Sports betting revenue in Mississippi for April fell short of March’s figure of $3.4m, and was 27.9% down on the same month last year, when $4.3m in revenue was reported.
Total handle for the month was $34.3m. This was a 22.9% decrease on the $44.5m in bets taken in March. However, it was 7.9% ahead of April 2023’s figure of $31.8m.
In terms of where bets were placed, Mississippi’s coastal casinos again led the way, reporting $1.5m in revenue and $23.6m in handle.
Central casinos took $6.6m in bets and generated revenue of $1.2m. Northern casinos, meanwhile, reported handle and revenue of $4.1m and $402,880 respectively.
What sports are they betting on in Mississippi?
With the National Football League (NFL) season having ended in February, basketball and baseball were the most popular sports for betting at Mississippi’s coastal casinos over April.
Baseball narrowly led the way for handle with $8.7m at coastal casinos, also generating $1.3m in revenue. They took $8.6m in basketball bets but reported a $525,117 loss on those wagers.
For central casinos, meanwhile, sports parlay cards led the way with $2.9m in handle to basketball’s $2.3m. Parlay-card revenue was $908,108, with basketball and baseball revenue totaling $220,331 and $48,922 respectively.
Mississippi online sports betting bill dies in committee
On 29 April, a bill for legal online sports betting in Mississippi died in conference committee. HB 774 would have allowed up to 30 online wagering platforms if they were tethered with casinos. A 12% tax rate would also have been set.
However, despite the house approving HB 774 in February, the bill didn’t make it out of senate.
Following the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018, Mississippi became the third US state to launch a form of legal sports betting.
However, it appears wagering will remain only available in land-based casinos and on-site mobile for the near future, despite three of the four states bordering Mississippi offering online betting.