Mississippi on the offensive in online sports betting legislation

Mississippi is on the offensive with another attempt to move the needle of public and legislative opinion and introduce online sports betting once and for all. Two bills will now lead efforts in 2024 after attempts in both 2023 and 2022 came a cropper due to tepid response from lawmakers, and overall insecurity over online betting.

Now, though, the interest in sports betting legislation has reached a crescendo with one of the supporters of the just launched bill, House Bill 635, Republican Rep. Jay McKnight a staunch supporter of the issue and himself leading the latest foray.

McKnight used to serve on Mississippi’s Mobile Online Sports Betting Task Force, and he is keenly familiar with the necessary legislative prerequisite, lawmaker attitudes, and general effort needed to push successful legislation through both the House and Senate, to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk, also a Republican.

Although HB 635 is new, it more or less copies House Bill 271, which was launched a couple of weeks ago, and supported by Democratic Rep. Cedric Burnett. Both are starting in the House of Representatives, and both will seek to gain traction throughout the legislative section and become a reality.

McKnight’s bill envisages an 8% tax for online sports betting operations, although this would be the maximum applicable amount, as the tax will be determined based on revenue. Companies that generate anything above $134,000 a month in receipts will have to meet the maximum applicable tax, i.e. 8%.

However, should the bills come through, or even if one did, Mississippi may be ready, up and running in terms of online sports wagering in time for the next football season. Whether this actually happens though will be decided over the next several weeks and months. Ultimately, Mississippi would benefit from online gambling, making it easier for locals to participate in an activity that has been well-known across the country in the past several years.

Of course, not everyone is fully convinced that this is a good idea. Some casino operators have spoken cautiously about the matter, realizing the necessity to have online sports betting sooner or later, but also noting that presenting the state with a rapid launch of interactive wagering could spell a calamity for their operations.

Mississippi, though, is likely to go ahead and introduce a sports gambling interactive framework before the year is out, and very possibly launch its first online betting platforms.

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