Mississippi lawmakers have revived an effort to tighten the state’s gambling laws with Senate Bill 2104, a proposal aimed squarely at online sweepstakes casino-style games and other internet-based wagering platforms operating outside the state’s licensed casino framework. The bill was filed January 9, 2026, and sent to the Senate Judiciary, Division B Committee, where it is waiting for action.
If it advances, SB 2104 would expand how Mississippi defines illegal gambling devices and give prosecutors sharper tools to pursue operators and affiliates tied to unlicensed online play. The push comes after a similar crackdown bill moved through the Senate last year but ultimately collapsed in a House-Senate fight over whether to fold mobile sports betting into the package.
What SB 2104 would change
The core of SB 2104 is a statutory rewrite that explicitly treats “online, interactive, or computerized” versions of gambling-style games as prohibited devices when offered to players inside Mississippi. The language is drafted to capture online sweepstakes casino-style offerings as well as other internet wagering verticals, rather than leaving enforcement to narrower interpretations of older device-based rules.
Supporters say the goal is to remove ambiguity and give law enforcement a clearer basis to act against platforms that market casino-style play while claiming they are not “gambling” under state law. The bill also includes carve-outs intended to preserve legal gaming already authorized in Mississippi, including existing licensed casino activity and other permitted structures.
Felony penalties and forfeiture powers
SB 2104 pairs its broader definition with tougher criminal exposure. Operating an online platform tied to illegal wagering would be treated as a felony, with potential penalties that include up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000.
The proposal also leans heavily into asset-seizure mechanics. It authorizes forfeiture tied to assets and rights used to facilitate illegal gaming activity, and it adds procedural options that could make cases easier to file and pursue.
Among the provisions are expanded venue options for prosecution and authority for the Mississippi Gaming Commission to enter contingency-fee arrangements related to forfeiture actions, a structure more commonly seen in other financial enforcement contexts.
Why the bill is back this session
The renewed filing reflects how quickly “sweepstakes casino” models have become a political target in statehouses, especially in jurisdictions that want to protect a tightly controlled casino footprint. SB 2104 is framed as a clean enforcement bill that strengthens prohibitions without changing Mississippi’s existing licensed market structure.
It also reopens a debate Mississippi lawmakers have already tested. In 2025, the Senate advanced a ban-focused approach, but the proposal unraveled after the House linked the crackdown to mobile sports betting language, triggering a standoff between chambers.
That history now hangs over SB 2104’s path, with the central question being whether lawmakers can keep the measure narrowly focused on sweepstakes-style platforms long enough to get it to the finish line.
What happens next
The immediate milestone is a committee decision in the Senate Judiciary, Division B Committee. If the bill clears committee and reaches the floor, Mississippi would be positioned to send one of the country’s most punitive sweepstakes-focused enforcement packages back into the cross-chamber pipeline, this time with felony penalties and expanded forfeiture leverage as the headline deterrents.
