For the third consecutive year, the Mississippi House of Representatives has approved legislation to legalise online sports betting, sending the proposal to the Senate amid continued resistance in the upper chamber.

On Wednesday, House members passed House Bill 1581 by an 84–31 vote. The bill would expand Mississippi’s existing sports betting framework by allowing wagers to be placed online, rather than only in person at licensed casinos. A similar measure cleared the House last year but stalled in the Senate, where lawmakers raised concerns about the impact on land-based casino revenues and the potential for increased gambling addiction. In an effort to address Senate opposition, House lawmakers amended the bill before passage to include a $600 million transfer from the state’s general fund to Mississippi’s severely underfunded public pension system. Supporters say the one-time infusion, combined with future tax revenue from online sports betting, could help stabilise the system and make the proposal more politically viable.

The Developements

Despite the changes, key Senate leaders remain unconvinced. Senator David Blount, chairman of the Senate Gaming Committee, has historically opposed mobile sports betting and has not taken up related legislation in his committee this session. Blount has said projected online betting revenue is insufficient to justify legalisation and has previously stated he would only consider such a bill if requested by the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Last year, after the Senate declined to act on the House’s sports betting bill, House lawmakers attempted an alternative strategy by attaching online sports betting language to a sweepstakes casino prohibition measure. That bill ultimately failed in conference committee. A new sweepstakes casino prohibition bill is advancing this year, though it does not currently include sports betting provisions.

Mississippi was among the first states to legalise sports betting following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision striking down the federal ban, but the state limited wagering to in-person bets at casinos. In 2023, lawmakers established the Mobile Online Sports Betting Task Force to study potential expansion.

Supporters of HB 1581 argue that the lack of online betting has led to significant lost revenue and diminished regulatory oversight. Representative Casey Eure, the bill’s sponsor, told House members that Mississippi residents have attempted to place an estimated 10 million online wagers since September 2025, often by crossing state lines into jurisdictions where mobile betting is legal. Eure estimated the state could be missing up to $80 million annually in tax revenue. According to Eure, the current system provides no consumer protections or mechanisms to monitor problem gambling for residents betting outside Mississippi’s borders.

Sponsors believe the added pension funding could be enough to move the bill through the Senate.

Outlook

Under HB 1581, existing brick-and-mortar casinos would be permitted to partner with up to two online sportsbook operators. To address concerns from smaller or regional casinos about revenue losses, the bill includes a proposed $6 million mitigation fund. The fund would be replenished each year through sports betting tax revenue until 2030. Industry observers say independent casinos wield significant influence in the state legislature and remain wary of larger national gambling companies entering the Mississippi market. Those concerns have been a persistent factor in the debate over online betting.

Brandt Iden, vice president of government affairs at Fanatics Betting & Gaming, said states that already allow some form of sports betting may be more likely to consider expansion, but longstanding obstacles remain. “Expansion to Mississippi online sports betting is not easy, [there are] lots of hurdles, but a bill has moved out of the House the past two years,” Iden said. “Again, there’s an issue in the Senate, but lots of discussion and lawmakers are aware of the issue.”

Whether the addition of pension funding and casino mitigation measures will be enough to overcome Senate resistance remains uncertain. As in previous years, the fate of online sports betting in Mississippi now rests largely with lawmakers in the upper chamber.