HomeOnline gambling

Online gambling in Mississippi

Table of contents

Online gambling is enjoyed by millions of people across the world. In the US, there have been some hurdles for bettors to get involved, mostly due to the legality aspect. In this article, we will be talking about online gambling in Mississippi where we will fill you in on all you need to know.

Best online gambling sites in Mississippi

With restrictions being removed from the state there are a growing number of sites with online gambling acceptable in Mississippi. Below are some of the best online gambling sites available in Mississippi:

  • BetRivers Mississippi: BetRivers Sportsbook in Mississippi offers a great user interface and a massive selection of different sports. The gambling platform is extremely popular across the United States.
  • FanDuel Mississippi: FanDuel in Mississippi is one of the top gambling sites in the country. The site grows in popularity each year across the States, and this includes MS. So much so, they have a partnership with the local gambling site IP gambling site Resort & Spa.
  • PointsBet Mississippi: PointsBet is a gambler’s favorite platform to place bets on sports. In Mississippi, it has a deal in place with Boomtown gambling site Biloxi for online sports betting.
  • DraftKings Mississippi: Already well known throughout the States thanks to its strong daily fantasy app, DraftKings wasted no time in moving into a number of different states as soon as it was able. Similarly, they have already made their way into Mississippi.

No, online gambling is not legal in Mississippi. In recent years, the US has removed the ban on sports betting in the States. This has allowed each individual state to move forward with its own legislation regarding betting online.

Unfortunately for players in Mississippi, it doesn’t look as though online gambling will be legalized any time soon. Currently, four separate bills have fallen through in their attempts to push online sportsbooks through the state government.

Strangely though, while the state does have a heavy reliance on the tax that it earns from the 20+ live gambling venues, it doesn’t seem to want to add gambling sites to the list. But, sportsbooks are a little different, especially as 80% of the other states who have legalized online sports betting have seen a massive increase in betting via online platforms.

It’s likely then, that lawmakers will continue to push for this to occur in MS as well. That being said, players should be looking toward 2023 before this actually comes to fruition.

How to gamble online in MS

To gamble online in Mississippi, players should sign up for a legitimate sportsbook or gambling site. Players must be 21 or over to do so and have an ID to prove it. Without any proof of ID, players will not be able to create an account and get playing, even on a mobile device.

However, once these first steps are passed, then the rest is pretty easy. Here are the main steps to getting started with gambling online in this state:

1. Find a legitimate online gambling website: This should be one that is related to the MS Gaming Commission and is partnered with a licensed land-based venue within the state. There are more than 20 different sportsbooks in Mississippi so players are advised to find one in a location near them.
2. Sign up with your details: This will include name, address, DOB, last four SSN digits, email, and more. Players will also need to verify this account with their ID and a utility bill to satisfy KYC requirements.
3. Use a promo code to claim a bonus if you have one: Betting promo codes will vary across sportsbooks and can often be found on the gambling site or on this page. Not all gambling sites have bonuses and it’s unlikely that players will have access to a bonus when playing at land-based venues. Some sportsbook bonuses don’t need a code, rather they are automatic or simply need an opt-in box to be checked.
4. Make a deposit: Players can choose from a range of different payment options and can choose the one that suits them the most. Usual payment methods include credit or debit cards, prepaid card options, eWallets, or paying directly at the gambling site cage in the case of retail sportsbooks.
5. Start betting: Bettors can place bets on their favorite sport and enjoy a wide array of odds and different betting markets.

Things to be aware of when gambling online in Mississippi

When players get started with gambling online in Mississippi, there are a number of things they need to consider. For instance, there are some basic things players will need to think about when choosing a place to play such as the sports selection, types of bets available, and if there are any bonuses.

Here are some of the top things to consider when playing in this state:

1. Don’t use an offshore gambling site

While there are many different offshore gambling sites available, none of these are licensed within the States. In fact, they are technically illegal, most state sports betting laws don’t actually encompass this type of site meaning they are simply exploiting a loophole in the legislation.

These sportsbooks do hold licenses, usually from places like Curaçao, and do offer players the chance to access a wide array of different sports. However, this doesn’t mean players should access them.

Despite the lack of legislation in Mississippi preventing players from joining these sites, they’re not worth it. And that’s because they can actually be scam sites. With the site licensed offshore, there is no protection in place if players do get scammed. This means that if players lose money playing here, it’s really lost.

Additionally, with the lack of regulations in place, these sites have the possibility of going bankrupt at any time. Even if they do intend to payout to players, they simply may not be able to.

2. Make sure the gambling site is licensed

Another important factor to consider when starting out is to check the license. At this time, all of the best online sportsbooks to play at are linked or partnered with land-based venues. This means that you can instantly check if they have this partnership or not.

Once players have checked this, it’s easy to see whether or not the sportsbook has a license. And that’s because in order to operate within MS, the venue must have a license from the Mississippi Gaming Commission. Failure to have this license means that the gambling site or sportsbook is not operating legally within the state and should be avoided.

3. Read the T&C’s

Once a player does decide to join a site, then there are always terms and conditions to consider. These are especially important when it comes to looking at and claiming bonuses.

Bonuses have a wealth of different terms and conditions attached which can affect how they are used and whether players can actually retrieve any winnings from them at the end of playing.

Gambling sites have terms and conditions governing how players can use the site, specific restrictions in place regarding account creation, the need to use geo-comply software, and so on. Terms and conditions can also include the way that bets work, minimum and maximum limits, and a whole lot more.

Online gambling on horses in Mississippi

While some aspects of betting in the state have taken a while to get started, horse racing isn’t one of them. Impressively, the first horse racing track was actually set up in 1795 at the Fleetfield Race Track in Natchez. Amazingly, this was actually finished when the track was still a Spanish territory which means that betting on horses was around before the state was even Mississippi.

However, this has since changed, and now betting on horses is prohibited within the state. But, all is not lost as there are options to place bets on horses as some of the retail gambling sites do offer simulcast horse race betting options in their sportsbooks.

Strangely, there is a distinct lack of pari-mutuel betting options within the state despite horse race betting being legalized at sportsbooks. The state never actually made the move to legalize this type of betting nor are there any off-track betting options either. Horse racing actually only became a viable option in 2018 when the state finally legalized Mississippi sports betting at retail locations.

Pari-mutuel betting is permitted because it means that any bets placed by the player are mixed with the bets that visitors place in person at the track itself. While there are not so many options at the moment, it looks set that more retail gambling sites in the state are going to add, or have already added horse racing to their betting options.

Betting on horse racing online is actually still illegal in the state. Players can still only enjoy horse race betting in person. There is also no option for advance betting websites in MS either. That being said, there are moves to allow online or mobile sportsbooks in the future and this may mean that horse racing will be available on this platform too.

Mississippi state lottery

Surprisingly, most states have a lottery of some kind. In fact, Mississippi was one of only six states that didn’t have a lottery at all. This all changed in 2018 when a bill was passed allowing the state to implement a state lottery. The bill was approved by both the Senate and House, and it was eventually sent to Governor Phil Bryant for the final approval and signature.

Initially, the Mississippi state lotto was touted to take two years before it would go live. And this was due to the lottery undergoing its establishment through the Mississippi Lottery Corporation.

Essentially, before the lottery could go ahead, the Corporation needed to be made, which involved finding a board of directors and actually finalizing the games themselves.

Happily, for players with the state, the process was actually completed a lot faster than expected and the first scratch card tickets were available in November 2019. It was a pretty big success with the lottery actually getting over $2.5 million in sales in just one day.

To start, the lottery began life with instant win games only, but due to the success and popularity of the lotto, it soon branched out to offer more options. In 2020, the lottery added Mega Millions and Powerball tickets to the game lineup once it had joined the Multi-State Lottery Association.

Currently, it is still not possible to buy lottery tickets online. That being said, there doesn’t appear to be any law that actually prevents this from being done.

Similar to the tax earned from gambling within the state, the money made from the lottery goes right back into the state’s infrastructure. At this time, $80 million has been used to support the main infrastructure including roads and bridges. Revenue that exceeds this $80 million is used to support public education throughout the state.

To join, players must be 21 or above and they will be requested to provide ID if they look too young when purchasing their tickets. If players do win, they can actually remain anonymous too.

In terms of regulation, as mentioned the lottery is overseen by the Mississippi Lottery Corporation rather than the Mississippi Gambling Board. As such, any issues need to go to the former group rather than the latter.

When it comes to online gambling in Mississippi, there are a large number of games and options you can enjoy. With retail gambling sites have been around since 2018, it’s unsurprising that you can find an array of different games already on offer. When it comes to sports betting, things are a little different with gambling sites still getting a wider range of betting options up and running.

Some of the online betting options in the state include:

  • Sports betting: Sports betting covers a wide array of different sporting options including football, hockey, baseball, and basketball. Mobile betting apps in MS also make sure that they cover a wide array of different events and tournaments within each of these sports so that players can enjoy more options.
  • Roulette: Roulette has a range of options on offer in both virtual and in-person formats. Roulette is a popular table game that is based on luck. Players simply need to place a bet on which number they think the ball will land in when the wheel is spun and the ball is dropped.
  • Craps: Craps can be played at gambling sites or online. It can be a little hard to get to grips with the rules, but once players understand how the game works it offers a lot of fun.
  • Poker: A selection of games is on offer both on retail sites and online. Players can enjoy playing Texas Holdem, Caribbean Stud, and more. At retail sportsbooks, players can enjoy a wide array of different tables too, each with specific bet limits catering to players of different budgets.
  • Horse racing: Horse racing is available as pari-mutuel betting in some sportsbooks in the state. This means that player bets are mixed with bets placed by those who are at the tracks and making in-person bets.
  • Prop bets: Prob bets offer a variety of bets available across a range of different sports. Prop or proposition bets are made on the outcomes of an event. In essence, they relate to the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event rather than betting on a specific final outcome. Often these types of bets include betting on the number of strikeouts a pitcher will get in a baseball game and so on.
  • Blackjack: Blackjack is available as in-person or virtual games. A hugely popular game in many forms, this is an easy game to play and get to grips with. Players just need to get as close to the value of 21 as possible without going over in order to win.
  • And many more.

It should be noted here that while players can bet on a range of different sports at gambling sites within the state, there are some restrictions. Players cannot place bets on any amateur sport or athletics vents for example. On top of that, players can place bets on any political event including elections for public offices or any event that seems contrary to public policy.

Online gambling taxes in MS explained

When it comes to taxes from online gambling, there are a number of different things to consider. First, the actual online sports betting revenue is subject to the same taxes as any other betting and gaming within the state.

This means that licensed bookies and retail gambling sites have to pay 4% for gross revenue up o $50,000 each month. There’s a 6% tax for revenue between $50,000 and $134,000. Finally, operators with higher revenue than that will be charged 8%.

All taxes from gambling sites are placed in a general fund within the state. This fund is then used as part of the overall budget of the state and can be used as the state government sees fit.

Players also have to consider tax when playing games either online in Mississippi. Any winnings reported are subject to 4% non-refundable income tax. Basically, the gambling site will withhold the tax when they actually make the payout. This withheld amount cannot be refunded to the taxpaying player. And this is found under Section 27-7-901 of the Mississippi Code.

Players who are not residents of the state do not have to file a tax return and as such do not need to declare any gambling winnings. This is because a document from the gambling site is the same as an income tax return and is considered proof that the tax was paid to the state correctly.

Interestingly, if mobile sportsbooks were to get the go-ahead in this state, then the proposed tax might actually be a little different. Currently, the motions put forward are suggesting a smaller 6% tax rate. This is actually pretty low for operators as a whole even by industry standards.

FAQ

How do I check if an online gambling site in Mississippi is legitimate?

To check if an online sportsbook is legal, all you need to do is have a look on the website to check if it’s licensed. If the site is based offshore, there’s a good chance it is not legitimate and should be avoided.

Who oversees online gambling in MS?

All gambling in Mississippi is regulated by the Mississippi Gaming Commission. They oversee all the oversight in the state which means that they also have to look at the finances of all the operating venues and check how many licenses are in use. If or when mobile betting becomes legal, this would be the regulating body for these sites as well.

What is the legal gambling age in Mississippi?

Players must be 21 years old and above in order to participate in online gambling in Mississippi. This is easily verified through direct ID as players can only create accounts and get betting at in-person retail sportsbooks.