A Mississippi sports betting bill moved out of the Senate committee and will now go before the full Senate.

The Senate Committee on Gaming advanced the bill with a “do pass” motion. If it makes it all the way through, HB 774 would allow online sports betting for 26 casinos in the state.

The Senate now has until April 11 to fully approve the bill.

Mississippi Sports Betting Bill Lives On

It took less than two minutes for the Mississippi Senate Gaming Committee to move the bill ahead on Tuesday morning.

The legislation would permit all 26 Mississippi casinos to partner with a sports betting operator and offer online sports wagering across the state. At present, online sports betting is permitted only while on casino property.

Two months ago, the House approved the bill by a vote of 97-14.

The Gaming Committee chairman, Sen. David Blount, said the committee was “moving the bill along” for the Senate to consider it.

He said: “If people are talking, it’s a good thing. We want to continue to let them do that. We want to continue to move the bill along.

“There are a lot of issues that we need to consider, from the perspective of the industry and also from the perspective of the consumer, that we will do if we get to the point where we might be able to get something done this year.

“In the meantime, we don’t want to stop people from listening to each other and working.”

The Mississippi online sports betting bill moved through the committee with unanimous approval, but will need a three-fifths majority in the Senate on April 11.

Mississippi Bill Details

During its floor vote, the bill was amended by the House. All online sports betting tax revenue will be diverted into the state’s emergency road and bridge repair fund.

There will be a taxed tier system for adjusted sports betting revenue:

  • 4% of gross revenue not surpassing $50,000 per month
  • 6% of gross revenue that surpasses $50,000, but does not surpass $134,000 per month
  • 8% of gross revenue that surpasses $134,000 per month

Operators will also pay 4% of their gross revenue to the road and bridge repair fund. Depending on their revenue each month, they would need to pay a maximum of 12% in adjusted gross revenue to the state.

Fiscal estimates forecast the state could generate between $25 million and $35 million each year in annual sports betting taxes.

Presently, 26 commercial dockside and land-based casinos operate in Mississippi. This bill would see each able to partner with a sports betting operator to provide online sports betting.

There are no limits on how many casinos a given operator can partner with, however. This means that theoretically, a handful of sports betting companies could parter with all 26 Mississippi casinos.