Survey Finds Mississippi Voters Oppose Online Casinos, Sports Betting
Gaming trade association commissioned the survey as Mississippi lawmakers once again consider legalizing mobile sports betting.
Magnolia State voters have delivered their strongest message to date on legalized gambling: Not in our state.
With mobile sports betting bills (HB1581, SB2249) in the early stages in both the state House and Senate, a new poll commissioned this month by the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) finds major push back to expanded gambling, whether it will be sports or iGaming.
Founded last year, NAAiG is a coalition of brick-and-mortar gaming companies, such as Churchill Downs Inc. and The Cordish Cos., and labor unions representing casino workers. The trade organization raises concerns that Mississippi casinos stand to lose patrons and jobs should the state become the 32nd to allow online sportsbooks or the ninth to permit online casinos, also known as iGaming.
When asked their initial opinion, 62.1% of those polled said they did not want to see Mississippi legalize online sports betting, and 74.1% did not favor online casino games. The opposition grew after pollsters gave participants additional information on the subjects, to 74.2% against legalizing mobile sports betting, and 80.8% against iGaming.
Majorities oppose digital gaming expansion in each of Mississippi’s congressional districts and across the state’s major demographic categories.
“This data proves that online gambling is a product Mississippi simply does not want,” said Oliver Barie, NAAiG’s government relations director in a news release. “When residents envision what this policy means in practice—the ‘casino in your pocket’ at all hours—they move decisively away from legalization.”
Casino Bloc Appeals to Mississippi Leaders
NAAiG used Bradley Research Group to conduct the survey. The results come from a digital poll sent during the first two weeks of this month to more than 4,200 potential respondents, described as registered voters aged 21 and up. More than 17% (720) participated. The survey had a margin of error of less than 3.7% at the 95% confidence level.
The majority of voters surveyed aren’t alone in their opposition. A coalition of prominent Mississippi casino operators, joined by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ Pearl River Resorts, in a Jan. 21 letter delivered to state leadership, indicated why they don’t want to see wagering apps legalized.
Related: Mississippi Lawmakers Advance Sweepstakes Casino Ban
The anti-iGaming operators highlighted the fact that operators that oppose expansion have deeper ties to Mississippi. Those signing the letter, which include seven of the state’s 15 casino operators, claim to have an average of 55% of their properties located in the state. For those that support online sports betting and iGaming, their Mississippi properties only make up, on average, 22% of their portfolios.
The problem of gambling addiction has always been an issue in all states that have legalized gambling. However, the letter points to research indicating a 372% increase in problem gambling behavior in states that have legalized online sports betting.
The people of Mississippi are speaking clearly: they value their communities, their local jobs, and their families more than the minimal tax revenue promised by out-of-state tech companies,” the coalition said.
The letter was signed by Churchill Downs Inc. (Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa, River Walk Casino Hotel); Foundation Gaming & Entertainment (Fitz Casino Hotel, WaterView Casino Hotel); Full House Resorts (Silver Slipper Casino Hotel); Gulfside Casino Partnership (Island View Casino Resort); Palace Casino Resort; Pearl River Resorts (Golden Moon Hotel and Casino); Saratoga Gaming (Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel); and the Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel.
Mississippi Missing Out?
The casinos against online gaming also argued that Mississippi mobile sports betting would not be a significant boost to the state’s tax coffers. They projected the state’s share to be around $11 million annually, and that would not include the potential losses the casino owners fear at their establishments.
What kind of impact could online sports betting have in Mississippi? For a general idea, Gambling Insider wanted to look at how Mississippi’s sports betting market compared to a similar-sized state that allows mobile wagering. We chose Kansas, which has a 2025 estimated Census population of 2,977,220. That’s slightly higher than Mississippi’s 2,954,160.
According to the Kansas Lottery, total lifetime sports betting handle for the Sunflower State is nearly $8 billion, with total GGR (gross gaming revenue) at approximately $740.5 million. Sports betting began there in September 2022.
Retail sportsbooks first popped up in Mississippi in August 2018, less than three months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling that overturned PASPA and gave states the right to legalize and regulate sports betting. Despite a more than three-year head start on Kansas, Mississippi’s total sports betting handle is $3.29 billion, and the total sportsbook revenue is $352.6 million.
Last month, Kansas reported a total handle of more than $240.7 million, with total GGR at more than $22 million.
Retail sports betting in Mississippi for December brought in more than $4.4 million in total GGR, while the state’s monthly handle was more than $38.8 million.
Last year, the total retail sports betting handle in Mississippi surpassed $379.1 million, with total GGR between $35 million to $40 million.
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