Mississippi house making digital betting a political football

The Mississippi House has revised two Senate bills to pave the way for legal sports betting and a prohibition on sweepstakes operations. These amended bills are currently back in the Senate for further deliberation.

When these bills initially left the Senate, they did not address the legalization of digital sports betting. However, both bills successfully passed through the full House on March 11, and bill sponsor Casey Eure now indicates that negotiations will commence.

One bill originally focused on tidelands, while the other was related to fines for platforms operating without a license in the state. Language from a previously stalled digital wagering bill has been incorporated into the tidelands legislation.

Retail sports betting has been permissible in Mississippi’s casinos since 2018. Despite this, efforts to introduce mobile sports betting—available in numerous other states—have thus far met resistance. “It’s a possibility,” Eure remarked regarding the likelihood of tidelands not being addressed this session if mobile betting does not gain traction in the Senate. “But the House’s position is clear: mobile sports betting is our priority. While we are concerned about tidelands, our focus remains on negotiating this key issue.”

The effectiveness of this strategy remains uncertain, as the Senate Gaming Committee has not yet reviewed digital sports betting legislation this year. Eure provided the modified language in the Senate bills due to the passage of the crossover deadline, which allows only those bills that have moved between chambers to be considered. The Mississippi Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 6.

Proposed Framework for Digital Sports Betting

Senate Bill 2381 still addresses tideland assessments that casino operations must undertake. Importantly, new provisions defining internet gambling were added at the bill’s conclusion. The proposal grants existing casinos the right to operate up to two digital skins for online sportsbooks or racebooks. This legislation envisages a comprehensive array of betting options, including in-play wagers and proposition bets, with a stipulation that participants must be at least 21 years of age. However, no tax rate has been specified.

Local casinos, many of which are operated by regional giants such as Churchill Downs Inc and Penn Entertainment, have voiced their opposition to this measure. These companies have actively lobbied against online casino expansions in multiple states over the past year, including in neighboring Louisiana, expressing concerns that digital operations will adversely affect their retail revenue. As reported by the Clarion-Ledger, eight brick-and-mortar casino operators in Mississippi oppose the bill.

A letter from the casino industry articulated their position, arguing that a statewide gaming expansion—absent local referendums—would essentially deliver a casino into every Mississippi resident’s home, disrupting the traditional gambling landscape. This approach, they argue, is “not the right vision for gaming in Mississippi.”

Digital sports betting has posed a significant challenge in Mississippi, which became the third state to legalize betting at land-based casinos following the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018. Since then, Casey Eure has championed the expansion of the state’s betting offerings.

Mississippi’s Stance on Regulating Online Sweepstakes

Senate Bill 2510, which passed the Senate on February 13, includes language to prohibit “online sweepstakes casinos” alongside increased penalties for illegal gambling. Offenders of such platforms face fines reaching $100,000 and/or a potential 10-year imprisonment upon conviction, with their license in Mississippi revoked.

Legislatures across the United States are increasingly deliberating the regulation of online sweepstakes games. A bill to prohibit these operations was recently reviewed in Maryland on March 11 but has not yet reached a decision. Lawmakers in Florida and several other states are also examining similar legislation, although none have advanced concrete laws to date.

Unregulated sweepstakes have emerged as a prominent issue within the gambling industry over the past six months, prompting regulators and governmental agencies in several states to issue warnings to sweepstakes operators to cease their activities.