Legislative Impasse Over Mobile Sports Betting in Mississippi: Revenue, Casino Concerns and Partnerships

Lawmakers in Mississippi are struggling to reach a consensus on a bill that would legalize mobile sports betting. Despite the House and Senate passing versions of the bill, concerns about the impact on casinos have prevented it from advancing. The state has already legalized sports wagering, but online betting remains prohibited.

The Mobile Sports Wagering Act aimed to change this by allowing the state to join 30 others where mobile sports betting is legal. To address concerns from casinos and lawmakers representing areas with gambling, the bill required betting companies to partner with brick-and-mortar establishments. Republican Rep. Casey Eure of Saucier, who sponsored the bill, estimated that the state could generate over $25 million in tax revenue annually from legalizing mobile sports betting.

However, discussions in the Legislature were plagued by concerns that smaller casinos would be left out of partnerships with betting platforms and that most of the revenue would flow to established casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The deadline for a final proposal passed without an agreement being reached, leaving lawmakers at an impasse. Michael Goldberg is a reporter with Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative who covers underreported issues in local newsrooms. Follow him on Twitter at @mikergoldberg.