House rolls the dice again on mobile sports betting, amending two Senate bills

• A Jackson Democratic Senator killed a Coast Republican Representative’s House-backed mobile sports wagering bill earlier this week.

A House committee is rolling the dice that language inserted into two Senate bills to allow mobile sports betting will make its way through the legislative process. However, it’s a game of chance that is not likely to win over senators.

House Gaming Chairman Casey Eure (R) tucked the language into SB 2510 and SB 2381 after the Senate Gaming Committee killed his House bill which overwhelmingly passed earlier this session.

The measure does not have the support of Senate Gaming Committee Chairman David Blount (D). The Jackson Democrat points to growing consumer protection and economic impact concerns, particularly raised by gambling establishments, in states where the mobile wagering has been approved.

“This is a different industry than any other industry because it is subject to forces outside of the control of the folks who are in this business,” Blount told reporters.

Eure, a representative from the Coast, said the House bill was reworked from prior session attempts aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Senate.

As previously reported, of the 38 states in the nation with sports betting, 31 allow online sports betting. Rep. Eure told the House in February that neighboring states such as Tennessee saw $97 million in tax revenue, while Kentucky brought in $35 million and Louisiana collected $64 million. North Carolina, which started allowing online sports betting in 2024, collected $96 million from March through December. 

Eure’s bill – HB 1302 – included a 12 percent tax to be applied to online sports wagers and a $6 million fund to be established to support smaller brick-and-mortar casinos in the state. Eure said he believes if the bill becomes law, it would add $40 million to $80 million annually to the state’s coffers. Those funds would be evenly distributed between all 82 counties for roads and bridges.

Both amended Senate bills have passed out of the assigned House committees and await floor action in the chamber.