Mississippi Sports Betting Bill Clears House, Jackson Casino Faces Long Odds
Posted on: February 4, 2025, 10:07h.
Last updated on: February 4, 2025, 10:48h.
Mississippi sports betting remains limited to in-person sportsbooks at the state’s physical casinos and riverboats.

On Monday, legislation to expand sports wagering to the internet and remove a bettor’s necessity to travel to a gambling facility passed the state House of Representatives. The vote was 89 “yeas” to only 11 “nos.”
Introduced last month by Rep. Casey Eure (R-Harrison) and his Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III (D-Harrison), House Bill 1302 would allow Mississippi’s 26 casinos to partner with up to two online sportsbooks for a possible 52 online wagering platforms. Mobile sportsbooks would share 12% of their gross revenue with the state, with that money distributed to all 82 counties for infrastructure funding.
HB1302 doesn’t include a licensing fee for the online books. Casinos wouldn’t have to pay licensing fees to gain retail sports betting privileges, but would have to share 11-12% of their in-person sports gambling revenue with the state, with the final rate dependent on their monthly win.
Sports Betting Bill Odds Lengthen in Senate
Last year, a similar Mississippi sports betting bill to bring the market online passed the House before the legislation was heavily amended in the Senate. A bipartisan conference committee then struggled to find common ground and the undertaking failed.
State senators have expressed concerns that allowing sports bets online will lead to reduced revenue at the physical casinos, not only in terms of lower gaming win, but also declines in food and beverage sales. Sen. David Blount (D-Jackson), who chairs the Senate Gaming Committee, said ahead of the 2025 legislative session that he had no plans to file a mobile sports betting bill.
Though state projections estimate that Mississippi is missing out on $25 million a year in sports betting taxes by not allowing online wagers, senators who voted against the 2024 bill said the state’s current gaming industry that supports 33K jobs and already provides almost $800M a year in tax revenue should be protected at all costs. Those opinions came despite many gaming operators in the state, including MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, and Golden Nugget, being largely supportive of expanding sports betting to the internet.
Eure says the 2025 mobile wagering bill has added protections for casinos that will hopefully bring more senators to support the legislation. Specifically, the bill would create a sports betting tax fund of up to $6 million a year that would benefit smaller casinos that don’t venture into online sports betting.
Jackson Casino Dead
Unless swift action is taken today — the final legislative day for legislation to clear committees — efforts to authorize a casino in the Jackson capital city are likely finished for 2025.
Several bills have been filed to allow a casino in Jackson, an economically distressed city in desperate need of investment, new jobs, and new tax streams. However, Eure told the Clarion Ledger this week that “no one” has contacted him about pushing through such a bill before Tuesday night’s deadline to advance bills to the full chamber floor.
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