In Mississippi, sports wagering increased in both handle and revenue in March from the previous month, while casino figures were also up from February.
In Mississippi sports betting, the handle for the month was $46.69 million. That was an increase of 17.3% from February ($39.8 million).
The March sports betting revenue of $4.95 million was up 57.6% from February ($3.14 million).
Mississippi Sports Betting, March vs. February
March Madness Helps Boost Wagering
The month-to-month sports betting increases can be mainly attributed to March Madness betting action, though the state’s teams didn’t get far in the men’s NCAA Tournament.
Among the men’s teams representing the state, Mississippi State bowed out in the First Four. Ole Miss didn’t even make the tournament, nor did any of the other four Division I programs in Mississippi.
In women’s basketball, Mississippi standard-bearers did better with Ole Miss advancing to the Sweet 16 and Mississippi State making it to the second round.
Compared to the same month last year, the sports betting figures were down in handle but up in revenue. The March 2023 handle of $46.69 million was down 2.5% from March 2022 ($47.89 million) but the March 2023 revenue of $4.95 million was up 22.5% from March 2022 ($4.04 million).
Mississippi Sports Betting Update
In Mississippi, sports wagering is primarily at in-person retail casinos. The only online wagering is essentially within a casino where it’s even available.
However, a proposal to legalize Mississippi sports betting apps has made some progress. Gov. Tate Reeves has signed a piece of legislation, House Bill 606, that will form a task force to study expansion of wagering on sports in the Magnolia State.
In the state’s casino gambling action, the adjusted gross gaming revenue for March 2023 was about $231 million for an increase of about 9% over February’s AGGR of $211.6 million.
Breaking it down between slots and table games:
The slots drop, or handle, in March was $2.329 billion, up 8.3% from February ($2.151 billion). The slots win, or revenue, jumped 9.5%, from $174.658 million in the February Mississippi casino report to $191.324 million last month.
On the tables, the drop of $168.354 million was up 10.2% from February ($152.713 million), and the table games hold (win) of $31.64 million was up 3.5% from February ($30.571 million).
