Bill to ban sweeps casinos dies in Mississippi, along with online sports betting hopes

A Mississippi senate bill that would have both banned online sweepstakes casinos and legalised mobile sports wagering died in committee Monday night (31 March).

The lines of demarcation regarding passing SB 2510 were clearly drawn in the statehouse. An earlier version of the bill solely devoted to banning online sweepstakes casinos passed unanimously in the senate, but Representative Casey Eure amended it to include sports betting language as part of a procedural manoeuvre last month.

Senate gaming committee chair David Blount, though, remained steadfast in opposition. He would approve an expansion of sports betting – which is legal as a retail activity in the state – only if the request came from the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

The senate declined an opportunity for concurrence on the bill last Thursday. A six-person bicameral conference committee that included both Eure and Blount failed to reach a compromise.

Deja vu all over again

It is the second consecutive legislative session where Mississippi lawmakers considered, and ultimately rejected, mobile betting. Sportsbooks tethered to brick-and-mortar casinos in the state have gotten off to a slow start in 2025 – revenue from the first two months of the year is down 28.9% compared to 2024 at $6.4 million and handle is 3.9% lower at $73.1 million.

Operators, though, likely gained ground in March as Ole Miss and Mississippi State participated in the NCAA Tournament. Both the Ole Miss men’s and women’s basketball teams reached the regional semifinals, with the men’s team doing so for the first time since 2001. Mississippi State’s women’s team reached the second round while the men’s squad was eliminated in the round of 64.

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 Meanwhile, several other states – mostly on the east coast – continue to advance sweeps bans.