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Mississippi lawmakers will also no longer consider House Bill 1581, a measure that aimed to bring online Sports Betting to the Magnolia State. The Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act suffered a similar fate as the proposed sweepstakes ban, dying in the Senate Finance Committee after passing the House. It did not receive a committee vote before the deadline.
House Bill 4074, another online Sports Betting measure introduced by the same lawmaker as HB 1581, also failed to advance during Mississippi’s 2026 regular session.
SB 2104 aimed to outlaw online sweepstakes by placing “internet Sweepstakes Casinos” and “online sweepstakes casino-style games” in the definition of illegal gambling devices – a definition that was not included in Fillingane and Blount’s previous bill. The bill also outlawed the promotion of online sweepstakes, online sports pools and online racebooks, while providing penalties for any brands found to be operating and promoting sweepstakes.
The measure proposed fines of up to $100,000, with a person operating an online sweepstakes casino also facing a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
That bill ultimately failed in the House despite passing the Senate, just like 2025’s Senate Bill 2510, which died in conference.
The bill would have allowed each retail casino in Mississippi to partner with up to two online Sportsbooks and would have taxed operators based on the state’s sliding tax scale for gaming. The scale requires operators to be taxed at a 4% for the first $50,000 in revenue an operator generates monthly. That rate increases to 6% once its $84,000 in revenue threshold is met, with an uptick to 8% for additional monthly revenue.
HB 1581 also addressed cannibalization concerns, providing $6m in funding for land-based casinos each year for the first five years of regulated online sports wagering.
The funding was designed to provide compensation for revenue impacted by online betting. HB 1581 also proposed a one-time $600m transfer from the Mississippi Capital Expense Fund to the state’s pension system, while also supporting state infrastructure.
Mississippi lawmakers will also no longer consider House Bill 1581, a measure that aimed to bring online Sports Betting to the Magnolia State. The Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act suffered a similar fate as the proposed sweepstakes ban, dying in the Senate Finance Committee after passing the House. It did not receive a committee vote before the deadline.
House Bill 4074, another online Sports Betting measure introduced by the same lawmaker as HB 1581, also failed to advance during Mississippi’s 2026 regular session.
Mississippi’s proposed sweeps gaming ban
Sens. Joey Fillingane and David Blount introduced SB 2104 as their second legislative attempt to ban online sweepstakes gaming in Mississippi. However, the lawmakers’ latest effort provided clarity for what would have constituted a prohibition on the controversial vertical.SB 2104 aimed to outlaw online sweepstakes by placing “internet Sweepstakes Casinos” and “online sweepstakes casino-style games” in the definition of illegal gambling devices – a definition that was not included in Fillingane and Blount’s previous bill. The bill also outlawed the promotion of online sweepstakes, online sports pools and online racebooks, while providing penalties for any brands found to be operating and promoting sweepstakes.
The measure proposed fines of up to $100,000, with a person operating an online sweepstakes casino also facing a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
That bill ultimately failed in the House despite passing the Senate, just like 2025’s Senate Bill 2510, which died in conference.
Online Sports Betting efforts fail in Mississippi
Mississippi’s legislature also failed to advance House Bill 1581, a piece of legislation that proposed allowing online Sports Betting through partnerships between online operators and land-based casinos.The bill would have allowed each retail casino in Mississippi to partner with up to two online Sportsbooks and would have taxed operators based on the state’s sliding tax scale for gaming. The scale requires operators to be taxed at a 4% for the first $50,000 in revenue an operator generates monthly. That rate increases to 6% once its $84,000 in revenue threshold is met, with an uptick to 8% for additional monthly revenue.
HB 1581 also addressed cannibalization concerns, providing $6m in funding for land-based casinos each year for the first five years of regulated online sports wagering.
The funding was designed to provide compensation for revenue impacted by online betting. HB 1581 also proposed a one-time $600m transfer from the Mississippi Capital Expense Fund to the state’s pension system, while also supporting state infrastructure.