Mississippi Sees Drop in Sports Betting Handle and Revenue in February
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The Mississippi Gaming Commission reported that in February the total amount wagered on sports, as well as the resulting revenue, declined when compared to both the previous year and the preceding month.
The total amount bet on sports was $31.4 million, a decrease of 21.1% from $39.8 million in the same month last year, and a 45.1% drop from January's $57.2 million. This caused a corresponding fall in revenue; February’s revenue was $2.3 million. This is 25.8% less than the $3.1 million recorded in February 2023 and a 65.7% decline from January’s $6.7 million revenue.
Sports Betting Remains Popular at Costal Casinos
Despite these overall decreases, coastal casinos in Mississippi continued to be popular with sports bettors. There was $19.5 million wagered at the venues in February, with basketball bets accounting for $10.1 million of the total.
Coastal casinos saw revenue of $1 million in the month while central casinos saw revenue of $833,042 from sports bets totaling $7.8 million, with basketball again being the most bet on sport, with $3.7 million in bets. Meanwhile, the northern sector casinos generated $435,989 in revenue from $4.1 million in sports bets, with $2.1 million of these bets placed on basketball.
Related: Mississippi Riverboat Gambling Expansion Bill Dead in the Water
Uncertainty Surrounding Online Betting
It is possible that Mississippi will legalize online betting in the near future. House Bill 774 was introduced in January with the aim of doing just that. Notably, the bill proposes allowing all 26 land-based casinos in the state to partner with one licensed online platform each, in addition to operating their existing retail sportsbooks.
Although the bill made swift progress through the House, it has been pending in the Senate gaming committee since late February.
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