Online Gambling in Mississippi: Quick Facts
- Legal Mississippi online gambling options? Sport (onsite only)
- Legal gambling age: 21
- Who regulates Mississippi online gambling? The Mississippi Gaming Commission
- Legal mobile gambling? Yes, but onsite only.
- Do I need to be physically located in Mississippi to gamble online? Yes
- Do I need to be a resident of Mississippi to gamble online? No
- Sports available to bet on: All (onsite only)
A Brief History of Online Gambling in Mississippi
Mississippi has prohibited all forms of online gambling in the state since the creation of the internet. Those rules are still in place to this day. This includes all forms of online gambling, and there are three separate laws listed in the state constitution that outlaw this form of gambling.
Lawmakers attempted to legalize online gambling will the passing of the Mississippi Lawful Internet Wagering Act. That bill was introduced four separate times between 2012 and 2015. There was little support or interest in making this change, and there hasn’t been any movement in six years.
When sports betting was introduced in 2018, any bills that included online or mobile betting were quickly defeated. Sports betting was approved, but only at retail locations.
Online Gambling in Mississippi: The Current Law
When looking at the online gambling laws in Mississippi, it is very clearly stated that this form of gambling is prohibited. Here are three examples:
- Participation in all forms of gambling that occurs outside of a licensed facility is prohibited.
- Fines will be levied on any individual that wins money at online gambling sites.
- The Mississippi Gaming Commission simply states: “Internet gambling is illegal under state law.”
Legal Online Sportsbooks in Mississippi
Mississippi was one of the first states to legalize sports betting when PASPA was repealed, but the state chose to do it only in retail form. The online gambling laws in the state kept lawmakers from approving mobile or online betting.
Sports betting is done at the casinos located throughout the state. There are close to 30 of these properties statewide. These properties then had to partner with a sports betting operator to launch legal sports betting to its customers.
William Hill, Penn National, and DraftKings have all entered the Mississippi sports betting market already. These would likely be the first sites to offer legal online sports betting in the state as sportsbooks.
Sports Betting in Mississippi
The sports betting industry in Mississippi has plenty of options, but all of them at the retail level. That has hurt this growth of the market, but it has still done well considering the size of the state.
Here is a quick description of some of the top betting options that you will find offered from sportsbooks in Mississippi:
Moneyline
A money line wager is the simplest form of bet to make. It involves choosing which team or individual will win a certain matchup. Sportsbooks will set the betting lines for each choice in a wager, and payouts will be affected by the odds.
Points Spread
Betting against the spread is a top betting choice in the NBA or NFL. It adds a bit of difficulty to a money line wager. Not only do you have to predict the correct outcome with this type of wager, but also how close or spread out the final score will be.
Totals (Over/Under)
Another bet that is extremely popular when it comes to basketball or football is the totals or over/under bet. This type of bet focuses on the total number of points, runs, or goals scored in a game. Sportsbooks set the betting lines, and then you are simply choosing “over” or “Under” the total listed.
Prop Bets
A prop bet is traditionally associated with football or the Super Bowl but is now usually offered for all sports. This is usually a fun type of wager that focuses on individual or team statistics rather than the outcome of a game.
Future Bets
A future bet is placed on an event that will take place in the future, usually at the end of the regular season or the playoffs. Making a bet on which team will win a certain championship is the most common future bet that you will find offered and placed.
Parlay Bets
A parlay bet has started to become extremely popular with sports bettors in the US, and the potential for a large payout is the reason why. This is a combination bet that allows you to combine several smaller wagers into one big risk.
Legal Online Casinos in Mississippi
There are no legal online casinos in Mississippi, but the state does have close to 30 casinos available. There has been some casino gambling expansion as well, and that could lead to the industry eventually going online.
Riverboat casinos used to be the only casino option in Mississippi, but these boats can now be stationed on land and welcome guests. The Gulf Coast part of the state is where a majority of the casino gaming takes place.
Hard Rock and Harrah’s, two huge names in the casino gambling industry, both operate a property in Mississippi. These companies do have some experience with online gambling and could easily become the first to launch in the state.
Legal Online Poker in Mississippi
Just like with the casino gambling in Mississippi, all poker must be played at the casinos. Online poker sites are not able to launch in the state, but that could always change in the future.
States are able to legalize online poker without online casinos, but the same gambling laws in Mississippi exist for this form of iGaming as well. There are some large poker rooms available at the casinos in the state and plenty of options for poker players.
How to Set Up a Mississippi Online Gambling Account
Currently, you have to visit one of the casinos in the state to create a gambling account. This process could eventually move online if the industry does as well, but there is no guarantee.
Some states still require you to register for an account in person, but there is hope that you will be able to set up a Mississippi online gambling from the comfort of your own home. This is a simple process that can be completed in minutes, as long as you know all of your personal information.
You will first have to provide the online gambling site with information such as your name, address, date of birth, and social security number. Some sites will only ask for the last four digits of your SSN, but others will ask for the entire thing.
The site will then quickly verify your identity and determine if you are eligible to create an online gambling account. If you are, you will then be asked for your email address, and you must create a username and password.
Creating a username that is unique and a password that you remember is important with this step. After you have chosen that information, you can then log in to your account for the first time.
Once your account has been created, the next step is to visit the banking portion of the site and make your initial deposit. Be sure to choose the deposit option that works best for you (More on this in the next section).
After your payment has gone through, you are free to begin playing at the Mississippi online gambling site.
Mississippi Banking Methods
When you look to make a payment or withdrawal at a Mississippi online gambling site, you will be pleased with what you see. This is one area that has improved tremendously over the last few years, and it is an area that should continue to improve with time.
You can always use a credit or debit card to make a payment, but there are other options that are easier and more efficient. Other options also give you the ability to use them as both a deposit and withdrawal method.
PayPal is one of these options, and it continues to grow in popularity with online gambling sites. Look for PayPal to be one of the top banking options available if and when Mississippi online gambling sites launch.
Some sites will also have a prepaid card of some sort available, and this is another great option. Making an online bank transfer is another acceptable form of deposit, but only if this is approved by your banking institution.
The online gambling sites also want to get your winnings back to you as quickly as possible, and that is another area that has improved. You won’t find as many withdrawal options as deposit methods, but you should be able to find one that works well for you.
The Future of Online Gambling in Mississippi
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about further gaming expansion in Mississippi, and that could lead to a much larger online gambling market. Sports betting is up and running, and the state has started to see plenty of growth in that industry.
Riverboat casinos have now been allowed to set up shop on land, and that has helped the entire gaming industry grow in the state. There are still plenty of roadblocks in the way of online gambling in Mississippi, but things appear to be trending in the right direction.
It does appear that full online gambling in Mississippi is coming at some point, and pressure from other states could force it to happen soon.
