A proposal to take Mississippi sports betting online is still alive thanks to lawmakers meeting a key deadline.
This week, the House Gaming Committee inserted online Mississippi sports betting language into two Senate bills as the April 6 sine die approaches. The language is identical to legislation the House passed last month in an 88-10 vote.
While the move keeps online sports betting hopes alive, the Senate Gaming Committee declined to take action on the House bill earlier this year. So, while the House could pass the language again, the full Senate would need to concur, a move that appears to be a long shot.
Mississippi sports betting expansion
Mississippi was among the earliest sports betting states when it launched in-person sportsbooks in 2018. Last year, a push to take sportsbooks online fell short in the Senate.
This year, Rep. Casey Eure implemented changes to the legislation that the Senate suggested. The major alteration was allowing casinos to partner with two sportsbook platforms rather than one.
Using the 12% tax on sports betting revenue, the legislation would also establish a $6 billion fund to help small casinos in the state offset any potential losses from the gambling expansion.
Uphill battle in Mississippi
Eure also sponsored the bill that the Senate let die last year. He reworked it with their suggestions to make it more palatable.
Heading into the session, Sen. David Blount, chair of the Senate Gaming Committee, said he did not plan to file a bill unless the Mississippi Gaming Commission asked for one.
Lawmakers have tried to take the industry online since the casinos opened their sportsbooks. In 2023, the legislature turned one of the proposals into the Mobile Online Sports Betting Task Force, which has helped shape the past two sessions’ efforts.
While online sportsbooks are illegal, Mississippians still try to log onto legal options. GeoComply tracked 8.69 million pings from 212,363 users during the NFL season. The users represented a 77% year-over-year increase.
