Mobile Mississippi Sports Betting Bills Fail Again – Legal …

Mississippi sports betting is staying offline.

Three bills aiming to expand MS sports betting to mobile platforms in the state died in committee this week.

Mississippi was one of the first states to launch sports betting in 2018 but continues to be restricted to retail sportsbooks. Multiple mobile betting bills have failed in the years following legalization.

Currently, mobile betting is allowed on a casinos property in the state. None of the states commercial casinos are using the so-called Mississippi mobile option though.

The three failed bills would have altered the betting landscape by bringing sports betting in Mississippi online:

Since launching in August 2018, Mississippi has generated $103 million in sports betting revenue, and $12.4 million in taxes on $890 million wagered.

In 2020, the states wagering created more than $43 million in revenue and $5.2 million in taxes. Unless the states 24 casino operators can open up statewide mobile, a wealth of potential tax revenue will continue to go into the illegal market.

Every day millions of Americans in 15 states have access to state-of-the-art mobile sportsbooks, allowing them to place bets on their favorite teams and leagues at home while fostering much-needed tax revenue, Sen. Philip Moran said in a release introducing SB 2732. Unfortunately, Mississippi law does not authorize online sports betting, but this bill seeks to change that.

Mississippi has been leaving money on the table by not authorizing online sports wagering, and it is time to modernize Mississippis gambling offerings and do whats best for Mississippians.

Even without the extra betting mobile would bring, Mississippi is watching its monthly handle grow, hitting an all-time high of $61.1 million in October 2020.

The first half of 2020 was slowed because of COVID-19. As sports returned in August, however, the states monthly handles continue to grow year-over-year.

Both November and December 2020 revenues more than doubled compared to 2019, drawing $8.1 million and $7.7 million respectively. Those numbers pale in comparison to markets with mobile wagering however.

Neighboring Tennessee launched mobile-only betting in late 2020, while AlabamaandFloridaoffer untapped potential. Arkansas has retail betting and Louisiana voters approved sports betting in November 2020.

In November and December, Tennessee brought in $5.4 million in taxes through its mobile betting.

The ability to draw potential customers from neighboring states is dwindling, however. Multiple stateslegislatures are looking at legalizing sports betting.

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Mobile Mississippi Sports Betting Bills Fail Again - Legal ...