A Mississippi Senate bill that would have banned online sweepstakes casinos while legalizing mobile sports betting died in committee Monday night after lawmakers failed to reach a compromise on the dual-purpose legislation.
Senate Bill 2510, originally introduced by Sen. Joey Fillingane, initially focused solely on increasing criminal penalties for illegal online gambling operators and explicitly banning sweepstakes casinos. The original version passed unanimously in the Senate with a 51-0 vote in February.
The bill's trajectory changed dramatically when Rep. Casey Eure, chair of the House Gaming Committee, amended it to include mobile sports betting language as part of a procedural maneuver. This addition would have allowed existing retail casinos up to two "skins" (online platforms) each to partner with online sportsbooks, with a 12% tax rate on sports betting revenue.
After the House passed the amended version, the Senate declined to concur with the changes last week, sending the bill to a six-person bicameral conference committee that included both Eure and Senate Gaming Committee Chair David Blount. The committee failed to reach a compromise before Monday's deadline for conference committee reports, effectively killing the legislation.
The sports betting provisions added by Rep. Eure would have:
Allowed each Mississippi casino to partner with up to two online sportsbook operators
Established a 12% tax rate on sports betting revenue
Created a Mobile Sports Wagering Tax Fund
Directed $6 million annually to support smaller retail casinos through 2030
Eure has previously cited estimates suggesting Mississippi is losing between $40 million and $80 million annually by not allowing online sports betting. However, Sen. Blount remained opposed to the expansion, stating he would only approve mobile wagering if the request came directly from the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
This marks the second consecutive legislative session in which Mississippi lawmakers have considered and ultimately rejected mobile sports betting. A similar scenario played out last year when Eure led a bill that passed in the House but died in a conference committee after a Senate amendment.
Meanwhile, retail sportsbooks in Mississippi have struggled in early 2025, with revenue from the first two months down 28.9% compared to 2024 at $6.4 million, while handle decreased 3.9% to $73.1 million.
The state's sportsbooks likely saw increased activity in March when both Ole Miss and Mississippi State participated in the NCAA basketball tournaments, with the Ole Miss men's and women's teams reaching the regional semifinals.
The failure of SB 2510 means that sweepstakes casinos will continue to operate without explicit prohibition in Mississippi for now. Had it passed, operators of these platforms would have faced felony charges, up to ten years in prison, and fines of up to $100,000.
Despite the bill's failure, Mississippi regulators still retain the power to issue cease-and-desist letters against sweepstakes operators they deem to be operating illegally under existing gambling laws.
Mississippi joins several other states — including Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York — that have recently introduced legislation aimed at banning sweepstakes casinos, highlighting growing regulatory scrutiny of these platforms nationwide.
Legal sports betting remains available in Mississippi, but only through in-person wagers at brick-and-mortar casino locations. The state legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 6, ending opportunities for further gambling legislation this session.