Mississippi was one of the first states to legalize sports betting, launching its first sportsbook in August 2018, just three months after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
Since then, Mississippi has welcomed sports bettors from all around, with over 20 land-and water-based sportsbooks at its commercial and tribal casinos.
However, neighboring states like Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas have caught up to the Magnolia State, with each giving the consumer a mobile sports betting option, something Mississippi has failed to do despite legislation supporting it in recent years.
Mobile Mississippi sports betting is permitted, but only if you’re in person and using the BetMGM mobile app at either the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi or the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica.
Mississippi’s Gambling Timeline
Here’s how Mississippi got to this point:
June 29, 1990
Gambling is legalized in Mississippi when the House passed the Mississippi Gaming Control Act, which founded the Mississippi Gaming Commission. There are now 26 state-regulated casinos in Mississippi, with a dozen located along the Gulf Coast.
December 5, 1990
Hancock County becomes the state’s first county to permit “dockside gambling,” according to WDAM7 News.
August 1, 1992
Mississippi’s first water-based casino, The Isle of Capri, opens its doors for the first time. Shortly after, two other riverboat casinos, the President Casino and Biloxi Belle, open their doors.
October 1992
The first regulated bingo hall opens in Mississippi.
1992
The state signs a compact with Choctaw Indians of Mississippi.
1994
The first tribal casino opens in Mississippi, the Silver Star Hotel and Casino in Neshoba County.
2002
The Choctaw Indians of Mississippi open the Pearl River Resort, which includes the Golden Moon Hotel and Casino, in Choctaw, Mississippi. Nine years later, the tribe opens the Bok Homa Casino in Heidelberg.
2016
Mississippi legalizes online daily fantasy sports on a temporary basis, with the law expiring in July 2017.
2017
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant made daily fantasy sports permanently legal with the passing of HB 967, which sets an 8% tax and tasks the Mississippi Gaming Commission to regulate, according to the Associated Press.
May 14, 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court rules, 6-3, to eliminate a 1992 Federal Law (PASPA) that banned sports gambling in the majority of states. States now can decide for themselves whether they will legalize sports betting or not.
Aug. 1, 2018
Mississippi officially legalizes sports betting, becoming the fourth state to do so (after Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware) and first in the Deep South. Beau Rivage and Gold Strike accept the state’s first bets simultaneously, per The Sun Herald, 26 years after the first bet was made at a Mississippi casino in 1992.
2020
Mississippi casinos report a gross revenue of $1.8 billion, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
2022
Multiple bills to legalize online sports betting in Mississippi die in committee. Introduced in January, none of the bills make it to a vote. Mississippi remains a brick-and-mortar only state, with mobile sports wagering only offered inside two of the state’s casinos.
