The Mississippi House has advanced a new effort to legalize mobile sports betting, pairing the proposal with a reduction in casino taxes in a move supporters hope will overcome longstanding industry opposition.

On Wednesday, the House approved Rep. Casey Eure’s Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, HB 4074, by a 100–11 vote. The bill was introduced Tuesday and moved swiftly through the Ways and Means Committee before reaching the floor. The legislation would expand sports betting beyond casino properties to statewide mobile platforms, while lowering the state’s casino tax rate from 8% to 6%. The tax cut is projected to total approximately $48 million.

A Shift in Strategy

Mississippi was among the first states to legalize sports betting following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned the federal ban. However, wagering has remained limited to in-person betting at casino properties.

Efforts to authorize mobile wagering have repeatedly stalled in the Senate, despite consistent approval in the House. This marks the third consecutive year the House has passed an online sports betting bill. Earlier this session, the House passed another Eure-sponsored measure, HB 1581, which would also legalize mobile betting. That bill has yet to advance in the Senate.

Last year, after the Senate rejected a House-backed online sports betting bill, the House amended a Senate measure banning sweepstakes casinos to include mobile wagering language. The maneuver ultimately led to the bill’s failure in conference committee. The Senate again passed a sweepstakes casino prohibition bill this month, without mobile betting provisions.

Opposition from locally owned and regional casinos has been a key obstacle to prior mobile betting proposals. Smaller operators have expressed concern that online expansion could benefit larger national gambling companies and divert revenue from brick-and-mortar facilities — a phenomenon often described as “casino cannibalization.” Industry sources indicate that these regional casinos hold significant influence with lawmakers, contributing to previous legislative failures.

Sen. David Blount, chairman of the Senate Gaming Commission, has been a vocal critic of mobile sports betting. In comments to Mississippi Media last year, Blount argued that legal gambling policy in the state has traditionally focused on economic development objectives.

“The reason we have gaming in Mississippi is to encourage investment, to create jobs and to grow tourism to bring other people from other places to Mississippi,” Blount said. “Mobile sports betting doesn’t do that.”

Blount has also stated he would not consider online sports betting legislation unless requested by the Mississippi Gaming Commission and has argued that additional state revenue alone is insufficient justification for expansion.

Key Provisions of HB 4074

Eure’s latest proposal attempts to address industry concerns while increasing the state’s share of revenue.

Under HB 4074:

• Each of Mississippi’s 26 casinos could partner with one online sportsbook operator.
• The tax rate on mobile sports betting would be set at 22%, higher than the current 18.5% rate on in-person wagering.
• The casino tax rate would decrease from 8% to 6%, replacing a previously proposed $6 million assistance fund for smaller regional casinos.

The bill would allocate $50 million annually for 10 years to the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). Eure has estimated that mobile sports betting could generate up to $100 million per year under the proposed tax structure. Supporters argue that legalization would bring existing offshore and unregulated betting activity into a regulated framework.

“By legalising mobile sports betting, we can eliminate much of the illegal market — including protecting underage bettors — and provide real consumer safeguards in a regulated environment,” Eure said ahead of the session. “This legislation will also give our brick-and-mortar casinos a new revenue stream to ensure their continued success, while the state revenue generated will help close the gap in funding for our Public Employees’ Retirement System.”

Mobile sports betting doesn’t create the jobs or tourism that gaming in Mississippi was designed to support

Uncertain Path in the Senate

Despite overwhelming House support, the bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where resistance has been more entrenched. The inclusion of a substantial casino tax cut signals an attempt to secure broader industry backing and address concerns about competitive pressures.