The Mississippi House Gaming Committee is drafting a measure to allow mobile sports betting.
State Rep. Casey Eure, committee chairman, said passing a bill in the House and moving it to the Senate as fast as possible is crucial, since Louisiana gaming regulators are expected to launch mobile betting in that state on January 1.
“My plans are to pass something out of my committee. If the House and Senate pass a mobile sports betting app bill and Governor Tate Reeves signs it, the Mississippi Gaming Commission can then include online wagering in its regulations.”
Eure said the measure under consideration would protect the hundreds of millions of dollars Coastal casinos have invested in their properties. It also would prevent any mobile sports betting company from opening its own sportsbook, Eure said. He noted, “When we pass mobile sports betting, we’ll do it the right way. I want to make sure we can protect our bricks and mortar. If they want to team up with Draft Kings and FanDuel, that’s fine.”
Under the proposed bill, Mississippi casinos that already have sportsbook partnerships with third-party betting groups would be able to use their mobile apps. “You’re going to have to have a bricks and mortar investment in Mississippi,” Eure stated.
Also last week, BetMGM announced the launch of its mobile app at MGM Resorts International’s Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. Sports fans now have two destinations to access the leading sports betting platform, joining Gold Strike in Tunica.
The BetMGM mobile app is available for download statewide and utilizes geolocation technology so that all guests onsite at Beau Rivage can now place pre-game, live in-play, futures and parlay wagers from any mobile device. Guests at Beau Rivage no longer need to leave the pool, the spa, the roll at the craps table, or their Tomahawk Ribeye at BR Prime to get in on the action.
“Beau Rivage is proud to be the first Coastal Mississippi casino resort to offer mobile sports betting for customers,” said MGM Southeast President and COO Travis Lunn. “The BetMGM app not only offers in-game bets and expanded promotions, players can earn M life Rewards for playing.”
Integration with MGM Resorts’ M life Rewards program allows BetMGM users in Mississippi the opportunity to redeem their gameplay for world-class experiences at MGM Resorts properties nationwide, including Beau Rivage and Gold Strike in Mississippi, as well as Bellagio and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Borgata in New Jersey, and MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
“We are thrilled at BetMGM to expand our business in Mississippi to now offer our mobile app at Beau Rivage,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Beau Rivage is one of the great entertainment destinations of the region and a perfect place to bring our platform to new customers as we continue to expand throughout the South.”
