The Mississippi House of Representatives has sent a sports betting bill to the senate for the third straight year, raising hopes of finally expanding the practice to an online format.
It will now be voted on in the upper chamber, where there is real pressure on representatives to fund an ailing pension fund and increase the general fund.
Political pressure mounts on lawmakers to pass the bill
On Wednesday, House lawmakers moved House Bill 158, a bill to legalize online gambling, forward on an 84–31 vote. A companion measure reached the Senate last year but stalled amid concerns in the upper chamber over potential cannibalization of land-based casino revenues and the risk of increased gambling addiction.
Before submission, the bill was amended by lawmakers to include a $600 million transfer to the pension fund, with sponsors optimistic the recent addition will be enough to the the legislation over the line.
The bill will have to do enough to convince Senator David Blount, chairman of the Senate Gaming Commission. The influential figure has previously voiced concern around the proposal and has been a roadblock in previous iterations.
Mississippi’s Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) remains significantly underfunded, with only about 56 % of its liabilities covered and roughly $26 billion in unfunded obligations, prompting lawmakers to consider major cash infusions and structural reforms.
Supporters tout illegal gambling numbers
Rep Casey Eure, who chairs the House Gaming Committee and an enthusiastic supporter of the bill. He believes the number of individuals participating in illegal gambling is a huge reason for legalizing the practice.
Mississippi residents have attempted to place roughly 10 million online bets since September 2025, with many of those wagers originating near or across state lines. Eure said the state could be forfeiting as much as $80 million annually in potential tax revenue.
He said earlier in the month: “These are Mississippi residents crossing into other states, and the outcome of that is that Mississippi receives zero tax revenue, there’s zero oversight, zero consumer protection against these people placing bets, and problem gambling goes undetected and unmanaged.”
Brandt Iden, vice president of government affairs at Fanatics Betting & Gaming, sounded caution for any prospect of the bill passing through the senate, however.
“Expansion to [Mississippi] online sports betting is not easy, lots of hurdles, but a bill has moved out of the House the past two years. Again, there’s an issue in the Senate, but lots of discussion and lawmakers are aware of the issue,” he said.
Opposition from land-based casino sector also exists
Other resistance is expected to resurface as the bill advances. Several land-based operators have long argued that allowing statewide mobile wagering could divert foot traffic away from physical casinos, particularly in smaller regional markets along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River.
Those concerns were central to the bill’s failure in the Senate in previous sessions, despite repeated House approval.
Supporters counter that Mississippi’s retail-only framework has left the state at a competitive disadvantage compared with neighbors such as Louisiana and Tennessee, where mobile wagering is fully legal.
They argue that most online betting already occurs regardless of state law, facilitated by offshore platforms or by bettors traveling across state lines to place wagers legally elsewhere. In their view, legalization would simply bring existing activity into a regulated environment.
Proposed workarounds aim to satisfy all parties
The suggested legislation would allow licensed casinos to partner with online sportsbook operators, preserving the casino-based licensing model while expanding access to mobile platforms statewide. Provisions in the bill also include responsible gambling requirements, age verification measures, and enhanced reporting obligations designed to address some of the concerns raised by Senate skeptics.
The added pension funding component is widely seen as a strategic effort to broaden the bill’s appeal beyond gaming policy. Mississippi lawmakers have struggled for years to shore up the Public Employees’ Retirement System, and identifying new, recurring revenue sources has become an increasingly urgent priority as budget pressures mount.
If the measure were to pass, Mississippi would join the majority of U.S. states that permit some form of online sports wagering, marking a significant shift in one of the country’s more conservative gambling jurisdictions.
For now, however, the proposal’s future hinges on whether Senate lawmakers are persuaded that the financial and regulatory benefits outweigh the long-standing concerns tied to gambling expansion.
