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Senate Gaming chair raises concerns over potential legalization of mobile sports betting

The push to legalize mobile sports betting in Mississippi will continue after a fruitless campaign in 2024, but one powerful lawmaker is not guaranteeing a change in heart on the matter.

Last year, legislation allowing those 21 and over to legally place wagers from mobile devices outside of the four walls of a licensed casino cruised through the House of Representatives before being met with resistance in the Senate. Ultimately, the Mississippi Sports Wagering Act died.

Now that a new legislative session has kicked off, the House is planning to move forward with another bill to bring legal mobile sports betting to Mississippi.

“On online sports betting, I think you’ll see the House pass something that obtains overwhelming majority votes, that to me, as the speaker, indicates that there’s a direction or a movement here.” Republican House Speaker Jason White, R-West, said. “This is kind of where most folks are, so to speak. I don’t know what the Senate’s position will be on that.”

Meanwhile, Senate Gaming Committee Chair David Blount, D-Jackson, is not as keen on the idea as his cross-chamber counterparts. Blount remains skeptical that mobile sports betting would not serve the intended purpose of gaming in Mississippi, which, in his opinion, is to spur foot traffic to the state and foster economic growth.

He is also concerned that legalizing mobile gaming could have ramifications on existing brick-and-mortar casinos in the state, noting the potential for job loss if folks elect to gamble on mobile devices instead of visiting casinos in person.

“The reason we have gaming in the state is for tourism, to bring new people to the state, to encourage investment in the form of hotels and amenities to grow the economy, and to support the jobs of the tens of thousands of people,” Blount said on MidDays with Gerard Gibert. “All of that’s a good thing. I don’t want to endanger that. Mobile sports betting doesn’t do any of that. Mobile sports betting does not drive tourism. It does not drive any economic investment in our state.”

In Mississippi, the

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