Sports betting will be ready to launch in Mississippi by the end of July now that the Mississippi Gaming Commission has promulgated rules and regulations covering the new wagering. Mississippi had quietly legalized sports betting in 2017 when it passed a law regulation daily fantasy sports that included a clause removing penalties on sports betting. Sports bettors in Mississippi will be able to bet on all pro, college and Olympic sports but no betting on politics or high school sports.
Under the released regulations, only licensed casinos can take sports bets and each casino must make a submission to regulators for approval. There will be no mobile wagering, except on devices within the casino property. Mississippi will have an edge in its regional market as no other state has passed legislation allowing sports betting. Louisiana is expected to consider it when its legislature reconvenes next year. Florida sports betting may be delayed as the tribal gaming interests want a monopoly on the activity. And a pending referendum may defer all expanded gaming to votes of the people, which, if passed, would further delay sports betting.
Meanwhile, Mississippi casinos are gearing up for expanded wagering. Caesars Entertainment has recently posted several sportsbook-related jobs on a variety of employment websites. The company is seeking sportsbook managers, supervisors and ticket writers at both Biloxi’s Harrah’s Gulf Coast and Horseshoe Tunica.
MGM Resorts International also has multiple job postings for sportsbook managers, supervisors and clerks at its Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino in Tunica. Churchill Downs, which acquired Lacy Luck Casino in Vicksburg from Eldorado Resorts earlier this year, is seeking a corporate director of online gaming development, but has not posted specific openings at its Mississippi properties.
MGM Resorts has announced it will open a sports book in Biloxi’s Beau Rivage on July 21.
