Mississippi lawmakers are locked in an increasingly tense battle over the future of online sports betting in the state, with recent legislative maneuvering revealing deep divisions between the House and Senate on gambling expansion.
Hours before a crucial April deadline, the House Gaming Committee inserted online sports betting language into two Senate bills, a procedural move that keeps the proposal alive after the Senate Gaming Committee declined to consider the original House-passed legislation.
"This shows how serious we are about mobile sports betting," said House Gaming Chairman Casey Eure (R-Saucier), who has championed the legislation for several years. "I've done everything he's asked for," Eure added, referring to Senate Gaming Chairman David Blount (D-Jackson), who remains firmly opposed to the expansion.
The legislation in question, the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, passed the House in February with overwhelming bipartisan support in an 88-10 vote. The bill would allow Mississippi's existing casinos to partner with up to two online sportsbook platforms each, enabling residents to place sports wagers from anywhere in the state.
Currently, sports betting is legal in Mississippi but only at physical casino locations, a restriction in place since 2018.
Proponents argue the state is losing between $40 million and $80 million annually in potential tax revenue by keeping mobile betting illegal while doing nothing to prevent widespread underground gambling. According to data presented to lawmakers, Mississippi has recorded 8.69 million attempts to access legal mobile sportsbooks since the start of the NFL season, representing a 77% year-over-year increase in attempted usage.
"Folks will continue to illegally gamble and bet on sports online," House Speaker Jason White said Thursday, criticizing the Senate's inaction. "That money will go elsewhere or into illegal dealers' pockets instead of through the normal channels where our gaming officials could regulate it."
The legislation includes several features designed to address concerns raised by opponents:
A 12% tax on sports wagers, with revenue directed to the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund for all 82 counties
A $6 million "Retail Sports Wagering Protection" fund to offset potential losses for smaller casinos
A ban on credit card betting to help curb gambling addiction
Age verification requirements to ensure bettors are at least 21
A requirement that online platforms must partner with existing Mississippi casinos
Despite these provisions, Blount remains unconvinced. "The reason we have gaming in Mississippi is to encourage investment, to create jobs, and to grow tourism to bring other people from other places to Mississippi. Mobile sports betting doesn't do that," he said. "This is a different industry than any other industry because it is subject to forces outside of the control of the folks who are in this business."
Blount contends that the casino industry is divided on mobile betting, with smaller operators concerned about potential revenue losses if gamblers can place bets from home rather than visiting casinos. He also raised concerns about consumer protections and the impact legalization could have on Mississippi's existing gambling market.
The legislative maneuver by the House has created additional complications. By inserting the sports betting language into Senate Bill 2381, which was meant to address the state's Tidelands Act, Eure has potentially jeopardized a years-long effort to resolve coastal development issues that have broad support from the casino industry.
"The Tidelands bill is critically important to the growth of the industry on the Gulf Coast, and it is supported by every single casino on the Gulf Coast, and mobile sports betting has half the casinos for it and half are against it," Blount said.
Secretary of State Michael Watson expressed disappointment at the linking of the two issues, saying it "undermines the integrity of the legislative process."
The amended bills now head to the full House for consideration, but their prospects in the Senate remain dim. Speaker White has taken aim at Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, for appointing committee chairmen who "may not represent the will of Mississippians."
"I can't give a pass to the guy at the very top," White said. "I think it starts at the top and with a priority set. Somebody's got to be the tip of the spear."
If online sports betting legislation fails to pass this year, it would mark the continuation of a multi-year struggle between the chambers. Mississippi would remain one of the 20 states with some form of legal sports betting but without the mobile component that drives the majority of wagering in states where it's permitted.
The Mississippi legislative session is scheduled to conclude on April 6, leaving limited time for the chambers to reach a compromise.