Key points:
- Football was bet on more statewide than any other sport last month
- Betting activity declined for the first time in two months
The Mississippi Gaming Commission has published its sports betting report for the month of October.
Last month, the state generated $48.6m in sports betting handle. Mississippi players wagered less in October than in the previous month.
Players in the Coastal region once again contributed the largest amount of wagers to last month’s overall state handle. The Central region grabbed second place for October.
In a breakdown of the state’s total sports betting handle, Coastal region players wagered nearly $31.9m, while those living in the Central and Northern regions bet $11.3m and $5.4m respectively.
During the month of October, players in the Northern Mississippi region placed more bets on football than in any other category, with the total of football wagers reaching nearly $2.4m.
Coastal region players wagered the largest amount on football last month as well. Wagers on football throughout the Coastal region reached more than $18,2m, while bettors wagered nearly $4.4m on sports parlay cards.
However, parlay was the bet of choice for the state’s central region. Players in Central Mississippi bet almost $4.9m on parlay and $4.2m on football last month.
Good to know: Retail sports betting has been legal in Mississippi for several years
Statewide retail sports betting generated close to $2.9m in taxable revenue during October.
However, legislative negotiators were not able to advance a final mobile sports betting proposal, which means online sports betting will continue to remain illegal throughout the state.
Earlier in the state’s most recent legislative session, both the Senate and the House passed versions of the state’s Mobile Sports Wagering Act. But concerns surrounding the fate of Mississippi’s brick-and-mortar casinos kept the bill from further advancement.
