Mississippi Sports Betting Starts In Biloxi And Tunica
Legal sports betting has finally come to Mississippi. The state’s first ever legal sports bets are scheduled to be placed at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi and Gold Strike in Tunica.
Officials have invited special guests of honor to place the first wagers at each casino tomorrow, after which the sportsbooks will open their doors to the public. As the Sun Herald notes, the launch date of August 1st, 2018 is exactly 26 years to the day since the first casino opened its doors in Biloxi.
Beau Rivage and Gold Strike have published nearly identical sports betting pages on their websites dedicated to the brand new sports books. Details such as operating hours moving forward have not been published at this time, but a basic sports betting primer posted to each website explains all customers must be at least 21 to bet.
Additionally, the primers explain that both sportsbooks will be taking wagers on a wide range of sports including professional football, college football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, tennis, soccer, mixed martial arts and much more.
Caesars Entertainment also confirmed its plans to launch sports betting at the Horseshoe Tunica and Harrah’s Gulf Coast in “mid-August.” Additionally, IP Casino in Biloxi and Sam’s Town in Tunica have confirmed their own plans to begin taking sports bets in early August.
If all goes according to plan, that means Mississippians and visitors will have their choice of six sportsbooks across the state as the NFL season gets underway. Here’s the quick list of casinos that plan to take sports wagers and their expected launch timeframes:
Sports Betting In Biloxi
- BetMGM Sportsbook at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, August 1st
- IP Sportsbook Presented By FanDuel: IP Casino, Early August
- Caesars Sportsbook at Harrah’s Gulf Coast: Mid-August
Sports Betting In Tunica
- BetMGM Book Bar and Grill: Gold Strike Casino, August 1st
- FanDuel Sportsbook At Sam’s Town: Early August
- Caesars Sportsbook At Horseshoe Tunica: Mid-August
Big Moves for MGM, Boyd Gaming and Caesars Entertainment
Three of the nation’s most prominent gaming brands are set to launch in Mississippi this week as a part of larger efforts to corner the nascent sports betting industry. MGM Resorts International, Boyd Gaming and Caesars Entertainment both released major news this week announcing their intention to target sports betting across the United States.
MGM Resorts International operates Beau Rivage and Gold Strike and will be first to market in Mississippi when those casinos take their first sports wagers around noon tomorrow. This move comes amid a major announcement from MGM stating it has reached an agreement with GVC Holdings on a joint venture effort to offer sports betting and online gaming in at least 15 states as legalization spreads across the US.
Boyd Gaming operates IP Casino and Sam’s Town and has said it too will begin sports betting shortly. The exact timeframe remains uncertain other than both casinos are aiming for an “early August” launch.
On a somewhat related note, Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts International recently reached an agreement in which both companies will be able to extend their online sports betting and gambling operations in any jurisdiction in which either company has a resort. This does not impact Mississippi as the state has not authorized online sports betting, but the deal will give both companies a boost as additional states pass online gaming legislation.
Legislation passed in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania so far has all required online operators to have a physical presence in the state in order to offer online gaming. With this deal, Boyd and MGM will help each other get online operations up and running as long as one or the other has a physical property in that state. In all, the deal grants both companies access to up to 15 states if legislation permits.
Caesars Entertainment issued a press release yesterday stating its intention to make a major push for sports betting in New Jersey and Mississippi. The Mississippi half of that projection is about to come true as Caesars launches sports betting at the Horseshoe Tunica and Harrah’s Gulf Coast at some point over the next two weeks.
In addition to its Mississippi sports betting operations, Caesars Entertainment launched a sportsbook at Bally’s Atlantic City on Monday and will open a sportsbook at Harrah’s Atlantic City tomorrow. The company also confirmed yesterday that the launch of online and mobile sports betting at Caesars Sportsbook is imminent.
Mike Murphy is the founder of BettingUSA.com and has over 10 years of experience in the legal gambling industry. A regular attendee of industry trade shows and conferences, Mike is a strong proponent in the idea of a well regulated online betting industry.
