Business

Marylanders wagered more than $186 million on sporting events on their mobile devices last month, with a third of the bets coming from money doled out in free promotional offers to hook new gamblers. Maryland Lottery and Gaming said Monday it saw a total of $186.08 million worth of sports bets placed on mobile devices after sportsbooks went live Nov. 23. An additional $32.98 million was generated by brick-and-mortar sports gambling tickets in November.

The Greene Turtle is headed back to Baltimore. The Columbia-based sports bar and restaurant chain has plans to open a new outpost at the Canton Crossing shopping center early next year, Greene Turtle CEO Geo Concepcion said Monday. The Canton location, expected to open by the end of February, will take over a restaurant space that used to house On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. It will be the sports bar’s first presence in the city since a Fells Point location closed in 2020.

The former CEO of failed cryptocurrency firm FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, was arrested Monday in the Bahamas at the request of the U.S. government, U.S. and Bahamian authorities. Bankman-Fried had been under criminal investigation by the two countries following the collapse last month of FTX. The firm filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, when it ran out of money after the cryptocurrency equivalent of a bank run.

Seventeen Allegany County businesses will receive nearly $1.5 million in grant funding through a state economic recovery initiative that provides financial incentives for small businesses to revitalize vacant retail and commercial space. In all, 376 businesses in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City will receive $24.5 million through the Project Restore program, including $8.8 million in property assistance grants and $15.7 million in business operations funding. “Project Restore has been an incredible success in advancing our mission to make Maryland Open For Business …” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a news release announcing the awards. “We’re now able to extend the initiative’s impact even further across the state — with just over 80% of this round of grants going to minority-owned businesses — supporting jobs and economic recovery for years to come.”

Bonus season is coming, but early returns show the checks will likely be smaller than a year ago — at least for many workers. That’s according to new data from benefits and payroll provider Gusto Inc., which found the average bonus doled out in November 2022 was about 8% smaller than a year ago. The average November 2021 bonus was $208, compared to $191 in November 2022 — as many industries are looking for ways to cut costs due to potential economic headwinds. Some industries bucked the trend of shrinking bonuses, according to Gusto Economist Luke Pardue. Workers in goods-producing and logistics businesses saw their average bonus increase 7.1%. In personal services, bonuses stayed largely flat, growing about 0.1% and sticking around $108.

A gift of $100 million from philanthropists James and Morag Anderson to Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Europe campus in Bologna, Italy will create new opportunities for students and faculty from throughout Europe and worldwide to address the multifaceted challenges of a rapidly changing world, Hopkins officials announced Friday. The gift will allow Johns Hopkins to expand its SAIS Europe campus in Bologna into an international hub for research and collaboration, bringing together leading academics and practitioners around the world to train the next generation of international experts, offer multidisciplinary solutions to global problems, facilitate scientific and technological research on public policies, and work towards peace and democratic development.

A majority of U.S. adults are anticipating a recession in the next year — and many are trying to hedge their bets with a second job. That’s according to a new American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor online survey conducted by The Harris Poll, which found 77% of adults believe the U.S. economy is either on the road to a recession in the next 12 months or is already there. Among other findings, the survey found 72% of Gen Z respondents say they are likely to pick up a second job or side hustle to earn extra income. Overall, about 20% of respondents said they were very likely to look for a second job, including about 68% of those making under $50,000 per year. Experts have said the dynamic could help make it easier for employers to find talent — especially those willing to be flexible by hiring part-time or seasonal workers.

A new report is laying out the economic and environmental benefits of expanding offshore wind energy production in Maryland — before a single wind turbine has been placed in the Atlantic off the coast of Ocean City. The report, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and released Thursday, found that expanding the offshore wind industry in Maryland will provide “a multitude of benefits” over the next several years, including $5 billion in savings to electricity ratepayers and myriad environmental and public health advantages, according to Isaac Gabel Frank, the author of the study.