Online betting one step closer to being legalized in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – If you are a fan of online sports betting here’s some good news for you, it’s now one step closer to becoming legal here in Mississippi.

The House passed the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act after nearly an hour of discussion. It would allow you to place bets online.

Under the bill, gambling companies, such as FanDuel and DraftKings are required to partner with one of the state’s 26 casinos to do business.

However, casinos can only partner with one platform. The majority of house members agreed to pass the bill, but some are still having concerns and issues with this legislation, including fears that smaller casinos won’t be able to cash in this new proposed form of betting.

”All of the casinos don’t want this,” said District 74 Representative Lee Yancey, who voted against the bill. “Some do and some don’t. There are lots of questions about where the money would go, and I’m not satisfied that those questions were answered. If this kind of thing is going to happen, I would like to see everyone get on board and work out their differences before they bring it to the rest of us.”

”All I’m doing is trying to give another product to our casino Industry and our state to stay competitive, and I feel like that’s what we are doing,” said District 116 State Representative Casey Eure, who introduced the bill. “Because we have such an illegal market out there right now, it’s going to benefit the state obviously with tax dollars, but it’s also going to protect against underage people placing bets on these illegal sites right now.”

“At least let the money follow where the casino is,” said District 94 State Representative Robert Johnson, who voted against the bill. “If you are in Natchez and you are on a platform, their platform no matter what contract or casino they have a contract with, their platform’s revenue opts to go to the local casino. It keeps the casino open, he keeps the jobs there, and keeps some revenue in that county or that area where it is.”

Right now, mobile sports betting is legal in more than two dozen states including some right next to us in Tennessee in Louisiana.

Representative Eure said online sports betting is estimated to bring in roughly $35 million a year to the state.

That money will be used to repair roads and bridges.

The bill now goes over to the Senate. If the bill passes in that chamber, online sports betting would be legal starting in July.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.