Mississippi online casino gambling legislation on backburner with re-jigged sports betting bill prioritized

    Mississippi Online Casino
    Article by : Charles Perrin Oct 27, 2023

    Mississippi casino owners are reportedly divided over a new online sports betting bill that would ultimately deal a telling blow to the emergence of online casino gambling in 2024.

    The clamoring for online sports betting has been intensifying in Mississippi, with other states joining the digital revolution in time for the new NFL season.

    A special task force (the Mississippi Mobile Sports Betting Task Force) has been created to thrust online sports betting into the spotlight, and the 13-man group comprises lawmakers, appointees, as well as Mississippi Gaming Commission Director Jay McDaniel.

    At a recent meeting earlier this week, the group listened to testimony from witnesses expressing their interest and opposition to expanding the sports betting product in the state.

    More pertinently, it is thought that any potential legislation to pave the way for online casino gambling won’t be included in the upcoming sports betting bill, and a fresh meeting has been set for November 13.

    Summarizing the state of play concerning casino legislation, Jason Tosches, Penn Entertainment’s Director of Public Affairs & Government Relations, said: “While we support for iCasino for all the same reasons that we support online sports betting, I want to be clear that we are not advocating for iCasino to be put in this online sports betting legislation.

    “I think we have broad alignment on that across maybe all or a significant majority of Mississippi’s casinos. I don’t necessarily think that would be helpful to getting online sports betting.”

    Genuine fears have arisen about how the cannibalization of online sports betting could impinge upon casino revenues.

    Palace Casino General Manager Keith Crosby raised this concern, as he commented: “This unfettered growth will be dominated by a few operators, and our chance to compete with that is zero.

    “It’s a small margin, small profit thing. But it’s a feature we compete with. It’s not going to blow the doors off the revenue side, but it brings people in.”

    Currently, mobile sports betting is geofenced at land-based casinos, and there have been calls for more online skins to be allocated per property.

    In the meantime, there is tireless work that is being carried out behind the scenes to amend HB 606 and realize statewide online sports betting. Among the topics that will be addressed, include in-person or mobile registration and use of tax revenue.

    A special report needs to be prepared by the task force for December 15, and the clock is ticking. But with online casino legislation such a divisive issue, it remains to be seen whether the online sports betting bill will push the ambition of statewide digital casino gambling in Mississippi further back.