Mississippi Senate Gaming Committee Chair expresses concern over online sports betting

Source: Shutterstock

Mississippi Senate Gaming Committee Chair David Blount has expressed concerns about the potential legalization of online sports betting.

Appearing on a podcast episode of MidDays with Gerald Gibert, Blount said, “The reason we have gaming in the state is for tourism, to bring new people to the state, to encourage investment in the form of hotels and amenities to grow the economy, and to support the jobs of the tens of thousands of people. All of that’s a good thing. I don’t want to endanger that. Mobile sports betting doesn’t do any of that. Mobile sports betting does not drive tourism. It does not drive any economic investment in our state.”

The Mississippi Sports Wagering Act was a bill pushed last year by lawmakers in the House of Representatives, but it met resistance in the Senate and did not pass. Currently, the only way to bet on sports in Mississippi is through retail sportsbooks hosted at land-based casinos.

Republican House Speaker Jason White thinks lawmakers will likely consider a sports betting bill in 2025 after the failed legislative effort in 2024. He commented, “On online sports betting, I think you’ll see the House pass something that obtains overwhelming majority votes, that to me, as the speaker, indicates that there’s a direction or a movement here.”