Sports Betting in Mississippi (2023)

Sports Betting Laws in Mississippi

Betting on sports events in the Magnolia state went live in August 2018. In 2017, sports betting became legal when lawmakers made some adjustments to the state's betting bill. But, players must be located in the state and can only place in-person bets or via the mobile app but must be within the casino establishment. 

Additionally, players can register from any location but would only be able to place bets on-site. This guide provides every necessary information to understand the nature of sports betting in Mississippi.

Sports betting is part of the many forms of online gambling permitted in Mississippi. The laws of Mississippi regarding sports betting are mild and more relaxing compared to other states. These laws were first released as a draft after the removal of PASPA. The draft becomes the law after a 30-day review process. 

The framework of the law permits the Mississippi Gaming Commission to regulate and license sports betting operations. The commission ensures public trust is intact and keeps gambling operators in check regarding payouts, fairness, wagers, license, etc. Mississippi will certainly become a full-fledged sports betting state.  

As a leading state for sports betting, there has plenty of chatter about extending the legalization of sports betting for online customers. Since the legalization, only licensed retail casinos have been allowed to accept sports bets. Gold Strike and Beau Rivage were the first casinos to accept sports bets. Other casinos like Horseshoe, Sam's Town, and IP casinos followed. The Mississippi Gaming Commission regulates their activities. 

Gamblers can place a bet if they are 21 years or more. The current situation concerning online betting only on casino grounds is already due. However, the House committee rejected four house bills, SB 2396, SB 2732, and HB 1042, to permit statewide mobile betting in 2021. 

One of the bills was introduced by legislator Cedric Burnett in early January. The application sought to allow online sportsbooks operators to "accept wagers placed from sports pool wagering accounts through digital platforms, provided such wagers are initiated, received, and made within Mississippi."

However, the House bill did not see the light of day due to strong opposition from the retail casinos, mainly controlled by the native tribes. Currently, only BetMGM offers an online sportsbook platform at its partner land-based casinos, and online sports betting is legal in Mississippi, but only at retail casinos. 

Succinctly, the gambling laws of Mississippi can be summarized as follows: 

• Players must be 21 years old or more to place sports bets
• Bettors can only place bets on-site. However, registration can be done remotely.