Mississippi lawmakers approve bill that would legalize online sports betting

The House Gaming Committee in Mississippi has approved a bill that would allow for online sports betting throughout the state in hopes of satisfying strong consumer demand and producing millions of dollars in new tax revenue. 

The bill, which is a new version of the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, was brought forth by House Gaming Chairman Rep. Casey Eure, who attempted to pass similar legislation during 2024 but lawmakers had been unable to agree on a final proposal. 

While retail sports betting has been permitted throughout Mississippi for many years, online betting has been disallowed due to concerns raised over how it would affect revenue generated by the state’s casinos. 

Eure stated, however, that the new version of his Act would address the concerns raised over casino revenue by allowing properties to partner with two sports betting operators rather than one, which was included in the original proposal during 2024. 

The bill requires operators such as FanDuel or DraftKings to partner with brick-and-mortar casinos, with a proposed launch date set for December 8, 2025. 

Good to know: Mobile sports betting is currently legal in 30 states across the US and Washington DC, including the debut of Penn Entertainment’s ESPN Bet platform in DC on January 13

Some lawmakers in Mississippi also feared that sports betting platforms would have no incentive to partner with smaller casinos, leading to the majority of funds being generated by larger casinos that would not be as reliant on the new forms of revenue.

To protect these smaller casinos, Eure included a fund that would be open to all gaming establishments in Mississippi, with money being generated from the first five years of online sports betting operations. The fund is set to receive $6m each year and will be replenished through taxes placed on sports betting revenue. 

Eure also included language that would disallow players from placing bets with credit cards after a request was made by the state’s Senate to protect residents from gambling addiction. The bill will now be sent to the Mississippi House of Representatives for further consideration.

Kirk Geller

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