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To make a legal sports wager in Mississippi, bettors are still required to go to a casino or riverboat. This week, legislation permitting online betting progressed in the capital of Jackson.
On January 20, Rep. Casey Eure (R-Harrison) along with his co-sponsor, Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III (D-Harrison), presented House Bill 1302. The law, known as the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, would enable the state's existing gaming license holders to explore online sportsbook options.
This week, the House Gaming Committee, chaired by Eure and including Hulum, approved HB1302. The proposed legislation would permit every casino to collaborate with a maximum of two online sportsbooks, or skins. No sportsbook could function online without a physical location partnership.
"I am committed to the brick-and-mortar casinos and this bill mandates that all sports betting is tethered to brick-and-mortar casinos,” Eure said.
Last year, following a comparable online sports betting proposal gaining support in the House, Eure’s bill failed in the Senate due to worries that online sports betting could negatively impact physical casinos, as bettors wouldn’t have to visit the gaming floors in person anymore.
Mississippi Sports Wagering Safety Framework
Last year, senators questioned whether the introduction of online sportsbooks could disadvantage smaller, regional casinos even more in terms of competition.
Certain members of the upper chamber anticipated that sportsbook giants such as FanDuel and DraftKings would collaborate with the state’s major casinos, particularly those along the Gulf, like MGM Resorts’ Beau Rivage. Should that occur, Mississippi’s online sports betting sector would primarily benefit the casinos that currently dominate the state's gaming market.
To address those concerns, Eure and Hulum state that their revised online sports betting legislation now features the creation of the Retail Sports Wagering Protection Fund. The fund will receive annual support of $6 million, funded by taxes from online sports betting.
At the close of every year, casinos that lack an online sportsbook may request compensation if their physical sports betting earnings fall short of their 2024 figures, prior to the launch of online betting platforms. The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) would distribute the funds fairly among qualifying casinos.
A suggested 12% tax on online sportsbook earnings would mainly support the state’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund. Every one of the 82 counties would get yearly allocations for infrastructure initiatives.
State assessments indicate that Mississippi is losing between $40 million and $80 million annually by prohibiting online sports betting. Numerous bettors in Mississippi are now making their online wagers in nearby states that permit mobile betting, such as Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
Concerns Regarding Sports Betting Addiction
The online sports betting legislation in Mississippi this year includes provisions aimed at reducing problem gambling. The implementation of credit cards has been challenged, although this situation may provoke resistance from conservatives who think the state government shouldn't act as a "nanny state" and dictate how a consumer engages in a regulated market.
The legislation would also mandate that licensed online sportsbooks utilize player data and technology to help recognize potential problem gamblers, implement “automated triggers” to identify and manage the accounts of at-risk gamblers, and establish “levels of intervention and education” to spot bettors who may be in danger.
