Online sports betting advances in Mississippi House
Legal online sports betting in Mississippi is now a step closer to becoming reality after the House of Representatives passed two bills, according to a report by the Clarion Ledger.
However, they still have to be approved by the Senate before being signed into law.
The Mississippi House of Representatives has once again passed the issue of legal online sports betting to the Senate for approval. The original sports betting bill was embedded in two pieces of legislation: the state’s coastal tidelands and fines for companies engaging in illegal sports betting.
Both bills were passed with a comfortable majority, although whether the Senate will approve the proposal remains to be seen.
So far, during this legislative session, the Senate Gaming Committee hasn’t taken up a mobile sports betting bill, with the legislation prompting many outspoken proponents and opponents alike regarding legal sports betting in Mississippi.
Supporters say that mobile betting would increase the state’s revenue while preventing illegal betting operations. However, opponents argue it could harm the local casino industry and affect job markets.
The Clarion Ledger obtained a letter from eight casino industry bodies that wrote to Mississippi lawmakers to oppose legalizing online sports betting.
The letter read, “A state-wide expansion of gaming, with no local referendums, putting a casino in the hands of every person in Mississippi, no matter where they are located (homes, schools, churches) …This is not the right vision for gaming in Mississippi.”
The Mississippi Senate has until March 21 to approve mobile sports betting or send the legislation to a conference, at which point lawmakers must reach a compromise.
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