The Mississippi House of Representatives recently approved an online sports betting bill proposed by Rep. Casey Eure. The bill, HB 1302, received an 89-11 vote in the House and is now headed to the Senate. Last session, a similar bill failed in the Senate after sports betting language was removed.
This year, Eure has made changes to the bill to make it more appealing to retail casinos in the state. The bill includes a provision for a $6 million annual Retail Sports Wagering Protection Fund, which would benefit casinos that choose not to partner with online sports betting operators. Any additional revenue over $6 million will go towards the state’s road and bridge repair fund.
Despite protests from state casino representatives over revenue cannibalization, Eure’s bill also allows for an increase in the number of potential online sports betting partners for the state’s 26 commercial casinos. The bill has yet to be heard by the Senate and transferred to a Senate committee for further discussion.
If passed, the bill sets a launch date of no later than Dec. 8, 2025, and includes a tiered tax system based on adjusted sports betting revenue. Operators would have to pay between 4% and 12% of their gross revenue to the state each month. The fate of online sports betting in Mississippi now lies in the hands of the Senate, where the bill will be up for debate in the coming weeks.
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