A bill in the Mississippi Senate was rejected in committee, aimed at banning online lottery casinos and legalizing mobile sports betting.
The state legislature has clearly defined the boundaries for passing SB 2510. The early version of the bill, specifically aimed at banning online lottery casinos, was unanimously passed in the Senate, but Representative Casey Eure modified it last month, adding sports betting language as part of procedural operations.
However, Senate Gaming Committee Chairman David Blount remains firmly opposed. He will only approve the expansion of sports betting if requested by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, while sports betting is a legal retail activity in the state.
Last Thursday, the Senate rejected the opportunity to reach a consensus on the bill. The six-member bicameral conference committee, composed of Eure and Blount, failed to compromise.
This marks the second consecutive time Mississippi legislators have considered and ultimately rejected mobile gaming. The state's sports betting linked to physical casinos has had a slow start in 2025: revenue in the first two months of this year fell 28.9% compared to 2024, to $6.4 million, and the betting amount decreased by 3.9%, to $73.1 million.
However, with Ole Miss and Mississippi State University participating in the NCAA tournament, operators may have made progress in March. Both the Ole Miss men's and women's basketball teams reached the regional semifinals, with the men's team reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2001. The Mississippi State University women's basketball team made it to the second round, while the men's team was eliminated in the round of 64.
