The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) has released its October revenue for sports betting and casinos, with the former bringing in $7.3m and the latter making $191.1m in taxable revenue. This shows a 4.5% decrease in sports betting revenue and a 7.4% decrease in casino revenue year-on-year.
All sportsbook wagers must be placed on casino grounds within the 28 casinos that offer them in Mississippi. This October, handle reached $49.5m in the state, while the sport with the highest handle was NFL football with $33.4m of it. Mississippi divides its gaming revenue by three regions (central, coastal and northern), and the coastal region had the highest individual handle and revenue with $33.8m and $4.5m.
In October 2022, state handle was 11.9% higher. NFL football was still the most popular sport to wager on; its individual handle increased year-on-year by 5%. The prominent coastal region handle, however, decreased by 5.6%.
Sports betting via an online app is legal only if a bettor is on the premises of a Mississippi casino (as of 2021), but as of 2016, online daily fantasy contest apps have been active within the state. Last week, Underdog Fantasy launched a new game which will be available in Mississippi, as well as in Tennessee, Alabama and Wyoming.
Casino revenue also shows that the coastal region brought in the most revenue with $122.6m (down 5% year-on-year) of the $191.1 total, followed by the northern region with $44m (down 7.4%) and the central region with $24.5m (down 17.5%).
Also in Mississippi last week, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino employees in Biloxi worked with local nonprift organization, Back Bay Mission, to feed people in need within the community.
