A lawmaker in Mississippi is playing the long game in attempting to bring online sports betting to the state.
Sen. David Blount, a supporter of previous online wagering efforts in the Magnolia State, has declared his intention to only file an online sports betting measure in 2025 if requested by the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC), according to a Clarion Ledger report.
Blount, the Senate Gaming Committee Chairman, plans to only submit a bill upon request but will consider an online sports betting measure that is submitted by colleagues.
“Of course, any Senate member can file a bill on that topic if he or she wants to and then we’ll look at it,” Blount told the Clarion Ledger. “The House has been outspoken in wanting to expand gaming in the state, so I don’t know what the House may do, but I’ll have to wait and see if there’s a Senate bill or not to consider.”
Blount is poised to not have to draft and submit an online sports betting measure during this year’s legislative session as the MGC has no plans to request pieces of legislation in support of online wagering, according to MGC Executive Director Jay McDaniel.
In past legislative sessions, the MGC has not requested favorable bills from lawmakers.
Mississippi is one of America’s oldest regulated retail sports betting markets but the state has yet to authorize an open online market. Residents and visitors in Mississippi can partake in online wagering but only at brick-and-mortar casinos with proper licensing.
Previous efforts to bring online wagering to Mississippi
Last year, Rep. Casey Eure introduced House Bill 774 as a measure that authorized online sports betting in Mississippi with up to 26 licenses available to operators. Under HB 774, licensed operators were taxed at a 12% rate on adjusted gross revenue. If enacted, Mississippi projected the measure could generate up to $35 million in tax revenue annually.
HB 774 was approved by House members by a 97-14 vote in February 2024. Two months later, the bill was passed in the state Senate with a 36-15-1 vote. The measure was approved in the Senate with a strike-all amendment with no online wagering framework.
The bill would later die in conference committee ahead of a deadline to move it forward.
