Two MGM Resorts Casinos in Mississippi Apply for Mobile Wagering Licenses

Two MGM Resorts casinos have expressed interest in on-site mobile betting, as the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) confirms. While speaking to Gambling.com, the MGC executive director, Jay McDaniel, stated that no other casinos have approached him about offering mobile sports betting services on-site. The new sports betting bill could be introduced by the start of next year.

Only Two Casinos in Mississippi Offer On-Site Mobile Wagering

McDaniel stated that he does not have any additional pending requests and that he doesn’t even expect any in the near future. Up until recently, Gold Strike Casino, which is located in Tunica and is owned by MGM Resorts, was the only casino in Mississippi that offers on-site mobile betting services. It is along the Mississippi River, about 40 miles south of Tennessee.

At the start of November, Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, which is located in Biloxi, became the second Mississippi casino to offer a sports betting app to its patrons. According to the laws in The Magnolia State, patrons cannot place mobile sports bets, unless they are located at a casino property.

After allowing its patrons to place bets via mobile devices, Beau Rivage Resort and Casino issued a statement that read that the casino’s guests do not need to leave craps tables, pools, spas, or BR Prime in order to participate in sports betting activities.

Currently, there are a total of 26 commercial casinos in Mississippi and 12 of them are along the Gulf Coast. The Biloxi area includes eight of those casinos and visitors can only bet on sports at the bookmakers in the casinos.

McDaniel told Gambling.com that if a legislature doesn’t clear it, off-site mobile sports betting won’t be allowed. As for the newest legislature on mobile sports betting, it will reconvene in Jackson in January. As McDaniel expands, the regulations state that patrons can place bets on their mobile devices, but only within the grounds of a licensed casino.

Legislature amendments would be required for further regulations of mobile wagering.

Neighboring States Have Authorized Mobile Wagering Recently

Louisiana and Tennessee are the two neighboring states to Mississippi that have authorized mobile wagering. Tennessee recently approved mobile sports wagering, while Louisiana approved it this summer. Online sports betting in Louisiana is set to start in 2022 after operators are inspected and regulated.

One additional state that is likely to introduce mobile sports betting is Arkansas. The voting has been scheduled by the State Racing Commission on December 30. With Arkansas’ new regulation, restrictions would be lifted and bettors would be able to place bets on mobile and desktop devices from any location. If legalized, off-site sports betting could commence in February 2022.

However, there’s one topic on which there’s some disagreement in Arkansas. There is debate on whether the law should include wording that will force reputable online bookmakers like FanDuel and DraftKings to share a minimum of 50% revenue made from mobile sports betting with their casino partners.

In most cases, operators return between 5-15% of that type of revenue to casinos. Casinos in Arkansas think that a majority of the revenue should stay in the state. On the other hand, online operators stated that they should negotiate with casino partners to come to an agreement on revenue-sharing that is not mandated by the state.