Mississippi to give sports betting to casinos

The state will pass a bill to regulate the segment, but it will most likely keep it on casino gambling floors.

US.- Mississippi is discussing the best way to approach sports betting legalisation, unlike some states which have already ruled out the segment. In the southern state, lawmakers are set to pass a bill that would allow sports gambling but only within casino gaming floors.

“We’ve got gaming,” Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association executive director Larry Gregory said, adding: “This is just another type of gaming (…) (and) any type of gaming in the state has to be conducted on the gaming floor.”

The limitation will shut out any potential claim against the segment for potentially being a “gambling expansion” but will impact negatively on potential tax revenue, as money from mobile bets or corner sports betting parlours would be lost in the process. Nonetheless, visits to casinos will surely increase.

Mississippi legislators already added wagering on sporting events to types of gambling allowed in casinos last year. According to Gregory, “the regulatory folks are building their regulatory framework,” and putting the state “in a position to move forward on it.”