For the third consecutive year, Mississippi’s effort to legalize mobile sports betting has stalled in the state Senate. The “Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act,” which cleared the House 100-11, was blocked in the Senate Gaming Committee by chairman Sen. David Blount (D), repeating a familiar pattern.
Attempts to introduce mobile sports betting legislation have consistently failed in the upper chamber under Blount, who has expressed concerns about revenue projections and the impact on brick-and-mortar casinos.
Proposed Mobile Sports Betting Plan
The latest bill, sponsored by State Rep. Casey Eure (R), House Gaming Committee chairman, proposed a 22% tax on mobile sports betting, up from an earlier 18.5% proposal. Eure argued this would align Mississippi with the national average. The bill also aimed to reduce the state gaming tax from 8% to 6%, providing a roughly $48 million tax cut to casinos.
“Mobile sports betting at 22% is projected to bring in $100 million per year,”Eure told the House in late February. He added that the casino tax reduction would allow operators to “reinvest in their properties, give employees pay raises, do things they need to do to keep them up and going to stay competitive in our market.”
The legislation would have allocated $50 million annually from mobile sports betting revenue to the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) over a decade, helping address the system’s $26 billion unfunded liabilities.
Senate Opposition And Concerns
Sen. Blount rejected the bill again, citing financial concerns related to the casino tax cut and potential state revenue losses. He referenced a Tax Foundation study, telling the Magnolia Tribune that even with a 22% mobile betting tax, combined with a 25% casino tax reduction, the state would still lose money.
Blount also noted that mobile sports betting must support the broader gaming industry, which extends to restaurants, hotels, and other local businesses, not just casino floors. He warned that the proliferation of mobile and prediction-market betting could carry social and economic risks.
“The most recent bill from the House included a 25% casino tax cut that will cost the state about $50 million a year,” Blount said.
Blount also raised concerns about problem gambling, stating: “We are beginning to see a growing awareness across the country of the negative consequences to putting a casino in everybody’s pocket.”
Sweepstakes And Legislative Context
Mississippi has repeatedly grappled with sweepstakes casino legislation. Last year, the Senate passed a sweepstakes prohibition bill, but it died in conference after the House added sports betting provisions. Despite this, the Mississippi Gaming Commission issued multiple cease-and-desist orders to operators.
Earlier this year, six states had banned sweepstakes casinos, and Indiana became the first to enact such legislation in 2026. Mississippi’s Senate again passed the sweepstakes prohibition bill, but it stalled in the House Gaming Committee, chaired by Eure.
Despite strong support in the House, including bills HB 1581 (85-31) and HB 4074 (100-11), the recurring Senate resistance has left mobile sports betting legislation in Mississippi in limbo, with the state continuing to allow only in-person betting at casinos since legalizing sports gambling in 2018.
Source:
“Mobile sports betting dies again in Mississippi Senate”, magnoliatribune.com, March 19, 2026
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