Mississippi has had an interesting connection with online sports betting. It exists only on casino grounds, along with retail sportsbooks. Legislation for statewide mobile betting has constantly failed.
Why?
The gnawing concern that if people could place a bet from their living room or bedroom, the impact would take a toll on casino visitation to places like Biloxi. Never mind that it hasn’t happened to any great extent in Atlantic City or Pennsylvania or Nevada.
Senator Mike Thomas takes part in the Mississippi Legislature’s Mobile-Online Sports Betting Task Force with 12 of his colleagues. This task force will study the issues and create recommendations studying and creating recommendations before December 15.
“My primary concern is how to make sure that we don’t do anything in Mississippi that jeopardizes the destination gaming product that Mississippi gaming has been built on,” Thomas told WLOX. “That’s very important to me. At one point in time we had nearly 80 percent of our casinos with drive-in traffic. And we know that those patrons don’t necessarily stay on casino properties full-time. They go out in the community. They eat at restaurants. They go fishing and visit towns like Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs, Pass Christian. And so we know now that that destination gaming product is important to the entire coast.”
There are other issues for Thomas. Potential underage gambling. A rise in problem gambling.
“There’s something about the human psyche, when you drive up to a casino, walk through the doors, have your ID checked, and walk in and place your bet,” said Thomas. “That’s tangible. You know that that’s happening. Including exchanging money. So we have to be certain the proper rules and regulations are in place to address underage gambling, compulsive gambling, people who abuse it.”
He acknowledges that the blueprint for managing these concerns is available. They set the table for overcoming mistakes..
In 2021, lawmakers presented SB 2396 which would have expanded mobile betting statewide. Mississippi online sports betting failed to pass, however, as the measure died in committee.
Lawmakers attempted again during the 2022 legislative session with HB 997 as well as SB 2426.
If the task force is able to present its study and convince legislatures of the benefits, who knows what could happen.
