PureWager will soon launch an online sportsbook in Maryland. But first it’s launching a ballpark pavilion.

Following a series of state-funded stadium upgrades this offseason, one of the Orioles’ most visible sponsors is a little-known gambling company. PureWager has roots in the United Kingdom, but the company was founded in Wyoming and headquartered in Florida.

It hopes to make Maryland its first-ever market.

The company agreed to a three-year deal with the Orioles. Financial terms were not disclosed. The PureWager Pavilion, located under a massive new Camden Yards video board, will be available for groups of up to 300 to rent, beginning with Thursday’s opening day.

PureWager has not appeared before the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission — an essential step to operating online sports wagering in the state. MLGCA spokesperson Seth Elkin said the commission does not comment on potential operators until they do.

But the company soon expects to be licensed. It has an agreement with LongShots LLC — a company with a Maryland license — which will enable it to operate in the state, said Adam Doyle, PureWager’s chief operating officer.

“Maryland will be the first state that PureWager operates in,” Doyle wrote in an email. “And the deal with the Orioles offered the perfect opportunity to start working with such a community-led organisation, which follows the same ethos as PureWager.”

In the modern age of permissible sports betting, it’s common to see gambling sponsors at American stadiums — which would have been unthinkable a decade ago. The Orioles had a short-lived partnership with SuperBook Sports from 2022-24.

Major League Baseball recently announced a partnership with Polymarket, a prediction market.

Online sports gambling exploded in popularity following a 2018 Supreme Court decision that allowed its legalization. It launched in Maryland in 2022, and it generates several million dollars a month for state coffers but has also increased the rate of “disordered gambling” by 42%, according to a survey by the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling.

FanDuel and DraftKings, with about 40% and 30%, respectively, of wagered dollars, dominate the Maryland legal online sports betting market.

PureWager’s presence will soon be apparent to Orioles fans. The PureWager Pavilion occupies prominent Camden Yards real estate, rivaled only, perhaps, by the T. Rowe Price sign above the video board.

“To have an opportunity to partner with a brand who’s coming in and launching is something that we’re excited about. This is a year of new beginnings,” Catie Griggs, the Orioles’ president of business operations, said in an interview Tuesday.

Orioles chief revenue officer Don Rovak said in a news release that the partnership “will be the start of a bright future for [PureWager] in sports betting on this side of the pond.”

PureWager distinguishes itself as having developed its own technology stack — rather than relying on third-party platforms. The company incorporated in the United Kingdom in 2024, but Doyle said that entity has dissolved. Instead, PureWager was founded in Wyoming and operates “core functions,” out of Florida, he said, adding that the company is recruiting across North America.

Online sportsbooks often give out bonuses to attract new customers, but PureWager hopes to create interest with “something money can’t buy.” Those who sign up for the company’s newsletter will have the chance to throw out the first pitch at an Orioles game, Doyle said.

“Our focus is on the state of Maryland, its community, responsible gambling, and entertainment,” Doyle said.

The pavilion will likely be booked on most weekdays, Rovak said during a ballpark tour Tuesday, but it will also often be open to fans. Aside from showing other games on televisions, the space won’t have inherent betting ties, he said.

“There will not be any gambling inside of the ballpark or anything that will bring that element to life,” he said.

PureWager’s website pitches the company as the future of sports gambling and iGaming (online casino games, which are legal in other U.S. states but not Maryland). It states the U.S. has the “largest and most attractive market globally.”

“Maryland’s sportsbook market is growing at an incredible pace,” the company wrote on social media.