Though there was disappointment among some Mississippi legislators that sports betting was not legalized in the state, they did get a victory of some sort. Governor Timothy Reeves signed into law a bill that will create a task force to study online gambling and sports betting.
That provides hope that bills regarding sports betting and online casinos could find their way through the legislature in 2024.
House Bill 606 flew through the Gaming and Appropriations committee in the House, where it passed in the lower chamber, 109-5. It had a similar speedy time in the Gaming committee and then hit the Senate floor where it was approved, 49-1.
The bill was enacted to create a task force to “undertake a comprehensive analysis of all matters related to legalizing online betting, online gaming, and/or online wagering.”
The 13 members of the task force will be a mix of legislators and those in the gaming industry. They are scheduled to begin July 1. The co-chairs have 30 days to put together the committee and 60 days to have its first meeting.
The Magnolia State is following the playbook of several other states that don’t want to just ram a sports betting bill through the legislature when some lawmakers do not fully understand the ramifications. Georgia has a resolution to have a task force to study gambling, following much of what Mississippi is doing.
Vermont had a committee to look at sports betting last year and this year has seen marked improvements to get legalized wagering in the state. A sports betting bill cleared the House earlier this week.
