State Senator Willie Simmons has introduced a piece of legislation that would authorize mobile sports betting in the state of Mississippi.
The bill is titled the Gaming Control Act and would allow residents and visitors to use authorized platforms to place sports wagers in Mississippi.
Land-based and water-based sports betting was legalized in Mississippi last August. However, state regulations prohibit mobile and online sports betting unless it is conducted on casino property.
The new legislation offers a definition of “a platform,” which includes mobile and online sports betting.
The bill reads: “Platform means a person or entity that operates a sports pool or race book over the Internet, including on websites and mobile devices, on behalf of the holder of a gaming license. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a platform may determine whether to accept or reject wagers, determine the results of wagers, and payout winning wagers.
“Except for wagers placed through approved platforms, each licensee shall be required to comply with the regulation that no wager may be placed by, or on behalf of, any individual or entity or group, not present on a licensed vessel or cruise vessel.”
In terms of taxation, the bill would impose a tax rate of 6% for mobile and online sports betting revenue that exceeds $134,000.
This news comes just days after representatives from the Pearl River Resort in Mississippi revealed that they are working on the state’s first mobile sports betting app.
