Mississippi

Legalized sports betting went into effect in Mississippi close to a month after PASPA was overturned in 2018. However, while both retail and online sports betting are legal, the specifics actually state that online sports betting wagers can only be placed at a licensed casino.

While there are 28 licensed retail casinos in MS, the state is still working to get online betting fully legalized without this stipulation.

While online sports betting has restrictions (all real-money bets must be placed at a licensed retail casino), what customers can actually wager on in Mississippi has very few limitations. Bettors can wager on both professional and collegiate sports, which includes in-state colleges, so the ability to get on the infamous Egg Bowl is a possibility. The one college-related market that customers cannot wager on is prop bets.

Daily fantasy sports apps are also available for download in the state as well, and those do not require customers to be physically located somewhere specific, just inside state lines. Horse racing is also legal in MS, but greyhound racing is not, and neither are wagers on politics or eSports.

Online sports betting in The Magnolia State

Bettors in Mississippi did not have to wait long at all for sports betting to be legalized after PASPA was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. When it became legal in 2018, after the Mississippi Gaming Commission came up with the specific rules and regulations for sports betting, residents were limited to strictly retail betting at the time.

It would not be until 2021 that MS residents would see a mobile sportsbook become available when BetMGM launched in the state. It is important to note that even though BetMGM was now available to gamblers of legal age in the state, they could still only use the app if they were physically located on the property of a licensed in-state casino with which BetMGM was partnered.

This bill limits the state's true profit from sports betting and the number of online operators that can join the market. All four bills brought to the 2022 legislative sessions died in committee that year. As a result, the state signed HB 606 into law in 2023, which called for the creation of a sports betting task force.

The “Mobile Online Sports Betting Task Force” has since met with local gaming industry members and released a detailed report listing the potential benefits of online betting expansion.

The casinos remain adamant against the expansion of mobile sports betting, as they would quickly lose business if that legislation is passed. Luckily for them, they will go another year without legal mobile wagering being a factor, as negotiators could not reach a final proposal for the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act before their set deadline in 2024.

Sports betting & gambling legislation in MS

In order to place legal sports wagers in Mississippi, customers must be 21 years old. Due to the fact that MS does not offer remote registration, all of these legal wagers must also be placed on the property of a licensed retail betting facility in the state. All sports betting rules and regulations are enforced by the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Regardless of where a customer can and cannot place a legal wager, one thing remains the same, and that is the tax rate on winnings. All gambling winnings in Mississippi are subject to a 3% state tax, which is quite generous when compared to the tax rate of other states that offer sports betting or gambling in general.

As far as iGaming goes, which is also illegal in Mississippi, it is hard to imagine lawmakers would be able to pass a bill legalizing online casinos while also expanding online sports betting. With that, iGaming will likely remain illegal even if lawmakers are able to change the regulations surrounding online sports betting. Despite iGaming and online poker remaining illegal, residents of the state can legally participate in the lottery.

Most recent updates from the MS sports betting scene

• May 5, 2024: The Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team won a big series over #23-ranked Alabama this weekend. Following that series, the Bulldogs are now (+5000) to win the College World Series.

• April 30, 2024: Lawmakers cannot agree on a final proposal for the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, which means residents will have to wait until at least 2025 before a mobile wagering bill can be discussed.

• April 28, 2024: College football futures have started to make their way onto sportsbooks, and the Ole Miss Rebels win total is set at 9.5 for the upcoming season. The Rebels are also (-122) just to make the College Football Playoff.

• February 1, 2024: Full legal sports betting could soon be coming to Mississippi as the House approved legislation that would allow legalized mobile sports betting. The measure will now head to the state Senate and must be approved there before residents can place bets remotely. 

• December 21, 2023: Mississippi sees a sports betting handle of $62.4 million in November, the highest in nearly a year but still below last year's figure. It marked a 15.2% decrease from November 2022 but a 26.1% increase from October 2023.

• October 25, 2023: Mississippi's Mobile Online Betting Task Force actively examines options for expanding mobile sports gambling. Currently, the state only allows on-site sports betting at its casinos. This limitation hinders potential revenue generation and puts Mississippi at a disadvantage compared to other US states.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

With Mississippi’s current sports betting legislation, in-person betting is the name of the game. A legal wager in the state cannot be placed unless a bettor is physically located at one of the 28 brick-and-mortar casinos throughout the state.

Unlike most states with a wide range of casinos, Mississippi has multiple retail locations that have not partnered with an online operator but instead created their own sportsbooks. Of course, some casinos have opted to partner with brand-name operators. For example, BetMGM is partnered with Beau Rivage Casino and the Golden Strike Casino Resort.

Sports betting in neighboring states

If Mississippi bettors are tired of having to be on-site at a retail casino to place a legal sports wager, they can visit three of their neighboring states where online sports betting is legal. Alabama is the only surrounding state of MS that does not offer any form of sports betting.

With different regulations and sportsbook operators present in each surrounding state's market, you can click on their name below to get the full scope of their sports betting legislation.

Sports betting revenue impact on Mississippi's economy

To obtain a sports betting license in Mississippi, operators must pay a licensing fee of $5,000, which is one of the lowest licensing fees in any state offering legalized sports gambling.

All retail operators also must pay a tax rate of 12%, which is relatively average in today’s sports betting market. If online sports betting gets added to the state in the near future, it is unclear whether the tax rate for online operators will be the same as retail.

Gambling, in general, has been a big part of Mississippi for decades. Even with sports betting legalized in a primarily retail format, the state has cleared over $300 million in handle every year since 2019. One can only imagine how much the state could make from remote registration and allowing residents to place bets from anywhere in the state.

For example Kansas, which is the closest state in terms of population to MS, has seen over $1 billion more in handle since launching legal sports betting.

Mississippi sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: October 2021 ($83,527,015)

• Revenue: December 2022 ($11,297,381)

• Tax income: December 2022 ($1,355,686)

MS sports betting revenue in 2024