Sports betting is legal in Mississippi for years, but online betting has remained prohibited. A bill was introduced to allow the state to join the 30 others where mobile sports betting is legal. However, legislative negotiators were unable to advance a final proposal for the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act due to concerns from casinos and lawmakers representing areas where gambling is prevalent. The bill required betting companies to enter into contracts with brick-and-mortar establishments.
Republican Rep. Casey Eure of Saucier, the bill’s sponsor, estimated that the state could generate over $25 million in tax revenue annually from legalizing mobile sports betting. Additionally, legalization would reduce the appeal of illegal offshore sports betting platforms in Mississippi, which has the highest rate of illegal online sports betting Google searches in the country.
During discussions in the Legislature, some lawmakers raised fears that smaller casinos would be left out of partnerships with betting platforms and that most of the revenue would flow to already established casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The deadline passed without an agreement being reached, and a final proposal was not presented before the full Legislature. Michael Goldberg is a reporter with the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative who covers underreported issues in local newsrooms. You can follow him on Twitter at @mikergoldberg.
