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It is a familiar refrain in the Magnolia State: Online sports betting will not be legalized in Mississippi this year. This marks the third consecutive year that bills have cleared the House chamber only to die in the Senate.
While Mississippi was one of the first states to pass legal sports betting legislation after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, the law only allowed for in-person wagers at brick-and-mortar casinos.
Since then, a successful push for online sports betting has eluded the state. The year 2027 is now the soonest the Legislature can take another bite at the apple.
A three-year stalemate in the Magnolia State
Rep. Casey Eure sponsored each of the bills that cleared the House hurdle only to die in the Senate. Neither of the bills was able to emerge from the Senate Gaming Committee. HB 1581 passed 85-31, and HB 4074 saw even more success, passing with a margin of 100-11.
The Senate has consistently been the death knell for online sports betting in the Mississippi Legislature, and the 2026 legislative session proved no different. Prior to the failure of the pair of bills, Eure highlighted the regulations that would come with passage, as well as the protection of brick-and-mortar casinos—many of which opposed the measures to protect their existing business models.
“By legalizing mobile sports betting, we can eliminate much of the illegal market — including protecting underage bettors — and provide real consumer safeguards in a regulated environment,” Eure said in a post by Legal Sports Report.
“This legislation will also give our brick-and-mortar casinos a new revenue stream to ensure their continued success, while the state revenue generated will help close the gap in funding for our Public Employees’ Retirement System.”
Tax revenue for retirement stalls as bills falter
The Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) in Mississippi has been historically underfunded. Under the failed bills, the system would have been in line to receive a significant tax revenue injection.
With the current legislative session slated to end in early April, the next effort to legalize online sports betting in the state will not take place until January 2027.
