Mississippi Sports Betting Bills to Authorize Online Sportsbooks Dead Again
Posted on: March 26, 2026, 09:59h.
Last updated on: March 26, 2026, 09:59h.
- Legislation to expand sports betting in Mississippi has failed for another legislative year
- Mississippi sports betting is confined to in-person wagering at commercial and tribal casinos
- Mississippi’s sports betting market remains small because of the retail-only condition
Mississippi sports betting will remain confined to the state’s 25 commercial casinos and three tribal gaming properties.
For yet another legislative year, lawmakers in Mississippi considered legislation to expand sports betting to the internet.
State Rep. Casey Eure (R-Harrison), a longtime proponent of online sports betting, championed House Bill 4074. The measure cleared the House of Representatives in late February with a 100-11 vote.
To satisfy opposition from smaller, regional casinos that raised concerns about online sports betting keeping some walk-in customers away, Eure’s bill suggested lowering the state’s tax rate on casino gaming revenue from 8% to 6%. But after moving to the upper chamber, the Mississippi State Senate Gaming Committee killed the bill.
Another bill to expand sports betting online, House Bill 1581, also sponsored by Eure, passed the House 85-31 in early February. That bill also died in the Senate Gaming Committee.
All 25 of Mississippi’s casinos offer sports wagering. The three Pearl River tribal casinos do, too.
State Benefit Questioned
Senate lawmakers in the Gaming Committee squashed Eure’s online sports betting bills because they couldn’t see a benefit to the state for the further gaming.
The most recent bill from the House included a 25% casino tax cut that will cost the state about $50 million a year. There was really no meaningful financial benefit to the state from expanding mobile gambling,” state Sen. David Blount (D-Jackson), explained to the Clarion- Ledger.
Along with a reduced tax on casino gaming, Eure proposed slashing the in-person state tax on sports betting revenue from 18.5% to 3.5%. Eure reasoned that the state would still come out on top, with his offered 22% tax on gross sportsbook revenue generating an estimated $100 million a year for Jackson.
Regardless, sports betting in Mississippi will remain restricted to retail sportsbooks for at least another year. While the Mississippi Legislature’s 2026 session runs through April 5, bills needed to cross over to the other chamber in February.
Mississippi is a sports-obsessed state with Ole Miss football and Mississippi State baseball. While Mississippi is not home to any professional sports teams, many residents in the Magnolia State are fans of the neighboring New Orleans Saints in Louisiana.
Confined Sports Betting Market
Since Mississippi sports betting remains limited to casinos, the state’s sportsbook market is just a fraction of similar states where online bets are allowed.
In February, for instance, Mississippi sportsbook revenue totaled just $3.45 million on $21 million bet. In Kansas, a similarly populated state where online sportsbooks are permitted, February sports gambling revenue totaled $14.2 million on a $190 million handle.
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