Online Sports Betting Advances in Mississippi House

Could our best sports betting sites be coming to the Magnolia State?

The Mississippi House of Representatives has passed two bills, including mobile sports betting provisions. Supporters argue that this could generate significant revenue for the state and curb illegal betting operators.

On Tuesday, March 11, the House passed SB 2381 and SB 2510 with a majority. These amended bills initially dealt with Mississippi’s coastal tidelands boundary and fines for operators of illegal sports betting platforms. Last week, the committee incorporated the original mobile sports betting bill, HB 1302, into SB 2381 and SB 2510. 

Casey Eure, House Gaming Chairman, has been a strong proponent of HB 1302. Last week, he told reporters that he would be willing to sacrifice the original intent of at least one of the Senate bills to continue pushing the mobile sports betting bill. It's another step toward a legal Mississippi sports betting market.

“It’s a possibility (that tidelands will not get addressed this year if the Senate does not take up mobile sports betting), but the House’s position is on mobile sports betting. We’re concerned about tidelands, but at this point, it’s all about negotiating,” Eure said.

Yet David Blount, Senate Gaming Chairman, has stated that the Mississippi casino industry is divided on the mobile sports betting bill. 

Eight casino industry players have issued a letter to the Senate expressing their concern that mobile sports betting would draw customers away from Mississippi’s current casinos, thereby injuring the overall business. While the state doesn't have real-money online casinos, it does have a brick-and-mortar industry.

The Clarion Ledger unearthed the letter, which reads, “A State-wide expansion of gaming, with no local referendums, putting a casino in the hands of every person in Mississippi, no matter where they are located (homes, schools, churches) … This is not the right vision for gaming in Mississippi.”

Hot-button topic

Mississippi lawmakers have debated for years whether mobile sports betting should be legalized. 

According to Eure, a program based on HB 1302 could generate over $50 million in state revenue and help curb illegal online sports betting in the Magnolia State.

Opponents, however, continue to argue that mobile sports betting would threaten existing jobs and businesses, especially those at brick-and-mortar casinos.

With the House passing both Senate bills, the Senate now has until March 21 to accept or decline the mobile sports betting amendment. Alternatively, both bills could be sent to a conference for House and Senate lawmakers to discuss and resolve.

Why the push?

Aside from the estimated $50 million in state revenue and the curbing of illegal online sports betting, one of the major driving forces behind HB 1302 is that it would simply make sports betting more easily accessible. 

Events and sporting seasons frequently show millions of attempts from within Mississippi to access legal mobile sportsbooks. Super Bowl LIX is an example of the impact sports betting has on the state, with brick-and-mortar sportsbooks attesting that the sporting event is one of their biggest money-makers of the year. 

Legalizing mobile sports betting would bring players back to Mississippi-based platforms, make it safer for them, and establish regulations to ensure a comfortable experience.