Mississippi lawmakers have advanced legislation that would permit sports wagering on mobile devices while revising casino tax rates. The Mississippi House of Representatives approved House Bill 4074 by a 100-11 vote, with 11 members not participating.
Mobile Betting Proposal Moves Forward
House Bill 4074, titled the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, would legalise online sports pools and race books but maintain the state’s prohibition on broader interactive gaming. Mississippi authorised in-person sports betting in 2018, limiting wagers to casino properties. The House has now passed mobile wagering legislation for the third consecutive year, though similar efforts have stalled in the Senate.
The bill allows the state’s 26 casinos to contract with online operators under oversight from the Mississippi Gaming Commission. Platforms must secure appropriate licences and may accept wagers only from individuals physically located within Mississippi. Operators must deploy geofencing tools, verify customer age and prohibit anyone under 21 from participating.
The legislation also requires responsible gaming programmes that include automated monitoring of player behaviour and structured intervention measures. Regulators must set a universal start date for mobile wagering outside casino premises no later than 8 December 2026.
Tax Changes And Revenue Allocation
The proposal creates separate tax rates for digital and in-person wagers. Online betting revenue would be subject to the existing 8% licence fee along with an added 18.5% tax, producing a combined rate of 26.5%. By contrast, the tax on bets placed at physical casinos would fall to 3.5% starting in July. Supporters estimate the lower retail rate would amount to roughly a $48 million tax reduction for casinos.
Revenue generated under the measure would flow into a Mobile Sports Wagering Tax Fund. Allocations would support the Public Employees’ Retirement System and a temporary Retail Sports Wagering Protection Fund through June 2030. Rep. Casey Eure has said the state could raise as much as $100 million per year.
“By legalising mobile sports betting, we can eliminate much of the illegal market – including protecting underage bettors – and provide real consumer safeguards in a regulated environment,” Eure said heading into the session. “This legislation will also give our brick-and-mortar casinos a new revenue stream to ensure their continued success, while the state revenue generated will help close the gap in funding for our Public Employees’ Retirement System.”
Resistance persists in the Mississippi Senate, where similar bills have previously stalled.
“The reason we have gaming in Mississippi is to encourage investment, to create jobs and to grow tourism to bring other people from other places to Mississippi,”Sen. David Blount said last year. “Mobile sports betting doesn’t do that.”
Senate Backs Sweepstakes Gambling Ban
In a separate action, the Senate unanimously approvedSenate Bill 2104 by a 52-0 vote. The measure expands existing criminal prohibitions to cover online, interactive and sweepstakes-style gambling. It classifies such platforms as illegal gambling devices and increases penalties.
Operating an unlawful online wagering platform would become a felony offence, punishable by fines of up to $100,000 and prison terms of up to 10 years. Both measures would take effect on 1 July if enacted.
Source:
“Mississippi House passes mobile sports betting bill with casino tax cut sweetener”, igamingbusiness.com, February, 26, 2026
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