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Mississippi Casinos Earn $2.11 Billion In 2018

Thanks In Part To Sports Betting, Revenue Was Up Slightly Year Over Year

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With a legal sports betting market in place for the second half of 2018, Mississippi casinos saw a small uptick in gaming revenue for the year.

According to reports, the state’s 28 casinos generated $2.11 billion in revenue in 2018. Those numbers are up 1.7 percent or about $44 million from 2017.

Mississippi offered legal, in-person sports betting starting in August 2018. Over the five-month time frame, the state’s sportsbooks generated $15 million in revenue. The Beau Rivage in Biloxi and the Gold Strike in Tunica were the state’s first two operators, but now there are 23 casinos that offer sports betting.

In December 2018, casinos won $906,129 from bettors after taking just shy of $5.4 million in sports bets alone. When factoring in table games and slots, gamblers lost $185 million in December.

Later this year, Pearl River Resort, Mississippi’s only tribal casino, will launch the state’s first sports betting app. Bettors will only be allowed to use the app while on property at the resort, however.

The Mississippi state government took in $169 million in tax revenue in 2018. The state government taxes gaming revenue at eight percent and the local governments take another four percent. Tax revenue from sports betting is earmarked to fund the state’s Department of Transportation.