Mississippi considers online sports betting expansion

With the Mississippi legislative session underway, at least one lawmaker thinks this could be the year the state expands sports betting online.

Rep. Kevin Felsher said he is hopeful online sports betting expansion could finally make its way past the Senate. Felsher said sports betting revenue could fund the Public Employees’ Retirement System, which sits only 55% funded.

“I’m hopeful this year could be the year that we get a sensible mobile sports betting program that protects the integrity of our brick-and-mortars,” Felsher said.

House support and Mississippi’s existing betting framework

The Mississippi House passed two bills last year that would have legalized online sports betting. Both measures failed to muster support in the Senate. The Magnolia State was one of the first states to legalise sports betting in 2018, albeit only at brick-and-mortar casinos in the state.

Challenges in remaining US sports betting markets

With some form of sports betting already legalised in much of the US, there are few easy paths for further expansion in the country. Roadblocks remain to make sports betting legislation an uphill battle in multiple states, including Alabama, Georgia and Minnesota.

“The states that remain, they are difficult,” said Brandt Iden, vice president of government affairs at Fanatics Betting & Gaming. “A number of political hurdles that are large that exist — tribes, commercial casinos, whatever it happens to be, issues that need to be overcome, it makes it more difficult.”

2026 is an election year for many lawmakers, which Iden said will add another layer of difficulty for sports betting issues.

Still, Iden said states looking at sports betting expansion could see some momentum. That includes states like Delaware expanding beyond a lottery provider and Mississippi’s online push. Those states could see sports betting expansion as a way to increase state tax revenue.

“Expansion to Mississippi online sports betting is not easy, lots of hurdles, but a bill has moved out of the House the past two years,” he said. “Again, there’s an issue in the Senate, but lots of discussion and lawmakers are aware of the issue.”

Previous online sports betting efforts in Mississippi

In 2023, the Legislature formed the Mobile Online Sports Betting Task Force.

Despite the push to go online, the Mississippi Senate remains a roadblock. In 2024, the Senate struck sports betting language from a House proposal. That bill would have allowed the state’s 26 casinos to offer online sportsbooks.

Industry sources believe independent casinos have strong influence in the Senate and their owners feel threatened by the prospect of larger companies going online in the state.

A similar proposal passed the House last year, 88-10. In that bill, casinos could partner with up to two online platforms, with a 12% tax on sports betting revenue. Rep. Casey Eure, who has championed the issue the previous sessions, worked to include measures to mitigate small casino fears. That included a fund to help offset their potential losses.

The Senate did not take up Eure’s bill last year. In response, the House amended multiple Senate bills to include sports betting language. One of the bills the House altered was a gambling bill to prohibit online sweepstakes. The Senate ultimately killed that proposal because of the amendment.

Senator David Blount, who chairs the Senate Gaming Committee, has said he will not file an online sports betting bill unless the Mississippi Gaming Commission asks for one. Blount has also cited concerns about the impact on brick-and-mortar casinos.

“Of course, any Senate member can file a bill on that topic if he or she wants to and then we’ll look at it,” Blount told the Clarion Ledger last year. “The House has been outspoken in wanting to expand gaming in the state, so I don’t know what the House may do, but I’ll have to wait and see if there’s a Senate bill or not to consider.”