Mississippi Sports Betting Could Begin in Time for NFL Season

Editor update: Mississippi sports betting is legal, and operating at state casinos. This post is now outdated, but will remain published for archive purposes (detailing the path the state took to legalizing sports betting).

Mississippi is on track to become the third state to commence sports betting after Delaware and New Jersey. State and tribal casinos are both in the final stages of implementing regulations that will allow casinos to begin offering sports betting. If all goes well, Mississippi sports betting is likely to be underway by summer’s end and in time for the next NFL season.

Last month, the Mississippi Gaming Commission proposed regulations to govern sports betting and gave the public 25 days to comment on the proposals. The Clarion Ledger reported at the time that the commission may vote on those rules at its next meeting on July 21^st, which in turn could have casinos taking their first bets in late July.

A full rundown of the Mississippi sports betting regulations and some of the key rules include:

• Only licensed casinos may offer sports betting, and only after receiving approval from the Executive Director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission
• Each casino shall provide rules related to types of wagers accepted, how winnings are paid, how long winning tickets are honored, how patrons are notified of odds changes and so on. Those rules shall also be submitted to the Executive Director for approval
• Bets may only be accepted on casino premises. Electronic wagering systems and kiosks may be approved, but all wagering must happen at the casino. This appears to rule out online sports betting for now
• Casinos must verify the identity of customers placing bets or receiving payouts in excess of $10,000
• Bets on professional and amateur events are permitted, but the only amateur events permitted are Olympic and collegiate sports
• Bets on elections for public office prohibited
• Coaches and participants prohibited from betting on sports or events in which they are involved
• The regulations propose a 12% tax on wagers minus payouts
• The proposed regulations do not include an integrity fee paid to the sports leagues

Tribal Casinos May Be First to Offer Sports Betting In Mississippi

More recently, local media has reported that casinos run by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians may get a jump on the state casinos when it comes to sports betting in Mississipppi. Tribal casinos in Mississippi are not subject to the Mississippi Gaming Commission and are proceeding on their own timeline.

The follow tribal casinos have all been authorized to begin taking sports wagers in Mississippi:

• Silver Star Hotel and Casino
• Golden Moon Hotel and Casino
• Bok Homa Casino

An exact date for the casinos to begin taking wagers has not yet been established, but tribal gaming leader Sonny Johnson told the Clarion Ledger recently that the tribe “has cleared all regulatory issues.” Tribal casinos are now on their own schedules as they prepare to launch sports betting, get equipment in place, train staff and so on.

Pearl River Resorts Director of Public Relations Erica Clemons Moore told MS New Now that they have “have several locations that we’re looking at that’s already preexisting here. So, we anticipate being able to announce the exact location in the near future.” Pearl River Resorts operates the Silver Star and Golden Moon casinos.

Regarding potential timelines, Moore said this:

“Timing for us is very important and we want to get it open as soon as we can, but we also want to make sure that we do it right.”

The push from tribal casinos is likely to spur Mississippi’s state casinos to move quickly as well to avoid being left behind. The MS Gaming Commission meeting planned for later this week should be revealing as we’ll see how quickly the state is ready to proceed. Whatever happens at that meeting, tribal casinos should be up and running shortly. Mississippi sports betting will likely be a reality in a few months.