became law)
- SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits (became law)
- HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_555_hb0610t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0610t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0610f.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - A…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0496-2026RS)
- [SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0366-2026RS)
- [SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0244-2026RS)
- [SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0148-2026RS)
- [SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0016-2026RS)
- [HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0529-2026RS)
- [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills)
- [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0610-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).