Mississippi Online Gambling - Legal Gambling in MS

Mississippi Daily Fantasy

Mississippi legalized Daily Fantasy Sports in 2016. Though the original bill brought in was a temporary measure that would only last a year, Gov. Phil Bryant signed a permanent DFS law a year later. Under the current law, Mississippi earns 8% in tax on the games' revenue. It operates with major brands such as DraftKings and FanDuel, which pay a license of $5,000 for three years.

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Gambling in Mississippi

Mississippi's gambling history is tied to the river after which the state is named and the many riverboat casinos that used to paddle along it. After a long prohibition, there are still riverboat casinos. There are commercial and Native American casinos on land now too. This has helped make the Magnolia State one of the top gaming destination in the nation, a surprising development for the self-described "buckle of the bible belt."

Although Las Vegas and New Jersey are synonymous with U.S. gambling, the third most visited destination for gambling is none other than Tunica, Mississippi. This is thanks to the town's proximity to the Mississippi River, along whose banks many casinos set up shop after a legal loophole was found that established riverboat casinos could operate while docked. Other towns have followed suit, and Mississippi offers ample gambling opportunities in nearly every corner of the state.

This progressive attitude in a conservative state continued with sports betting, as it became the fourth state in the nation to take a legal wager. It's online offerings are still lacking compared to other early adaptors, but Mississippi is still on the right path to maintain it's position as the top gaming center of the south and one of the most lucrative in the nation.

Timeline of Gambling Legislation in Mississippi

2018
Mississippi takes its first sports bets in August. Authorized casinos can offer the service, but online sports betting in Mississippi is still illegal outside casino properties.
1999
casino rules are amended require new facilities to spend the same amount of money on rooms and amenities as they plowed into the gaming segments. This was added after several casino-only establishments declared bankruptcy. It was further amended in 2014 to promote economic growth in the counties where the casinos were located.
1995
Stakeholders seek legal clarification on eligible casino locations, as the governing Gambling Control Act stipulated it had to be on a vessel. While this definition was easier for coastal counties, those lining the Mississippi River had to be based on the waterway or its tributaries. A revised interpretation stipulated that casinos could be located on certain stages of the river, which was ideal for towns such as Tunica. This ruling allowed larger vessels to be built and moored without fear of the river level falling or rising.
1994
By winter, over 30 casinos open across the state, including the first tribal casino, after an agreement was reached between the state and the Choctaw nation. The rapid expansion was dubbed the “Mississippi Miracle.”
1993
The Mississippi Gaming Commission is formed, taking over the roles that had previously been held down by the tax commission.
1992
The first casino licenses are awarded to local operators, with three opening in Biloxi and one in Tunica.
1990
Gambling again became a hot topic in Mississippi. The recently passed Gambling Control Act proves the cornerstone for the return of riverboat casinos and lay the groundwork to establish a state body to oversee them.
1989
State lawmakers made it legal to gamble aboard cruise ships on waters controlled by Mississippi, as long as the ships were either coming to dock or heading out to international waters.
1861
The start of the Civil War brought a swift end to the statewide legal campaign for gambling as the state stopped the operation of popular riverboat casinos.

Online Casino Gambling in Mississippi

While land-based and river-based casinos have thrived in Mississippi, the law has made online gambling in Mississippi illegal. But given that Mississippi legalized Daily Fantasy Sports betting as well as real-cash sports betting in casinos, it might not be too long before Mississippi lawmakers seriously reconsider the online gambling laws.

Mississippi Poker Online

There have been several attempts to spark debate and introduce legislation around online poker in Mississippi. In 2012, lawmakers tried to bring about changes that would see the Mississippi online poker legalized and regulated by the Mississippi Gaming Commission. State Rep. Bobby Moak reintroduced his bill again in 2013, but the bill did not gain enough traction. However, three states— New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada—have since created online gambling laws that Mississippi could look to emulate, especially as several casinos have filed bankruptcy in recent years.

Sports Betting in Mississippi

Most of Mississippi's more than two-dozen casinos can now take sports bets following the Supreme Court decision to strike down the federal ban. Mississippi lawmakers approved legal sports betting even before the court removed the ban and was positioned to be among the first states outside Nevada to take a legal wager. Mississippi is the first state in the south and the fourth state overall to take wagers. Players currently can only bet either through counters or online within casino properties, but there are rumblings the state may look to expand a statewide mobile betting option similar to the system in New Jersey and Nevada. For now, players must be within the confines of a casino to place a bet.