It’s not a secret that the state of Mississippi loves their gambling. The state is home to one of the largest casino industries in the entire country, with a whopping 35 casino properties.
MS was able to legalize their sports betting without much effort, and we’re still waiting to see legal online casino gaming made available to the state. A couple of things are for sure: there are plenty of legal gambling options for those in the state of Mississippi. Also, it will be exciting to see what comes next for the state in their attempts to power through.
MS Legal Gambling History
Gambling has been legal in the state of Mississippi since 1992 when there were only 4 casinos in operation. I say “only” because it’s hard to imagine now, in a land where there are 35 active casinos in the business.
Once PASPA was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the door opened up for the state of MS to begin its legal sports betting without much effort. This is all thanks to a loophole in the states 2017 fantasy sports bill, which made daily fantasy sports using real money legal in the state of MS. No such bill that legalized sports betting in the state was ever passed, nor did one have to. On the contrary, there were bills trying to re-ban sports betting in the state, luckily without success. But unfortunately, the current laws don’t allow for forms of online sports betting to take place at this time.
The fight is still being had yearly to legalize online casino gaming in the state of Mississippi, though there hasn’t been much headway yet. While there is a growing interest in a state that’s already home to so many physical casinos, it only makes sense that at some point we will witness forms of online casino gambling being made legal in MS.
MS Gambling Legal Status
Those who are 21 years of age and up can play at any of Mississippi’s physical casino properties.
Sports betting in Mississippi is technically legal. The regulations in MS state that licensing for sports betting be given to only already established casinos. Players 21 and up are allowed to bet on sports in MS. There is no online sports betting offered in MS at this time.
Unfortunately, the state of Mississippi doesn’t have a state lottery nor does it allow for race track betting.
MS Retail Casinos
Mississippi is home to one of the largest casino industries in the United States. It seems as though Mississippians love their casino gambling. This could only be helpful in furthering the push for legal online casino gaming and sports betting in the future, which seems like the direction they are headed in anyway.
The state of MS has 35 physical casinos. All you have to do is throw a rock to hit one.
MS Online Games of Skill
All forms of online gambling are not illegal in the state of Mississippi as we’ve seen with sports betting in the state. But the state of MS also allows for some forms of games of skill to be legal on the internet because they don’t technically fall under any of the states anti-online casino gaming laws. This includes games like Scrabble where you can wager against other players.
In Mississippi, websites like WorldWinner.com host online games of skill that can be played with real money.
MS Legal Gambling FAQ’s
What can I bet on legally in the state of MS?
In the state of Mississippi, it is legal to bet at land-based casinos, while online casinos remain illegal. People in MS can bet on sports as well (only at physical casinos at this point), daily fantasy sports, and online games of skill.
It is illegal in the state of Mississippi to bet on races and there is currently no state lottery.
Will legal online casino gambling be coming to the state of MS anytime soon?
If and when online casino gaming will become legal in the state of Mississippi is unclear. There is an ongoing push and increased interest in it. It’s speculated that in the future some forms of online casino gambling will be legalized in the state of MS.
If Mississippi betting comes online you can be sure Draftkings and FanDuel will be one of the first to enter the market.
