Mississippi Skips Online Sports Betting Again: Third Year Running
For the third year in a row, Mississippi lawmakers have let an internet sports betting bill die without a vote, keeping the state firmly in the minority of US jurisdictions that still ban mobile wagering. The 2025 legislative session closed without any online sports betting measure advancing past committee, according to reporting by Gambling911. Mississippi’s inaction is costing the state an estimated tens of millions of dollars annually in tax revenue that neighboring states are already collecting.
Mississippi Fails to Pass Online Sports Betting for Third Straight Year in 2025
What Happened in the 2025 Legislative Session
The Mississippi Legislature adjourned its 2025 regular session without passing any bill to legalize internet or mobile sports betting. This marks the third consecutive year, covering 2023, 2024, and 2025, that such legislation has stalled before reaching Governor Tate Reeves. Proponents introduced measures each session, but none survived the committee process to receive a full floor vote in both the House and Senate.
Mississippi currently permits retail sports wagering at its licensed land-based casinos, a framework established after the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018. However, that permission does not extend to mobile apps or online platforms, meaning bettors must physically visit a casino floor to place a legal wager. That restriction places Mississippi well behind the national trend toward mobile-first sports betting markets.
Gambling911, which has tracked the legislative progress closely, reported that key committee deadlines passed in early 2025 without the necessary votes to move any online betting bill forward [1]. The pattern is now a familiar one for Mississippi gambling reform advocates: bills are introduced, generate some debate, and then quietly expire as the session clock runs out.
Why Mississippi Keeps Stalling on Mobile Betting
Several factors explain the repeated failure. Opposition from conservative lawmakers who view expanded gambling as a social harm has consistently blocked progress. Some legislators also express concern about the potential cannibalization of revenue at brick-and-mortar casinos along the Gulf Coast, which employ thousands of Mississippi residents and represent a significant portion of the state’s hospitality economy.
There is also a structural issue: Mississippi’s legislative calendar is short, and gambling bills compete with budget priorities, education funding debates, and infrastructure legislation for limited floor time. Without strong leadership from the governor’s office or a powerful legislative champion, online betting bills have lacked the momentum needed to cross the finish line. Governor Reeves has not made mobile sports betting a stated priority during his tenure.
The Real Cost: How Much Revenue Mississippi Is Leaving Behind
Estimated Tax Revenue Mississippi Is Forfeiting Each Year
The financial opportunity cost of inaction is substantial. Neighboring states that have legalized mobile sports betting are generating significant tax revenue that Mississippi is not capturing. Tennessee, which launched legal online sports betting in November 2020, collected more than $70 million in privilege tax revenue from sports wagering operators in fiscal year 2023 alone, according to the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation. Louisiana, which borders Mississippi to the south and west, launched statewide mobile sports betting in January 2022 and reported over $30 million in tax revenue in its first full year of operation.
Mississippi’s retail-only sports betting market, by contrast, generates a fraction of what a mobile market would produce. Industry analysts at the American Gaming Association (AGA) have consistently found that mobile wagering accounts for roughly 80 to 90 percent of total sports betting handle in states that offer both retail and online options. That means Mississippi’s current framework captures less than 20 percent of the potential market.
The AGA’s 2024 Commercial Gaming Revenue Report found that US sports betting generated $11.04 billion in gross gaming revenue nationwide in 2023, a record figure driven almost entirely by mobile platforms [2]. Mississippi’s share of that national figure remains negligible compared to what its population and casino infrastructure could support.
The Broader Economic Knock-On Effects
Beyond direct tax receipts, the absence of legal mobile betting pushes Mississippi residents toward offshore and illegal betting platforms. The AGA estimates that illegal sports betting in the United States still accounts for hundreds of billions of dollars in annual handle, with unregulated offshore sites capturing money that legal, taxed operators cannot. Every dollar wagered on an offshore site is a dollar that generates zero tax revenue for Mississippi schools, roads, or public services.
Mississippi’s casino industry, concentrated along the Gulf Coast in cities like Biloxi and Gulfport, also faces a competitive disadvantage. Bettors who want the convenience of a mobile app simply drive across the state line or use unregulated platforms. Legal mobile betting would give licensed Mississippi casinos a tool to retain customers and compete in a market that has fundamentally shifted to smartphones since 2018.
Mississippi vs. the Nation: Where the State Stands in 2025
The broader US sports betting picture makes Mississippi’s position look increasingly isolated. As of mid-2025, more than 38 states and Washington DC have legalized sports betting in some form, and the vast majority of those jurisdictions include mobile wagering. Mississippi is one of a shrinking group of states that permit retail-only betting or no betting at all.
| State | Mobile Betting Legal? | Launch Year | 2023 Tax Revenue (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | Yes | 2020 | $70M+ |
| Louisiana | Yes | 2022 | $30M+ |
| Arkansas | Yes | 2022 | $5M+ |
| Mississippi | No (retail only) | 2018 (retail) | Minimal |
| Alabama | No | N/A | $0 |
The table above illustrates how Mississippi’s immediate neighbors have moved decisively while the state has remained static. Tennessee operates an online-only sports betting market, meaning it has no retail sportsbooks at all and still outperforms Mississippi’s combined wagering figures by a wide margin. Arkansas legalized mobile betting in 2022 and has seen its handle grow steadily since launch.
The national momentum is unlikely to reverse. States that have legalized mobile sports betting report broad public support, and no state has moved to repeal its online wagering laws since PASPA fell in 2018. Mississippi is not just behind the curve; it is falling further behind with each passing legislative session. The 2026 session will represent a fourth opportunity, but without a change in political dynamics, observers are not optimistic.
Gambling reform advocates point to the success of the AGA’s responsible gambling framework, which requires licensed operators to offer tools like deposit limits, self-exclusion programs, and problem gambling helplines, as evidence that mobile betting can be regulated effectively [3]. Critics of Mississippi’s inaction argue that the state’s refusal to regulate simply pushes problem gamblers toward unregulated platforms with no consumer protections at all.
A Note for Our Readers on Financial Stress and Health
For readers visiting this site focused on dental and cosmetic health, the connection here is straightforward: policy decisions that affect state tax revenue have a direct downstream effect on public health funding, including Medicaid dental coverage programs that serve low-income Mississippi residents. When states forgo tens of millions in potential tax revenue, public health budgets feel the pressure. Keeping an eye on how your state allocates its resources, including from gaming taxes, is one small way to stay informed about the funding environment for the health services you and your family may rely on.
Key Takeaways
- Mississippi has now failed to pass online sports betting legislation in 2023, 2024, and 2025, three consecutive legislative sessions.
- The state has permitted retail-only sports betting at land-based casinos since 2018, following the Supreme Court’s PASPA ruling in May of that year.
- Mobile wagering accounts for 80 to 90 percent of total sports betting handle in states that offer both retail and online options, according to the American Gaming Association.
- Tennessee generated more than $70 million in sports betting tax revenue in fiscal year 2023 from its online-only market, launched in November 2020.
- Louisiana, which borders Mississippi, collected over $30 million in sports betting tax revenue in its first full year of mobile operations after launching in January 2022.
- US sports betting generated a record $11.04 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2023, driven almost entirely by mobile platforms, per the AGA’s 2024 Commercial Gaming Revenue Report.
- No US state has repealed its online sports betting laws since PASPA was struck down in 2018, suggesting the national direction of travel is firmly toward expanded mobile access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is online sports betting legal in Mississippi in 2025?
No. As of 2025, online and mobile sports betting remains illegal in Mississippi. The state only permits retail sports wagering at licensed land-based casinos. Three consecutive legislative sessions, 2023, 2024, and 2025, have ended without a mobile betting bill passing into law.
Can I bet on sports online in Mississippi using an app?
Not legally through a licensed US operator. Mississippi does not authorize mobile sports betting apps. Residents who use offshore or unregulated apps do so outside the state’s legal framework and without the consumer protections that licensed operators are required to provide under state and federal regulations.
Why hasn’t Mississippi legalized mobile sports betting?
A combination of conservative legislative opposition, concern about impacts on land-based casino revenue, and a lack of strong executive support from Governor Tate Reeves has blocked progress each year. Bills have been introduced in each of the past three sessions but have not survived the committee process to receive a full floor vote.
How much tax revenue could Mississippi earn from online sports betting?
Precise projections vary, but comparisons with neighboring states suggest Mississippi could generate tens of millions of dollars annually. Tennessee collected over $70 million in sports betting privilege tax in fiscal year 2023 from its online-only market. Mississippi’s larger casino infrastructure and population base suggest its potential revenue could be comparable or higher with a well-structured mobile framework.
The Bottom Line
Mississippi’s third consecutive failure to legalize online sports betting is not simply a legislative footnote. It represents a deliberate choice to leave significant tax revenue uncollected while residents who want to bet on sports either drive to a casino floor or turn to unregulated offshore platforms. Every neighboring state that has moved forward with mobile betting widens the gap, both in revenue terms and in the consumer protections that come with a regulated market.
The 2026 legislative session will arrive with the same fundamental dynamics unless something changes: a new governor, a shift in legislative leadership, or a sustained public push for reform. Gambling reform advocates will need to make a more compelling economic case to break the pattern that has now repeated three times. The data from Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas is sitting right there, waiting to be used.
Mississippi had a chance in 2023, again in 2024, and again in 2025. The question heading into 2026 is simple: how many more years of foregone revenue does it take before the political calculus finally changes?
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Sources
- Gambling911 – Reporting on Mississippi’s 2025 legislative session and the failure of online sports betting bills to advance past committee.
- Gambling911 – Industry data on US sports betting gross gaming revenue reaching $11.04 billion in 2023, sourced via AGA Commercial Gaming Revenue Report coverage.
- Gambling911 – Analysis of responsible gambling frameworks required of licensed sports betting operators and the consumer protection gap created by unregulated offshore platforms.
