A Mississippi lawmaker is looking to push the envelope on sports betting in 2025.
Democratic Rep. Cedric Burnett introduced HB 682 in the state House this week in a bid to legalize state-wide online sports betting. Sports wagering in Mississippi is currently legal only on the physical grounds of casinos in the state.
Online sports betting platforms could be run by either existing gaming licensees or casinos or by a licensed sportsbook on behalf of the license holder. Mississippi online sports betting would be taxed at just 8% of gross gaming revenue above $134,000 per month and lesser rates for GGR below that threshold, putting the state firmly at the lower end of the scale. Retail betting is taxed at 11-12%.
Another note from the revised text is that wagers on fantasy contests, which are already allowed under their own category, would be expanded to allow bets on the performance of college athletes.
The bill has been referred to the House Gaming Committee for scrutiny. If passed, it would take effect July 1, 2025.
A renewed push in Mississippi
The future of sports betting legislation in Mississippi in 2025 has been debated by observers after the state was one of several to see its push in 2024 die without action.
Burnett’s own similar legislation died in committee without getting over the line, but the conversation did seem to gather some steam.
Meanwhile, HB 774, a bipartisan bill with seven co-sponsors, passed both the House and the Senate before a motion to reconsider ultimately saw it fizzle out after its strong momentum. Under HB 774, licensed operators would have been taxed at 12% of adjusted gross revenue.
Mixed opinions remain
Just last week, Sen. David Blount, the Senate Gaming Committee Chairman, said he would only file an online sports betting measure this year if he was asked to by the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC). MGC Executive Director Jay McDaniel said that the MGC has no plans to request such legislation, just as it has not done so in past years.
Blount added to local media that he has doubts about whether online sports betting does the job that the state would want it to do.
“The reason we have gaming in the state is for tourism, to bring new people to the state, to encourage investment in the form of hotels and amenities to grow the economy, and to support the jobs of the tens of thousands of people,” Blount told SuperTalk FM. “… Mobile sports betting doesn’t do any of that. Mobile sports betting does not drive tourism. It does not drive any economic investment in our state.”
McDaniel, in contrast, stressed that online betting “is already alive and well in the state; it’s just not regulated and it’s very hard for us to stop all of it. I think certainly if they did pass it, it’s something where you’re at least adding some tax revenue where you’re not getting it right now.”
To his point, geofencing firm GeoComply reported this week that there were nearly 10 million attempts by Mississippi-based people to access legal sportsbooks in the state in the four months between Sept. 5, 2024 and Jan. 5, 2025.. The report also found more than 212,000 active sports betting accounts in the state during that time, a year-over-year increase of 77%.
