Mississippi Senate Ends Hopes for a Mobile Betting Market

The Mississippi Senate session is coming to a close in two weeks, but the final push won’t include a debate over online sports betting.

The Magnolia State House advanced two bills to legalize mobile betting, but neither has advanced out of the Senate’s Gaming Committee. Chair Sen. David Blount has been a longtime opponent of expanding sports betting beyond retail. He has refused to hold a vote on either bill, which is the same tactic used to defeat previous proposals.

Bount cited financial concerns for his rejection of the mobile betting bills. 

He shared his doubt over the potential tax revenue mobile betting would generate. While House proponents of the industry projected $40-$60 million in state tax revenue in the first year, Blount’s estimates are far lower. 

He pointed out the tax break it would give retail casinos, which, according to a Tax Foundation report, would cost the state $50 million in tax revenue. That would result in a net loss for Mississippi's industry, limiting its ability to address the impending spike in problem gambling.

Prediction Markets Lower Tax Revenue Projections

During hearings in the Senate Gambling Committee, Sen. Blount shared that he didn’t believe the House had considered the impact of prediction markets.

"The current administration in Washington essentially legalized national betting through prediction markets, and they cannot be taxed or regulated by any state across the nation," Blount said during a committee meeting. "The impact of prediction markets means that traditional platforms are going to lose market share."

Blount’s fears are not unfounded, given the lack of regulations and taxes around the prediction industry. This makes it hard for regulated sportsbooks to compete, prompting industry leaders like FanDuel and DraftKings to launch their own prediction platforms. 

If lawmakers were to create a legal online sports betting market in Mississippi, there is no guarantee that those operators would swap their prediction platforms for their traditional sportsbook. That would lead to far less tax revenue for the state while fueling the spread of gambling addiction. 

Blount is looking to avoid that, which will lead to mobile betting failing again in 2026.