Mississippi sports betting handle drops to $57.2m in January
The Mississippi sports betting handle was down 14 per cent year-on-year.
US.- Mississippi’s sports betting handle was $57.2m in January, down 14 per cent from $66.5m in January 2022 and also down 23.1 per cent from $74.4m in December 2022. Legal sports betting in Mississippi is currently limited to retail only.
In terms of revenue, Mississippi reported a 21.5 per cent decrease year-on-year to $5.1m. Revenue was also down 54.9 per cent of the $11.3m reported in the previous month. Coastal casinos were the most successful venues, generating $3.4m in revenue from $37m in wagers.
Central casinos posted $1.4m in revenue from $11.6m in bets, while revenue from northern casinos stood at $280,482 from an $8.7m handle.
Basketball was the most popular sport among Mississippi bettors, with a handle of $22.8m, followed by football.
Online sports betting in Mississippi
An online sports betting bill introduced in the Mississippi Legislature last month has passed the House committees on gaming and appropriations and will now move to the full chamber. It’s the fifth attempt by lawmakers to introduce online sports betting in the state.
House Bill 606, sponsored by Representative Casey Eure, chair of the House Gaming Committee, would amend section 97-33-1 of the Mississippi Code from 1972 to enable wagers on sports events online. Under the bill, land-based casinos in the state would be permitted to partner with one online operator each.
Online betting would be taxed at the same rates as retail betting, which was approved in 2018. The previous attempt to legalise online sports betting in Mississippi was in January 2022, when Representative Cedric Burnett introduced House Bill 184 which would have amended the Mississippi Code to allow online sports betting for adult residents and visitors within the state’s borders.
