Mississippi online sports betting bill heads to Senate
The Mississippi House of Representatives has approved House Bill 1581.
US.- The Mississippi House of Representatives has approved a bill that proposes to legalise mobile sports betting in the state in a 85-31 vote. House Bill 1581, sponsored by representative Casey Eure, now heads to the Senate.
It’s the third consecutive year that the chamber has approved such legislation. Unlike previous proposals, House Bill 1581 includes an amendment to transfer $600m from Mississippi’s Capital Expense Fund, which the state uses to finance one-off projects, to the Employers’ Accumulation Account of the Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Sports betting is already legal in Mississippi at physical sportsbooks and inside licensed casinos. Mobile wagering is only permitted while physically present on casino property. HB 1581 aims to remove this restriction, allowing bettors to place wagers from anywhere within the state boundaries. A similar measure was proposed last year but did not pass in the Senate amid concerns that mobile betting could reduce casino profits and increase gambling-harm-related issues.
On January 21, a coalition of casino operators, including Churchill Downs Inc. (Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa, River Walk Casino Hotel); Foundation Gaming & Entertainment (Fitz Casino Hotel, WaterView Casino Hotel); Full House Resorts (Silver Slipper Casino Hotel); Gulfside Casino Partnership (Island View Casino Resort); Palace Casino Resort; Pearl River Resorts (Golden Moon Hotel and Casino); Saratoga Gaming (Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel); and the Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel wrote to lawmakers to oppose the proposal. They warned that legalising online sports betting and igaming would “undermine the multi-billion-dollar capital investments made by Mississippi’s traditional gaming industry since 1992 and threaten long-term local jobs.”
A survey commissioned by the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) and conducted by the Bradley Research Group, found that 74.2 per cent of Mississippi voters opposed to the legalisation of mobile sports betting. Opposition to igaming rose from 74.1 per cent to 80.8 per cent once voters understood that it would allow 24/7 remote access to casino-style games.
