Mississippi Legislature to Tackle Online Sports Betting Again

As U.S. online gamblers keep flocking to their favorite offshore online gambling sites, it's becoming clearer to lawmakers across the nation that the people are going to do what they want to do. If they want to bet on sports and don't have U.S. access, they'll go abroad. At the state level, that translates to possible tax dollars being "tossed into the wind."

Perhaps a little late to the dance, Mississippi lawmakers are looking to take another pass at getting sports betting legislation passed and signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves (R). By attempting to push the necessary legislation through in 2026, this will be the third consecutive year that such legislation will be considered.

New Proposal Targets Senate Approval

In 2025, a bill passed the House that would have brought online sports betting to the residents of the "Rebel" state. Unfortunately, the bill did not make it through the Senate, leaving it dead on arrival as the 2025 legislative session came to a close. In order to avoid the same fate this year, new legislation is being directed at the concerns that were previously expressed in the Senate.

According to House Gaming Committee Chair Casey Eure, R-Saucier, this year's proposal is designed to direct all tax revenue from online sports betting to the state's heavily burdened pension fund. Currently, the state's Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) is unfunded to the tune of about $26 billion in liabilities. That's a heavy burden that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Senate Gaming Committee Chair David Blount, D-Jackson, has expressed his doubt that even tax revenue might be enough to fix this fiscal issue. He told the press:

“If we legalized mobile sports betting tomorrow, it would take more than 1,000 years to pay off the unfunded liability in the retirement system. The amount of money we’re talking about is infinitesimal compared with the $26 billion unfunded liability.”

The reality seems to support his concerns. According to Eure, sports betting tax revenue on gross wagers would bring in somewhere around $80 million each year. Some Senators have even argued that no more than $30 million in revenue could be earned. The counterargument to that is that some revenue coming in is better than nothing. That's especially true if Mississippi residents are spending their wagering dollars overseas.

Clearly, the time has come for Rebel lawmakers to get something done. Residents want to have the ability to use online sportsbooks from the comfort of their homes. According to insiders, state Senators seem to be warming to the idea of getting the appropriate legislation passed. It's just a matter of making sure the funds are directed in the right direction. After that, it seemingly boils down to making sure the I's are dotted, and the T's are properly crossed.

More should be known about this issue in the coming months, and hopefully, residents will be betting on sports via mobile apps at home before the end of the year.