Mississippi casinos remain divided on whether or not online sports betting would be a good thing for the state but it is state lawmakers who could decide whether or not it happens this legislative session.
Rep. Cedric Burnett has once again filed legislation to amend Mississippi’s laws to include online sports betting. This year’s effort, HB271, would allow existing brick and mortar casinos to offer or engage an operator to offer online sports betting on its behalf.
Online sports betting would be taxed using the same tiered structure used by casinos where tax rates range from 4-8% depending on the amount of revenue brought in. The framework put forth in the bills is relatively bare bones, as it just updates the existing casino rules with a few additions related to betting.
Burnett has been pushing for sports betting to expand online since retail launch in 2018. This is the fourth time he has introduced a sports betting bill. Past efforts have not garnered much support in the legislature.
While this is the first Mississippi online sports betting bill, it will likely not be the only one seen this legislative session. During a meeting of the Mississippi Mobile Sports Betting Task Force last fall, Rep. Casey Eure said he planned on introducing a bill as well.
The meetings of the task force resulted in a report that covered a wide range of options for how the state can potentially pursue online sports betting and what to consider. In that report, several land-based operators voiced their concerns about online expansion negatively impacting the existing retail sportsbook economy in the state.
