This subtitle applies to fantasy competitions regulated by the Commission under State Government Article, §§9-1D-01—9-1D-05, Annotated Code of Maryland. This subtitle applies to fantasy competitions that are offered to individuals by means of a fantasy competition platform. In addition to the terms defined in COMAR 36.01.01, in this chapter the following terms have the meanings indicated. Terms Defined. “Beginner player” means a fantasy competition player who: Has entered fewer than 51 fantasy competitions offered by a single fantasy competition operator; and Is not a highly experienced player. “Entry fee” has the meaning stated in State Government Article, §9-1D-01, Annotated Code of Maryland. Fantasy Competition. “Fantasy competition” means any online fantasy or simulated game or contest such as fantasy sports, in which: Participants own, manage, or coach imaginary teams; All prizes and awards offered to winning participants are established and made known to participants in advance of the game or contest; The winning outcome of the game or contest reflects the relative skill of the participants and is determined by statistics generated by actual individuals (players or teams in the case of a professional sport); No winning outcome is based solely on the performance of an individual athlete or on the score, point spread, or any performances of any single real-world team or any combination of real-world teams; Players may pay an entry fee; The operator offering the competition receives compensation for organizing the fantasy competition; and Fantasy competition players compete against other fantasy competition players and not the operator. “Fantasy competition” does not include: Sports wagering under State Government Article, §§ 9-1E-01 et seq., Annotated Code of Maryland; A fantasy competition where a player competes directly or only against another player’s fantasy lineup; A wager in which a player chooses between two or more lineups, athletes, outcomes, or similar statistical groupings, and commonly referred to as pick’em; A wager in which a fantasy competition operator sets a number for a statistic in a fantasy competition, and a player wagers that the actual result in the competition will be higher or lower than the number set by the operator and commonly referred to as an over-under wager or bet; A wager the involves two or more wagers combined into one wager an commonly referred to as a parlay; or A wager on an individual action, statistic, occurrence, or non-occurrence which is determined during a fantasy competition and commonly referred to as a proposition wager or bet. “Fantasy competition operator”, or operator has the meaning stated in State Government Article, §9-1D-01, Annotated Code of Maryland. “Fantasy competition platform” means: Hardware and software used for a website, application, or other platform which is accessible via the internet or mobile, wireless, or similar communications technology that allows players to participate in fantasy competitions; or Hardware, software, firmware, communications technology, or other equipment that a registered fantasy competition operator uses to: Allow a player to participate in fantasy competitions; Display the fantasy competition outcomes and other similar information necessary to facilitate fantasy competitions; Review player accounts and generate financial reports; Suspend a fantasy competition; Input outcomes for fantasy competitions; and Set any configurable parameters. “Fantasy competition player”, or “player” means an individual who participates in a fantasy competition offered by an operator.. “Fantasy contractor” means any person or entity who: Is registered to do business in the State; Operates in the State; Manages a fantasy competition platform; Works under a contract with a fantasy competition operator; and Has regular access to: Nonpublic portions of a fantasy competition operator’s system; Information on an operator’s computer network that is not publicly available; or An operator’s proprietary information that may affect the outcome of a competition. “Highly experienced player” means a fantasy competition player who has: Entered more than 1,000 fantasy competitions offered by a single operator; or Won more than three fantasy competition prizes valued at $1,000 or more. “Location percentage” has the meaning stated in State Government Article §9-1D-01, Annotated Code of Maryland. “Minor” means any individual younger than 18 years old. “Player funds” means funds deposited by a fantasy competition player into an account to facilitate entry into a fantasy competition. “Private fantasy competition” means a fantasy sports competition that is only open to: Employees of an operator; Immediate family members of an employee of an operator; and Friends of an employee of an operator. “Prize” means anything of monetary value, including: Cash; Competition credits; Merchandise; Monetary equivalents, subject to the approval of the Commission; or Admission to another competition in which a prize may be awarded. “Proceeds” has the meaning stated in State Government Article, §9-1D-01, Annotated Code of Maryland. “Prominently display” or “prominently displayed” means information or material that is placed directly, or via link, on one or more of the pages or dashboards or on similar conspicuously visual tools that are properly labeled and clearly accessible as approved by the Commission. “Scripts” means commands that a computer program can execute to automate processes on a fantasy competition platform created by: A fantasy competition player; or A third party for use by a fantasy competition player. “Segregated account” means a financial account that separates funds owned by a fantasy player from the operational funds of an operator. State Government Article, §§9-1D-01, 9-1D-02, 9-1D-03, and 9-1D-05, Annotated Code of Maryland; Ch. 853, Acts of 2018 Effective date: January 14, 2019 (46:1 Md. R. 13) Regulation .06 amended effective October 7, 2019 (46:20 Md. R. 848) Regulation .07 amended effective October 7, 2019 (46:20 Md. R. 848) Regulation .09 amended effective October 7, 2019 (46:20 Md. R. 848) Regulation .11A amended effective October 7, 2019 (46:20 Md. R. 848) Regulation .13 amended effective October 7, 2019 (46:20 Md. R. 848) Regulation .01 adopted as an emergency provision under a new chapter, General, effective December 16, 2021 (49:3 Md. R. 137); adopted permanently effective May 30, 2022 (49:11 Md. R. 610) Regulation .02 amended and recodified from COMAR 36.09.01.01 as an emergency provision effective December 16, 2021 (49:3 Md. R. 137); amended permanently effective May 30, 2022 (49:11 Md. R. 610) Regulation .02B amended effective July 7, 2025 (52:13 Md. R. 657)