Mississippi lawmaker tries once again to legalise mobile sports betting

Rep. Cedric Burnett introduced a bill that would allow mobile sports betting in Mississippi for the fourth time.

US.- On January 4, when the 2022 legislative session opened, Representative Cedric Burnett introduced House Bill 184 which would amend the Mississippi Code to allow online sports betting for adult residents and visitors within the state’s borders.

Even though Mississippi was one of the first states to offer legal sports betting following the U.S. Supreme Court’s repeal of PASPA in 2018, bettors can currently only wager at the state’s casinos and not online. 

Burnett’s bill seeks to allow gaming operators to “accept wagers placed from sports pool wagering accounts through digital platforms, provided such wagers are initiated, received and made within Mississippi”. 

The bill allows for the standard kind of wagers, including single-game bets, teaser bets, parlays, over-under lines, moneyline bets, in-game wagering and in-play bets.

If approved, the act would take effect on July 1, 2022, the bill states. It has now been referred to the House Gaming and Ways and Means committees for further consideration. This is the fourth attempt to legalise mobile sports wagering. Similar bills have failed in the past three years. 

See also: Mississippi sports betting handle reaches $83.5m in October

Mobile sports betting regulation moving forward

Louisiana launched sports betting at casinos in November, with the mobile vertical set to follow suit within a couple of weeks. 

Also, the Arkansas Racing Commission last week approved rules for mobile sports betting.

By the end of 2021, New York State Gaming Commission (NYGC) approved nine casino and online gaming operators to offer mobile sports betting.