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The first few months of the political calendar are a lot like the opening weeks of a sports season. There’s optimism in the air, the feeling of “this might be our year.”
For the majority, though, that optimism dies in a hurry. Not just for a sports team itching to win a championship, but a state trying to change laws too.
A month or so ago, there was hope in Mississippi, as it was kicking around not one, not two, but three major bills that would upend its legalized betting industry. Unfortunately, all three just died, and we have a full update on the situation right here so keep on reading.
Sports Betting Bills Fail To Pass
First things first, Mississippi sports betting does exist. As a matter of fact, it was one of the first states to legalize it in 2018 when the federal government struck down its ban. But… it’s only legal in physical sportsbooks. Sports betting apps, or online regarding it any kind, is not allowed in Mississippi.
Two bills this year tried to change that. Why two? Well, one proposal would’ve gave online betting rights to the 26 casinos in the state. Moreover, that bill would’ve allowed the casinos to partner with up to two sportsbooks. The second bill allowed for just one partnership. The two bills also different slightly in how to tax sports betting, but it was mostly a wash.
Anyway, both bills passed the House in 2026, and by big margins. One got a 100-11 vote, the other was 85-31. So yes, the bills were flying and for good reason.
“By legalizing mobile sports betting, we can eliminate much of the illegal market, including protecting underage bettors and provide real consumer safeguards in a regulated environment,” said Rep. Casey Eure, who sponsored one of the bills. “This legislation will also give our brick-and-mortar casinos a new revenue stream to ensure their continued success, while the state revenue generated will help close the gap in funding for our Public Employees’ Retirement System.”
That’s right, the reasoning behind expansion was two-pronged. One, it was meant to snuff out other forms of online aren’t already happening on the state — popular offshore sportsbooks and even prediction markets. Both are easily accessible in Mississippi and completely bypass the state’s current laws against online wagering.
Two, the tax collected through it would help fund retirements for state workers. That’s needed because the Public Employees’ Retirement System is said to be in a massive hole of $26 billion. As the population counties to age out and qualify for retirement, that deficit will only increase unless it funds some funding, whether that’s through sports betting taxes (unlikely now) or something else.
Bills Got Stopped In The Senate
So where did the bills stall out? That would be the Senate, which has become a common occurrence. This is now the third consecutive year that the House sent a betting bill toward the Senate, only for it to be stopped in its tracks.
Senator David Blount has proven to be the biggest foe of online Mississippi sports gambling. A year ago, he helped kill bills by saying mobile sports betting wasn’t net-good for the state, as it wouldn’t create jobs or lead to tourism like physical betting does.
He said the same this year, plus he didn’t like that physical casinos would also be taxed less (that provision was also tucked into the bills). The recent bill called for a 25% casino tax cut, one that would cost the state about $50 million a year, Blount said.
If that wasn’t enough, Blount also went for the jugular by bringing up problem gambling. Here’s what he was quoted as saying recently:
“We are beginning to see a growing awareness across the country of the negative consequences to putting a casino in everybody’s pocket,” Blount told a local news outlet.
Taken altogether — addictive betting, less taxes, no job creation or tourism — and that was the kill shot for Mississippi online sports betting. As long as Blount is in office, expanded sports gambling bills will struggle to get by in the Senate.
Sweepstake Casino Bill Also Dies Out
Earlier on, we said there were three betting bills on the table this year. Two were sports betting-related, but the third dealt with sweepstakes casinos. For those unaware, these are “creative” online casinos, creative because they use digital coins and sweepstakes rules as ways to operate across the country through legal loopholes.
These platforms have drawn the ire of state governments across the country, with many ending up banning them. A year ago, the Mississippi Senate was actually the very first chamber in the country to pass a sweepstakes-banning bill. But once sports betting language got added to it, the bill died.
The Senate passed a sweepstakes casino bill for the second straight year, but it too met the same fate. The latest bill died in the House Gaming Committee.
But… that doesn’t mean the state is looking the other way with sweepstakes casinos. To their credit, they’ve — as in the Mississippi Gaming Commission, not local politicians — sent cease and desist letters to 10 sweepstakes operators.
“Our laws are clear that casino-style gaming and sports wagering are not allowed online in Mississippi outside of a licensed casino,” MGC Executive Director Jay McDaniel said at the time.
With language like that, it sure feels the state will never ever come around to any form of online betting…
Online betting sites 