Despite the Mississippi House passing two separate mobile sports betting bills, the Magnolia State will yet again see its legislative session close without the issue reaching the finish line.
For the third straight year, the House sent Mississippi sports betting online expansion bills to the Senate, only to see it fizzle in the upper chamber. Mississippi was one of the first states to legalize sports betting in 2018 after the fall of PASPA, albeit only in-person at casinos.
Rep. Casey Eure sponsored both sports betting bill that made it through the House. Sen. David Blount, a familiar foe for online Mississippi sports betting bills, killed both efforts in the Senate Gaming Committee.
2026 Mississippi sports betting push
Heading into the 2026 session, proponents hoped to sway opponents by sending money from online sports betting to the Public Employees Retirement System. The first bill would have allowed each of the state’s 26 casinos to partner with up to two online operators, while the second bill allowed just one skin.
Locally-owned casinos have been against the online expansion, which they fear would allow major national operators to control the market. The local casinos hold powerful legislative sway in Mississippi, according to industry sources.
Rather than a fund to help offset any potential losses for smaller casinos, Eure’s second bill lowered the casino tax rate to 6% from 8%. The reduction would have resulted in tax savings of approximately $48 million annually for casinos.
Strong House support in Mississippi
It was a the third straight year the Mississippi House passed sports betting legislation.
The year’s first bill, HB 1581, passed 85-31. The second bill, Eure’s Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, HB 4074, advanced 100-11.
“By legalizing mobile sports betting, we can eliminate much of the illegal market – including protecting underage bettors – and provide real consumer safeguards in a regulated environment,” Eure said heading into the session. “This legislation will also give our brick-and-mortar casinos a new revenue stream to ensure their continued success, while the state revenue generated will help close the gap in funding for our Public Employees’ Retirement System.”
Senate opposition
The Senate also killed two online sports betting bills in 2025, including an amended sweepstakes casino prohibition bill that originated in the Senate. The House added the online sports betting language to the sweepstake legislation after the Senate killed Eure’s standalone proposal.
Last year, Blount said mobile sports betting did not meet the state’s goals for legal gambling, which included encouraging investment to create jobs and increase tourism. This session, Blount said the tax cut aimed as a relief mechanism is a net negative for the state.
“The most recent bill from the House included a 25% casino tax cut that will cost the state about $50 million a year,” he told the Clarion Ledger. “So, there was really no meaningful financial benefit to the state from expanding mobile gambling.”
Blount also echoed last year’s argument as well as the growing prevalence of prediction markets and concerns of problem gambling.
“We are beginning to see a growing awareness across the country,” he said, per the Ledger, “of the negative consequences to putting a casino in everybody’s pocket.”
Mississippi sweepstakes bill dead again
Last year, the Mississippi Senate was the first chamber in the US to pass a sweepstakes prohibition bill. It died in a conference committee after the House added its sports betting language to the bill.
Despite that failure, the Mississippi Gaming Commission sent multiple cease-and-desist letters to operators.
Six states banned sweepstakes casinos legislatively last year, and Indiana became the first to do so this year when Gov. Mike Braun signed a bill earlier this month.
This year, the Senate again passed the sweepstakes casino prohibition bill.
It died earlier this month in the House Gaming Committee, which Eure chairs.
