Mississippi House Passes First Sports Betting Bill of 2026

Lawmakers in the Magnolia State are taking another swing at sports betting.

The Mississippi House has passed HB 1581, known as the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, which proposes to create an online sports betting market. While the state was one of the first to legalize retail sports betting after PASPA was overturned in 2018, it has rejected expanding to a full mobile market. 

The bill would also legalize race books focused on horse racing. Operators can offer both on the same platform, but are not required to.

The 2026 bill would allow casinos to partner with no more than two online operators to offer wagering in the state. The industry would be regulated by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, which would issue licenses to casinos. 

Concerns over problem gambling and opposition from local casinos have led lawmakers to dismiss each attempt to expand sports betting. Last year, HB 1302 passed the House with just 10 “nay” votes, but failed to advance out of a Senate committee. 

If passed, the bill would require the launch of Mississippi's online sports betting market by December 8, 2026. 

True Test to Come in the Mississippi Senate

While the Senate hasn’t yet come close to passing any bills to create an online sports betting market in Mississippi, there is reason to believe that will change in 2026.

Like the rest of the US, Mississippi has seen sports prediction markets go live. The industry is not considered gambling by the federal government, which has sole authority to regulate it. That means residents 18 and older now have a way to win money betting on sports online. 

Prediction operators are not required to pay the same state taxes as sportsbooks, resulting in no tax revenue for the markets in which they operate.

With a form of sports betting now available to Mississippi residents, the debate over creating a legal market has changed. Problem gambling is expected to spike from the prediction industry, but the state doesn’t have the tax revenue needed to fight it. 

With the state facing across-the-board budget deficits, Senators may no longer have the luxury of opposing a legal mobile market.