Mississippi Sports Betting Will Remain Limited to Casinos as Online Bill Fails

April 02, 2025

Sports betting in Mississippi is restricted to the 26 commercial casinos and three tribal gaming venues in the state. It will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future after another attempt at legislation to permit online betting failed in the Jackson capital. 

Mississippi allowed in-person sports betting at casinos and riverboats shortly after the US Supreme Court lifted the federal prohibition in May 2018. Only three months later, sportsbooks began operating within Mississippi casinos. 

Mississippi legislators chose to restrict sports betting to casinos to boost foot traffic to the resorts, which had seen a drop in visitors and a 2% decrease in gross gaming revenue between 2017 and 2018. The strategy proved effective, with GGR rising by 2.2% in 2018 and 3.5% in 2019. 

Certain casinos and lawmakers in favor of permitting sportsbooks to accept online bets argue that Mississippi could be losing approximately $25 million annually in sports betting tax revenue. Critics, particularly smaller casinos, argue that permitting online wagering would harm them as the leading sportsbook companies — FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM — would probably collaborate with the bigger casinos along the Gulf. 

Sweeps Bill Sports Wagering Impact 

State Sen. Joey Fillingane (R-Columbia) filed Senate Bill 2510 in early March. The law aimed to eliminate unregulated online casino gambling sites in Mississippi that pretended to be “sweepstakes” platforms. The legislation would have elevated the criminal offense of operating an unlicensed interactive gaming business from a misdemeanor to a felony. 

The contentious issue of sweeping websites is a concern for many across the nation. 

The Senate unanimously supported SB2510, allowing it to pass quickly. It received robust backing in the House, but Rep. Casey Eure’s (R-Harrison) proposal to permit online sports betting sparked criticism in the Senate. 

Chair of the Senate Gaming Committee David Blount (D-Jackson) stated that his committee would only discuss online sports betting if the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) made such a request, which did not occur. Blount declined to agree with the Eure amendment to SB2510, leading to the gathering of a special conference committee. 

Fillingane and Blount, together with Sen. Mike Thompson (R-Gulfport), met with Eure and Reps. Jay McKnight (R-Harrison) and Brent Anderson (R-Hancock) to resolve their disagreements. On Monday night, the conference acknowledged that no common ground was established and SB2510 was considered inactive.

"To link bills together when the topics are not related is not the way the legislature should work,” Blount said of his refusal to add online sports betting to the sweeps ban.

Blount serves as the vice chair for the Senate Democratic Caucus. 

Victory for Sweeps 

The stalemate between Blount and Eure was a triumph for the sweeps market, which persists in arguing in court documents and with legislators that its offerings comply with state gambling regulations. 

The Social & Promotional Games Association (SPGA), the trade organization advocating for platforms such as Chumba Casino, Stake, and LuckyLand Slots, asserts that social sweepstakes are free-to-play and do not necessitate a purchase for players to achieve victory in a game. 

“Unlike online casino products, social sweepstakes games include a no-purchase-necessary option. Most players participate for free, and the games offer a low-pressure, low-risk entertainment experience — one of the reasons they enjoy such broad consumer appeal,” an SPGA statement to Casino.org read.