Mississippi’s sports betting handle in October increased from the previous month but it was down sharply in a year-over-year comparison with October 2021.
Most sports betting in Mississippi is in-person at physical sportsbooks with mobile sports betting available only within the casinos.
The October total sports betting handle for Mississippi was almost $56.2 million. That was an increase of 30.3% from September (about $43.1 million) but that handle was down 32.7% from October 2021 ($83.5 million).
For sports betting revenue, the October figure was almost $7.7 million, down 12.4% from September (almost $8.8 million) and down nearly 16% from October 2021 (almost $9.15 million).
Football, of course, is a huge driver for sports betting interest at this time of year. In the SEC, Mississippi started the season 7-0 under coach Lane Kiffin but has cooled off since, including Saturday’s 42-27 loss to Arkansas which dropped the Rebels to 8-3 with only the Thanksgiving Day matchup against archrival Mississippi State remaining in the regular season. Both the Rebels and Bulldogs (7-4) are bowl eligible heading into Thursday’s Egg Bowl clash.
Mississippi Sports Betting, October vs. September
Revenue For Mississippi Sports Betting Falls
October’s drop in revenue compared to the September Mississippi casino revenue figures is because of the difference in hold percentage in the two months. For September 2022, the sportsbooks had a healthier win percentage of 20.35%; in October the win percentage for the books was 13.68%.
Mississippi reports its sports wagering and casino statistics by region: Central, Coastal and Northern. In October, the Coastal region had the highest handle ($35.8 million), followed by the Central region ($11.75 million) and Northern region (almost $8.63 million).
Casino Breakdown for October
The Mississippi Gaming Commission website lists 26 casinos. Of that total, 12 are listed in the Coastal region, seven are listed in the Central region and seven are listed in the Northern region.
For the state’s casinos, the October slots drop, or handle, was $2.156 billion, down 1.9% from September ($2.198 billion). Meanwhile, October’s table games drop was $158.94 million, down 3.0% from September ($163.84 million).
