Mississippi Online Poker Not Coming Anytime Soon, Lawmaker SaysSports Betting, Lotto More Likely Than I-Poker |
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Despite past bills attempting to authorize online gaming in Mississippi, the industry is not going to be launching there anytime soon, according to a report from the Sun Herald.
The chairman of the House Gaming Committee said that sports betting and lottery games are more likely to be approved first. Mississippi is one of only a handful of states without a lottery.
The latest online poker bill in Mississippi died in February after a brief time on the table.
“In Mississippi right now, it’s just too early for us to look at going to Internet gaming,” Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, told the Sun Herald.
According to Bennett, half the people in Mississippi don’t have a computer or Internet access.
The state’s brick-and-mortar casino industry has been slumping, and that’s why some lawmakers are entertaining ideas to expand gambling in Mississippi.
Casinos in Mississippi statewide won $2.07 billion from gamblers in 2014, down about $70 million (3.2 percent) from 2013. That’s down from 2007’s record of $2.89 billion. Casino revenue has fallen in Mississippi in six out of the past seven years.
The state’s 17 casinos along the Mississippi River won less than $1 billion from gamblers last year for the first time since 1994. Harrah’s Tunica Hotel & Casino, as well as Biloxi’s Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant, closed last year. The state still has more than 24 casinos.
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