Legislation that could add to Mississippi’s gaming revenue recently was introduced by state Rep. Bobby Moak. The Mississippi Lawful Gaming Act 2015, which would legalize and regulate online poker and online gaming in general in the state. Moak had proposed similar, though unsuccessful, bills in 2012 and 2013.
Moak’s measure states online gambling, offered by illegal offshore operators, attract millions of people and operates without oversight or enforcement. “Without regulation of online gambling, the public’s trust and confidence in legal gaming is impacted,” Moak wrote. He noted regulating and licensing online gaming would:
• Inhibit underage wagering and otherwise protect vulnerable individuals’
• Ensure that the games offered through the internet are fair and safe;
• Stop sending much-needed jobs and tax and fee revenue overseas to illegal operators;
• Provide a significant source of taxable revenue;
• Create jobs and economic development;
• Address the concerns of law enforcement;
• and ensure that only those persons of good character and fitness, who meet strict criteria set forth in law and regulations, are suitable to facilitate and conduct online gaming activities.
Moak’s bill also proposes that Mississippians caught playing on illegal sites could face up to 90 days in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Winnings and property purchased with winnings also could be confiscated.
Meanwhile, a committee appointed by Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, has not yet published its comprehensive online gaming study, which reviewed the results of regulated online gaming in Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. However, analysts assume the lower-than-expected financial results in those states mean it “remains unlikely that Mississippi will copy other states that have legalized some form of Internet gaming,” Godfrey said.
