Bills to expand Mississippi sports betting to allow statewide mobile failed each of the past three years. That could change in 2022.
The House Gaming Committee is working on legislation that would authorize statewide mobile Mississippi sportsbooks while protecting retail casinos, WLOX-TV reported.
The legislation would require any mobile MS sportsbook partner with a land-based casino. Many of those partnerships already exist, with most of the big US sports betting names already running retail books in the state. Those include:
Legislators are working with the retail casino association and expects to have a bill ready by Jan. 1.
Mississippi could use full mobile
The main attraction for Mississippi sportsbooks has simply been that they are legal.
The market has benefitted largely from surrounding states being behind the ball on sports betting. That changed for major feeder market New Orleans, though, when sports betting in Louisiana kicked off with retail books. Mobile betting in a majority of parishes should be live in January.
Potential Mississippi tax dollars started flowing over the northern border last November when Tennessee sports betting launched online-only sportsbooks.
It took Mississippi 31 months to join the $1 billion handle club. That’s the second-longest of the 12 to do so, only topping West Virginia‘s 37 months.
Bills failed in 2019, 2020 and 2021 with little to no action at all. All three bills proposed this year died in committee without action.
Mobile MS sports betting allowed, technically
Mississippi allows limited mobile betting, though it is geofenced to casino properties. Many casinos have opted not to launch on-site mobile but MGM Resorts seems to be coming around.
The operator launched the BetMGM app at two of its casinos: Tunica’s Gold Strike in September and Beau Rivage in Biloxi on Wednesday.
Beau Rivage is the first Coastal Mississippi casino to launch mobile betting, MGM Southeast President and COO Travis Lunn said.
