Mississippi Online Sports Betting Bill Set for Floor Vote After Approval From Committee

The Magnolia State took a significant step towards legalizing online sports betting this week. The Senate Gaming Committee passed HB 774, setting it up for a floor vote. The sports betting bill has some minor tweaks since it was passed in the House, meaning it will have to go back there if passed on the Senate floor.

Experts believe that the changes the Senate made to the bill are so minor that they won’t have an issue in the House. The changes include rules around DFS and regulations to combat the growing illegal online sports betting market. The rest of the bill has garnered support from both sides of the aisle, signaling that it has a great chance of becoming law.

If passed, HB 774 would allow for up to 26 online sports betting operators to set up in the state. Each will be required to partner with a state casino, which currently offers legal sports betting. The state would use a unique sliding tax scale that would max out at 12%. Mississippi’s minimum age for sports betting would be 21.

Mississippi’s Neighbors Made Online Sports Betting a Priority

When the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, Mississippi was one of the first states to legalize online betting. However, it limited all online betting to casino grounds. That means bettors have to travel to a physical casino to use a betting app.

Mississippi’s sports betting market started strong, but it slowed when neighboring states began to legalize it. Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee have all legalized online sports betting, which has led to a major drop in revenue for the Magnolia state. Not only are bettors from neighboring states staying home, but those in Mississippi are traveling across the border to place wagers.