Online Sports Betting Bills Rolling Out in Mississippi

Past attempts to get widespread and legitimate online sports betting access in Mississippi have failed for a variety of reasons. What the state has passed is a prior bill, which allows BetMGM Sportsbook exclusive rights to offer online sports betting access with a couple of caveats. First, the access is limited to MGM properties within the state. That would include

• Biloxi’s Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel
  
• Pearl River Resort sites
  
• Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica
  

Second, sports bettors must be physically located in one of these facilities when opening accounts and placing bets. It's a unique arrangement that essentially limits the access sports bettors have in many parts of the state.

The Introduction of Two New Sports Betting Bills

To attempt to bring online sports betting to a wider group of bettors throughout the state, the Mississippi legislature has released two (2) pieces of legislation. The first bill to be released at the start of the first 2024 legislative session was HB 271, compliments of State Representative Cedric Burnette. The second bill filed last week was HB 635, thanks to the efforts of State Representative Jay McKnight.

Since both bills are quite similar with minor differences, a look at what's in HB 271 would seem sufficient. For starters, The bill would give each of the state's 28 retail casinos the right to partner with one sports betting operator or skin. Additionally, each operator would be allowed to offer sports betting services anywhere in Mississippi. Other key details found in these bills include

• A tax rate of 4% on gross sports betting revenue as long as revenue does not exceed $50k per month
  
• A tax rate of 6% on gross sports betting revenue as long as revenue falls between $50k and $134k per month
  
• A tax rate of 8% on gross sports betting revenue if the total exceeds $134k per month
  
• A start-up date of July 1, 2024 is being proposed
  

Prior Bill Turned into Study Proposal

In 2023, State Representative Casey Eure introduced HB 606. It was submitted as a legitimate sports betting bill but failed to gain traction. However, the bill did become the basis for a study proposal. This is the proposal that opened the door for the introduction of geofencing rules that would allow each licensed operator to offer sports betting services throughout the state. Look for this bill to be reintroduced if the aforementioned bills start gaining traction. It's also possible that Eure could file a new bill with similar language.

When the study bill was signed by Governor Tate Reeves, it created a task force of 13 individuals from the following government groups:

• House Gaming Committee
  
• MS Senate Gaming Committee
  
• Gaming and Hospitality Association
  
• Mississippi Department of Revenue
  

The task force released its finding in December 2023 with some of the proposals showing up in the two bills that have been released this year.

It's hard to tell which way the sports betting winds are blowing in Mississippi, but there seems to be a reasonable chance something will get done this year.