JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mobile sports betting will remain illegal in Mississippi after legislative negotiators failed to advance a final proposal Monday.
The House and Senate passed versions of the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act earlier in the state’s legislative session. The bill would have allowed Mississippi to join the 30 other states where mobile sports betting is legal. Sports wagering has been permitted in the state for years, but online betting has remained illegal amid fears the move could harm the bottom line of the state’s casinos.
To assuage the concerns of casinos and lawmakers who represent areas where gambling is big business, the bill would have required betting companies to contract with brick-and-mortar establishments.
Estimates show Mississippi could bring in over $25 million a year in tax revenue, said Republican Rep. Casey Eure of Saucier, the bill’s prime sponsor. Legalization would also undercut the influence of illicit offshore sports betting platforms in Mississippi, which leads the nation in illegal online sports betting Google searches, according to data presented by lawmakers.
Devout Christian doctor, 68, who punched dementia
Hundreds of lizards seized in Australia police bust
Wellington youth public transport fares to rise after government cuts funding
PM Christopher Luxon sets the scene for his MPs: 'Let's go get this thing done'
Not so Cool Britannia! Noel Gallagher gives damning verdict on Keir Starmer
Politics updates: Kāinga Ora crackdown, changes to plug
Lack of reliability with trains sees Auckland commuters opt for the bus
Hong Kong protest: police arrest pro
Rishi Sunak to apologise for worst treatment disaster in NHS history
US Assessing Expansion of Chip Export Controls Impacting China's Military
Yu Darvish extends scoreless innings streak to 25 in Padres' 9
Fire crews put out Ōtaki workshop blaze