[MS] Mississippi Bingo, Casino and Sports Betting [2021]

Mississippi is one of the US States with the fastest changing gambling laws in the country.

Online Gambling

• Offshore operators accept players from Mississippi
• There are no state regulated online onshore operators
• Commercial operating licenses awarded for land based and riverboat casinos and slots facilities
• Native Indian Tribes also operate casinos under the terms of compact agreements with the State

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Best 5 Mississippi Online Casinos

Online casino activity is currently available and offered through various sites that are based offshore. These sites are safe and secure to play at, with no risk posed to Mississippi players, both regarding legality or to player data protection.

The best online casinos all use the latest SSL internet technology, and feature secure payment methods that are common, trusted and processed by reputable financial institutions. These include: VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Bitcoin (BTC), direct wire transfers and many other methods.

Casino Bonuses are extremely important in selecting an online casino. We have therefore displayed some of the best casino bonuses that can be found whilst balancing other important criteria such as safety and security as previously mentioned. However, for ease of reference, we have listed them according to the size of bonus.

Without doubt, at the time of writing, El Royale Casino offers the best casino bonus deal. It is also one of the safest. Coupled with excellent customer service, El Royale is our top recommended online casino for Mississippi players.

Online Live Dealer Casino Games

The popularity of online live dealer casino games is soaring, in particular in the state of Mississippi where players want to play with Vegas like odds and not RNG algorithms.

Live Dealer games, previously were hindered by narrow bandwidth and slow internet connections. HD Video streaming uses vast amounts of data which requires good internet connections. Furthermore, it is only in the past years that playing devices have increased in power to process HD smoothly and effortlessly.

Many players prefer to play with Live Dealers online, when compared to traditional RNG online casino games. You could say, there are some who simply do NOT trust RNG algorithms, hence seeing is believing.

Live Dealer online games offer multi-viewing angles for players with the best online casinos providing clear, uninterrupted line of sight of the action unfolding. In addition, players have the ability to interact with the dealer and fellow players via instant chat messaging. Many players (and the broader community) are adept with instant chat messaging with the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WeChat extremely popular.

Various games are offered via Live Dealers. You will be able to find the many variations of blackjack, both American and European roulette, craps, sic bo, baccarat and other table games. Also, through playing online, there are features that you would find not available via land based table games. You can play, for instance, with unlimited back behind betting, this is where you can bet alongside a fellow player if you think he or she will win. You and other players can do this as many times as you wish.

Online Live Casino Dealers are becoming increasingly popular. It’s a good way for new players to get started if they are familiar with the nuisances of playing at a land based venue with a live dealers. The same etiquette and rules apply, except you have the added advantage of using online casino bonuses, and play at the convenience of your home.

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Top 3 Mississippi Online Bingo Sites

Mississippi bingo laws are stipulated under Charitable gaming state legislation. These laws provide for the licensing of non profit organizations to operate bingo games. At present, these laws do not address nor permit online bingo by onshore operators. Accordingly, online bingo sites that do accept Mississippi players are based offshore (which is the same as online casinos and sports betting sites).

The recommended online bingo sites all accept players from Arkansas. They offer advanced features that include instant messaging, fun bingo games and protocols that ensures bingo participants play together in a civil enjoyable manner. Due to the social aspect of bingo, there is a cultural aspect to bingo which cannot be found with casino or sports betting. As an example, A LOT of acronyms form part of instant chat messaging. If you are not familiar with online bingo lingo, do not be afraid, learning it is one of the most fun parts!

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Sports Betting

Onshore sports betting remains illegal in Mississippi however, Online sports betting sites do exist and they are based offshore. They accept Mississippi bettors, with no precedence of any bettor being informed of a breach in law, let alone charged with a misdemeanor or felony.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is growing fast in popularity. New to the gambling scene, it is considered a game of skill by many which requires bettors to create a fictitious team based on real players. The performance of the real sports players in real life determine how successful the fictitious team is. As a result, it truly is those with the most “skills” will win.

The two dominate daily fantasy sports providers is DraftKings and FanDuel. On this site, we do not actively promote daily fantasy sports as we understand that it is a game of “skill” which is being exploited by bettors who have the best risk modelling. That is, it isn’t nearly about how well you know your sport, the sport players etc, it is very much about who has the best statistical model and who has access to the most detailed sports player data.

As someone who may be a big fan of sport, and thinking that they would have a good chance of winning money in DFS, think again. You are pitted against statistical modelling experts who deliberately target games that mostly have new players to DFS. In fact, it has been alleged that those who are extremely good at DFS have been known to collaborate among themselves and not compete with each other. Thereby creating a sustainable winning formula shared by the experts.

We therefore want our readers to be aware that DFS is not what is appears to be. In fairness, DFS is legal in Mississippi and many DFS onshore operators accept Mississippi players.

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Legal Minimum Gambling Age

• 21 for casino activity, slots machines and online gambling
• 18 for bingo (live and online)

Gambling Laws

• State law does not expressly prohibit online gambling but does prohibit onshore online operators from operating within the market
• Sports betting is permitted at land based casinos
• The Gaming Act authorizes the licensing of casinos to operate gaming machines and table games
• Charitable bingo is permitted for organizations and associations that operate on a not for-profit basis which are registered with the Secretary of State
• Lotteries are prohibited within the market

Gambling Taxes

All casino activity (including sports betting) is taxed at a progressive rate of 8% of gross gaming revenue; local governments are authorised to impose up to 4% additional tax on gross gaming revenue.

Regulation and Governance

Mississippi Gaming Commission

Gambling Legislation

• Gaming Control Act 1990; Title 76, Chapter 76 of the Mississippi Code 1972
• Mississippi Gaming Commission Regulations
• Charitable Bingo Law 1992.

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Mississippi Gambling Market Developments

January 2015

State Representative, Bobby Moak, introduced the Mississippi Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2015 (HB306). This is the fourth consecutive year, Moak introduced a bill to regulate online gaming within the State, following the 2011 reinterpretation of the Wire Act.

The deadline for HB306 to be passed to the Senate was set to 23 February 2015.

February 2015

The Mississippi Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2015 was not progressed through to the committee stage. This was the third time that Bobby Moak’s online poker bill had failed to be heard by the committee, which was unsurprising given the lack of legislative amendments in the State. It is probable that, Moak would re-introduce a fourth bill in 2016, which would likely stipulate reduced player punishments, as well as the possibility to enter into liquidity-sharing agreements with other States, primarily California (subject to California regulating online poker).

February 2016

Attorney General Jim Hood declared daily fantasy sports contests constitute illegal gambling under state law. It is unclear whether, AG J. Hood seeks to take immediate action to stop operators from offering the game in Mississippi.

Senator, Sean Tindell, introduced a bill to regulate daily fantasy sports contests in the state. SB2541, also known as the Fantasy Contest Act, seeks to expressly legalize the contests by amending the State Code and sets out detailed regulations to govern the activity.

April 2016

Representative Tommy Reynolds submitted amendments to the Fantasy Contest Act, to authorize the Mississippi Gaming Commission, to establish a state lottery. The amendments detail how the proceeds will be distributed and were approved by an 84-35 vote in the House.

May 2016

State Governor, Phil Bryant, signed daily fantasy sports bill, SB2541, into law. The bill established the Fantasy Contest Task Force which was charged with undertaking a comprehensive review of the activity in the state and recommending the best oversight and regulation for the industry. The bill also amended the state code to include the “Fantasy Contests Act” which expressly permits the paid contests and sets out a number of criteria which must be adhered to by operators. However, a clause in the Act states the regulations are to be repealed on 1 July 2017, by which time the legislature intended to pass a complete regulatory framework for the industry.

January 2017

House Representative Alyce Clarke introduced two bills to establish a state lottery to raise funds for the Mississippi Hope Scholarship Trust. HB136 sets out a detailed regulatory framework for the operation of a lottery which would be administered by the Gaming Commission. HB74 is largely the same as 136 however it proposes a special state-wide election would be held to allow the public to decide whether to authorize a lottery;

Concurrent bills were introduced to both chambers of the legislature to establish a permanent and comprehensive regulatory framework for the daily fantasy sports industry.

SB2896 and HB967, to be known as the Fantasy Contest Acts, would entrust the licensing and application of regulations to the Gaming Commission and would impose a quarterly 8% gross win tax on operators in the state.

February 2017

Daily fantasy sports bill HB967 was passed by the House on its second vote. The bill progressed to the Senate for consideration.

March 2017

Daily fantasy sports bill HB967 was approved by the Senate by a majority of 46 votes for to 6 votes against. The bill was referred to the Governor’s Office for final approval;

Daily fantasy sports bill HB967 was signed into law by Governor Phil Bryant to establish a permanent regulatory framework for the Daily Fantasy Sports industry. The Act was scheduled to come into force on 1 July 2016 to replace the temporary DFS regulations enacted in May 2016.

April 2017

House Speaker Philip Gunn announced a committee would be established to assess the possibility of establishing a state lottery. Mr Gunn stated the Chairman of the House Gaming Committee, Richard Bennet would head the committee tasked with estimating the cost of establishing the lottery, how much revenue a lottery could generate and what the tax take could be.

January 2018

Representative Roun McNeal introduced legislation to prohibit sports betting in the state. HB1113 would specifically prohibit wagering on any athletic event, however, daily fantasy sports would be exempted from prohibition. The bill was assigned to the House Gaming Committee for consideration.

May 2018

The Gaming Commission published new sports betting regulations for the state’s licensed casinos. The regulations would be open for comment for 25 days.

June 2018

The Choctaw Tribal Council approved sports betting to commence at three (3) of its casinos within the state. Other products included in the revised regulation on skill-based gaming, fantasy sports, eSports and new gaming machine products. Tribal casinos are not regulated by the state;

The Gaming Commission unanimously approved the new sports betting regulations, enabling sports betting to commence from 22 July 2018;

Included within the 22-page document of regulations, was the allowance of online betting if the player is physically present within the state’s casinos, the permission of betting on the state’s collegiate events and the exemption of an integrity fee directed to the governing bodies of the sports leagues.

August 2018

• The first sports bets were taken from noon on 01 August 2018 at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino in Tunica (Both operated by MGM).
• The IP Casino Resort in Biloxi and Sam’s Town in Tunica (Both Operated by Boyd Gaming) launched on 03 August 2018.
• The Horseshoe Casino (Caesars Entertainment) in Tunica launched on 13 August 2018.
• Penn Gaming opened sports books at the Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast and the Boomtown Casino Biloxi opened 17 August 2018.
• Their Hollywood, 1st Jackpot and Resorts Casinos (all located in Tunica) followed on 24 August 2018
• Churchill Downs launched sports books at Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa (Greenville) and the Riverwalk Casino Hotel (Vicksburg) under its BetAmerica brand on 23 August 2018.
• Pearl River Resorts commenced sports betting at two (2) properties in late August / early September 2018.
• The Golden Moon Hotel and Casino located in Philadelphia opened Sports book at the Timeout Lounge won 30 August 2018.
• The sports betting facility at the Bok Homa Casino in Heidelberg opened on 01 September 2018.
• Pinnacle Entertainment launched its sports book at the Ameristar Casino (Vicksburg) on 31 August 2018.

Concurrent bills to authorize and establish a state lottery were introduced to the House and Senate during the First Extraordinary Legislative Session;
The Senate voted in favour of SB2001 to establish a state lottery by a majority of 30-20.

The bill progressed to the House for approval.

The House approved SB2001 by a majority of 58-54. The bill was passed to the Governor for final approval;

State Governor Phil Bryant signed SB2001 into law to establish a state lottery.

September 2018

FanDuel commenced sports betting operations in Mississippi on 13 September 2018 at Boyd Gaming’s IP Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi. The sports betting facility which launched on 03 August 2018 was rebranded as FanDuel Sportsbook under the partnership agreement between FanDuel and Boyd Gaming;

The Gaming Commission announced a total of 21 out of the 28 casinos in the state had launched sportsbooks by 30 September 2018.

October 2018

State Governor Phil Bryant appointed a board of directors to oversee the Mississippi Lottery Corporation and the establishment of a lottery in the state.

Magnolia Bluffs Casino commenced its sportsbooks operations in the city of Natchez on 19 October 2018.

November 2018

Scarlet Pearl launched its retail sportsbook with DraftKings at the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort on 16 November 2018.

February 2019

Neither HB 1481 nor SB 2667 received a hearing in the legislative committee and thereby failed to advance in the legislative session. HB 2667 was in the House Gaming Committee, while SB 2667 failed to progress passed the Senate Finance Committee.

April 2019

Penn National Gaming sought regulatory approval to close its Resorts Casino property in Tunica. If approval is granted, the facility will cease operations on 30 June 2019.

July 2019

The Mississippi Lottery Corporation announced it would launch instant ticket games on 1 December 2019 with multi-state lottery games scheduled to launch in Q1 2020. The Lottery Corporation published a request for proposals (RFPs) for lottery operators who wish to bid for the contract to administer draw and instant games in the state.