Mississippi online sports betting bill dies as legislative deadline passes
House Bill 774 marked as “dead” on the legislature site as the relevant committee failed to file report by the April 29 deadline
The legalization of online sports betting in Mississippi looks to be dead in the water for the time being, as the conference committee in charge of the bill failed to file a report by the April 29 deadline.
House Bill 774’s status is now marked as “dead” on the Mississippi Legislature website following the missed deadline, which means the legalization of online sports betting this year looks extremely unlikely.
Sports betting is currently legal in the Magnolia State, however it only applies to wagers placed in brick-and-mortar casinos.
Players can use apps to place wagers as long as they remain on the premises of a casino.
Bill 774 first passed through the House in February 2024 and would have legalized online racing and sports betting sites if approved.
As part of the bill, taxation on all sports betting would be set at 12% of revenue, and online operators would need to partner with a land-based casino to operate in the state.
The bill was amended in April to remove all mobile sports betting components, along with the establishment of a conference committee, chaired by Mississippi Senate member David Blount, with the aim of creating a bill that lawmakers would approve.
However, the legislature in the Magnolia State is set to adjourn on May 5, and the only way online sports betting could now be legalized in 2024 is if the legislature were to call a special session for the purpose of passing sports betting-related legislation.
Sports betting handle in Mississippi has been slowly declining in recent years, falling from a high of $586m in 2021 to $532m in 2022 and $474m across last year.