The Mississippi House of Representatives has escalated its push for online sports betting by passing two amended Senate bills containing mobile wagering language. The move sets up a high-stakes negotiation with the Senate as the legislative session's March 21 adjournment deadline approaches.
The House continues to negotiate with state senators in an attempt to bring legal online sports betting to residents of the Magnolia State. Find the details for these two amended bills below.
In what Rep. Casey Eure, R-Saucier, has characterized as a negotiating tactic, the House on Tuesday passed two Senate bills that originally had nothing to do with online wagering. One bill addressed the state's coastal tidelands, while the other established fines for companies engaging in illegal sports betting operations.
By inserting mobile sports betting provisions into these unrelated bills, House lawmakers hope to force the Senate's hand on an issue that has repeatedly stalled in the upper chamber despite Mississippi being one of the first states to launch retail sports betting in 2018.
"We're concerned about tidelands, but at this point, it's all about negotiating," Eure told reporters, suggesting the House is willing to sacrifice tidelands reform if the Senate refuses to consider mobile sports betting.
Senate Gaming Committee Chairman David Blount, D-Jackson, has declined to advance online wagering legislation this session, citing significant opposition from multiple casino operators.
"What some call a casino is someone's pocket," Blount told the Clarion Ledger, highlighting concerns that mobile betting could cannibalize existing retail casino business.
A letter obtained by the Clarion Ledger from eight casino industry players opposes the House proposal, arguing that it would harm their businesses:
"A State-wide expansion of gaming, with no local referendums, putting a casino in the hands of every person in Mississippi, no matter where they are located (homes, schools, churches) …This is not the right vision for gaming in Mississippi."
The opposition primarily comes from smaller, locally owned casinos worried about national companies dominating the online market.
The House's mobile betting framework includes several provisions designed to address industry concerns:
Casinos would be entitled to up to two digital "skins" (online platforms)
A fund from the first $6 million annually of the proposed 12% tax rate would help offset losses from smaller casinos
The legal betting age would be set at 21
Live betting and prop betting would be allowed
Proponents argue the legislation could generate more than $50 million in state revenue while addressing the growing issue of illegal offshore betting.
According to GeoComply data, Mississippi experienced a 77% year-over-year increase in user accounts attempting to access legal sportsbooks operating in other states during the 2024 NFL season.
The Senate must now decide whether to concur with the House amendments or send the legislation to a conference committee where lawmakers from both chambers would attempt to reach a compromise. With the legislative session set to adjourn on March 21, time is running short for a resolution.
If the Senate refuses to consider the mobile betting provisions, the House's strategy could potentially result in neither tidelands reform nor sports betting legislation being enacted this year.