Mississippi Gaming Commission Posts March Betting Report

The Mississippi Gaming Commission has published its Sports Wagering Report for March 2024, outlining the sports betting industry’s performance during the third month of the year. The figures reported by the regulator demonstrate a noticeable year-on-year decrease in revenue. Despite that, March’s results were significantly stronger than those reported in February.

Central Mississippi was the least profitable part of the state. With a total handle of $8.86 million, the region reported $1 million in taxable revenue.

Football bets in Central Mississippi increased by a whopping 158% but were offset by a drastic decline of 87% in bets on baseball, parlays and other sports. Basketball wagering remained more or less stable.

Coastal Mississippi, on the other hand, was the most profitable area and reported $30.1 million in handle, underpinned by a stellar 3328% increase in football bets. Baseball and parlays also recorded slight increases while basketball bets and other wagers plummeted. The Coastal region of the state reported $1.89 million in taxable revenue.

Northern Mississippi, meanwhile, lagged behind the other regions, reporting $5.5 million in handle and $468,000 in revenue. The region reported declines across the board.

Overall state handle reached $44.5 million, resulting in $3.36 million in total taxable revenue. As mentioned, these revenue results were 32% lower than those reported in March 2023.  Despite that, the March revenue results exceeded February’s suboptimal results by approximately 47%.

Reps. Killed a Controversial Jackson Casino Bill

In other news, Mississippi recently eyed opportunities to expand its gambling industry by constructing a new Jackson casino. However, Republican representatives decided not to put that bill forward amid weak support for the measure.

While the supporters of a new casino in the city decided not to pursue the matter now, they are optimistic that things might change in the future.

For context, Mississippi currently allows commercial casinos to only be constructed on the Gulf Coast or along the Mississippi River. Opponents of the Jackson Casino project say that it would disrupt the current power balance and deprive riverside casinos of valuable revenue.