The Mississippi House of Representatives sent more sports betting bills to the Senate this week, hoping to force the upper chamber’s hand.
On Tuesday, the House passed two amended Senate bills to include online Mississippi sports betting language. That follows the chamber’s original online sportsbook legislation that passed earlier this session, 88-10.
The Senate would need to concur with the amendments or send the legislation to a conference committee. The legislature adjourns March 21.
Mississippi in-person sports betting launched in 2018.
Hijacking MS sports betting legislation
Rep. Casey Eure introduced an online sports betting proposal this year based on Senate feedback received last year. The Senate, however, did not take up Eure’s legislation.
Senate Gaming Committee Chairman David Blount told local media that the industry is split on the issue, and the opponents’ concerns weigh heavily.
The House last week inserted its sports betting language into the Senate bills, one addressing the state’s coastal tidelands and another creating fines for companies engaged in illegal sports betting.
“We’re concerned about tidelands, but at this point, it’s all about negotiating,” Eure told reporters last week.
Senate concerns addressed
Many of the concerns have come from smaller, locally owned casinos, which worry that the industry will be dominated by national companies.
Eure included a fund to help offset losses from smaller casinos. The fund would come from the first $6 million annually of the 12% tax rate on sports betting revenue.
His bill also would allow casinos to partner with up to two online platforms rather than his previous proposal of one.
Longtime sports betting state
Despite Mississippi being among the first states to launch legal sports betting, lawmakers have struggled to legalize online sportsbooks. Last year, the Senate struck the language from the House proposal.
That came after the legislature formed the Mobile Online Sports Betting Task Force in 2023 to help inform future efforts.
Bettors in Mississippi keep trying to log onto legal sportsbooks. During the 2024 NFL season, there was a 77% year-over-year increase in user accounts from within the Magnolia State trying to access sportsbooks that operate legally in other states, according to GeoComply.
