Mississippi Senate Bill 2510, an anti-sweepstakes proposal, has ‘died in conference’ after ambitious wording to legalize sports betting was added. Lawmakers from the state House and Senate were unable to reach a final agreement on the language before the deadline, effectively killing the legislation.
Bills generally have to be approved by both chambers before being signed off by the governor, and SB2510’s original wording was amended in the House earlier this month by Representative Casey Eure (pictured), an advocate of online sports betting. Republican, Eure is Chair of the House Gaming Committee and has previously tried to pass other similar bills that ultimately failed in the Senate – online sports gambling is currently illegal in the Magnolia State.
The news is a boon for the sweepstakes industry and its trade body, the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA). However, it will disappoint the traditional gambling sector and those lawmakers who hoped to banish sweepstakes operators from the state. Multiple bills are lined up in legislatures around the country, and the Mississippi bill could have been one of the first to set a precedent.
No Agreement Between Senate and House
SB2510 was a relatively harsh proposal, first filed by Republican Senator Joey Fillingane. It would have deemed sweepstakes operations a felony with potential for hefty fines and up to 10 years in prison.
After the amendments by Eure, we reported that SB2510 had passed in the House with a vote of 83-19 earlier in the month. Eure has cited that Mississippi is losing out on significant tax revenue by not allowing online sports betting, and the new language permitted existing land-based casinos to partner with online sportsbooks or racebooks.
Eure has a notable opponent in Senator David Blount, Chair of the Senate Gaming Committee, and when the Senate rejected Eure’s new amendments, it wasn’t a complete surprise. The bill was officially killed when a conference committee – a group of House and Senate members tasked with resolving differences – could not finalize an agreement before the March 31st deadline.
Future Uncertain for Sweepstakes Sites in Mississippi
Some sweepstakes casinos like High 5 and Pulsz already choose not to operate in Mississippi, but the majority of their competitors still do.
A similar anti-sweepstakes bill will likely be introduced again at the next possible opportunity, but unless a special session is called before next year, sweepstakes operators in Mississippi can breathe a sigh of relief for now.
This is because the Mississippi legislature convenes annually, with its regular session beginning in early January and lasting for approximately three months. Therefore, the next regular legislative session is scheduled to commence in January 2026.
Author: Joseph Allen
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