- Mississippi lawmakers introduced HB 519 to allow casino operators to offer mobile sports betting alongside their physical locations.
- The bill grants one online license per casino with a tiered tax structure ranging from 4-8% based on monthly revenue.
- A separate measure, SB 2104, seeks to ban sweepstakes casinos with felony penalties up to $100,000 for operators.
JACKSON, Miss. – State legislators have put forward fresh bills that might actually deliver mobile sports betting to Mississippi following multiple unsuccessful tries. On Monday, Representative Jay McKnight submitted HB 519, which would let casino operators run online sportsbooks alongside their brick-and-mortar facilities.
Each Mississippi casino operator would be granted one mobile license under the proposed law. At the moment, the state runs 23 retail sportsbooks at casinos, including well-known names like DraftKings, Caesars, and BetMGM. To place bets, however, bettors must physically visit these sites.
Mississippi has already made several attempts to increase the amount of legal sports betting that occurs within its boundaries. Similar legislation have previously been approved by the House but failed to pass the Senate. Last year, HB 1302 passed the House for a second consecutive year, but senators never even considered voting on it.
Key Changes in the New Bill
McKnight’s proposal differs from previous attempts in several ways. The 2025 legislation included two licenses per casino, but this year’s bill reduces that to one. The tax system is still based on the current retail rates:
- 4% tax on gross revenue for operators earning $50,000 or less monthly
- 6% tax for revenue between $50,000 and $134,000 per month
- 8% tax for revenue exceeding $134,000 monthly
One of the few states that still restricts sports betting to actual casinos is Mississippi. Only 30 states allow bets through mobile applications and online platforms, despite the fact that 39 states have authorized sports betting.
With SB 2104, Senator Joey Fillingane is attempting once more to outlaw sweepstakes casinos. His bill would make operating these businesses a criminal charge, with fines of up to $100,000 for violators. When the House attempted to add changes pertaining to sports betting, last year’s version was rejected. Legislators are keeping the two subjects in separate legislation this time.
Despite the lack of formal law, the Mississippi Gaming Commission has already initiated enforcement action against sweepstakes operators, issuing many cease-and-desist orders in 2025.
The legislation has moved to committee review ahead of the April 5 session deadline. Should either measure gain approval, implementation would begin on July 1. Mobile betting operations at Mississippi sportsbooks would launch soon after that date, although the proposals remain questionable considering previous failures to advance similar bills through the statehouse.
