The battle to bring statewide online sports betting to Mississippi is set to begin again.
Democratic Rep. Cedric Burnett introduced House Bill 682 this week, which was referred to the chamber's gaming committee.
If passed, the legislation would expand legal sports betting in Mississippi to include “digital platforms,” a term used to describe sports betting and pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing over the internet.
The digital platforms could be run by the holder of a gaming license (a casino) or by a licensed online sportsbook operator on behalf of the license holder. The latter would be subject to an 8% tax on its gross revenue over $134,000 a month. H.B. 682 also says it would take effect starting July 1.
Fresh data from @GeoComply "underscores the substantial unmet demand for legal sports betting" in states lacking regulated online wagering. Big bump in active accounts in South Carolina "is directly linked" to North Carolina launching OSB last year.https://t.co/65fSs6xHnX pic.twitter.com/vcJL0NYkoL
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) January 15, 2025
Burnett introduced similar legislation for the 2024 session in Jackson, but it died in committee without making much progress. However, the reintroduction by Burnett suggests the debate over statewide mobile sports wagering is about to resume in Mississippi, where lawmakers got closer last year to authorizing online bookmakers.
While it wasn’t Burnett’s bill, H.B. 774 was passed by the House last year before its progress slowed and its wording was amended in the Senate. Ultimately, the bill died in a conference committee after lawmakers failed to strike a deal and missed a key deadline.
But sports betting backers are seemingly eternal optimists. So, the stage is set once more for a run at authorizing online sports betting sites in Mississippi, where legal sports wagering is confined to the grounds of brick-and-mortar casinos. H.B. 682 may not be the only piece of online sports betting-related legislation that's introduced this year.
The prospects for passage in 2025 will likely hinge on the Senate again. There, it looks like it could be an uphill climb for any online sports betting bill.
Senate Gaming Committee chair David Blount recently told local media that “mobile sports betting does not drive” economic investment or tourism in the state, which is why Mississippi has legalized gambling.
Blount’s concerns are in addition to those held by some brick-and-mortar casino operators. Those companies fear online gambling could whittle away at their businesses and already tight profit margins.
Demand, but no supply
Even so, the conditions that prompted the push for online sports betting in Mississippi's last legislative session still exist in 2025. Namely, residents can gamble on sports online in any corner of the state, just not with any entity regulated by the state itself.
Technology firm GeoComply also reported this week that there were nearly 10 million geolocation checks in Mississippi during the NFL regular season, which represent attempts by users to access legal sportsbooks.
“This data underscores the substantial unmet demand for legal sports betting in these states,” GeoComply explained.
