Sports betting taskforce added to Mississippi House bill

We are moving a step closer to mobile sports betting being legal in Mississippi.

A change to House Bill 606 gained initial approval at the Mississippi capitol to create a sports betting taskforce.

The bill was approved by the chamber’s appropriations committee just before the deadline and now needs the green light from the Senate and full House to authorize the task force.

The sports betting taskforce would study mobile sports wagering and show what it could do for the state.

Currently, sports betting in Mississippi is allowed only in sports books inside casinos. Beau Rivage VP and Legal Counsel Anthony Delvescovo said, “Believe it or not, there’s already mobile wagering in the state of Mississippi and it’s rampant, but it’s just illegal. It’s on offshore gaming sites. There’s illegal remote gaming with illegal bookies and things like that. So, what I think this does is actually give an opportunity for the casinos to get these people into their systems, market those people and provide them with opportunities.”