Mississippi has taken a big step toward legalizing online sports betting. Mississippi House of Representatives by overwhelming margin of 97-14 passed it Mississippi's mobile spot gaming law went into effect last week.

If passed by the Senate, the bill would allow legal sports betting platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings to operate in the state, making mobile sports betting legal everywhere in Mississippi.

Since 2018, sports betting inside Mississippi casinos has been legal, but more common online betting methods remain prohibited in the state.

according to Casey UreHe is the chairman of the Mississippi House Gaming Committee, which accounts for about 5% of the $64 billion in illegal online gambling in Mississippi, totaling about $3 billion.

Legal sports betting would bring this revenue into the state's economy. Currently, 29 states legally operate sports betting, with Mississippi becoming the 30th.

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In Alabama's case, all four of its neighboring states offer some form of legalized gambling, and when Alabamians travel across state lines to gamble, potential revenue is taken away from the state. .

The topic of legalizing gambling in Alabama will come up again in 2024.

The Alabama House of Representatives will take up its own legal gambling proposal during the 2024 state legislative session, which begins today, but the bulk of the bill would likely set conditions for adding casinos throughout the state and potentially throughout the state. Lottery to benefit education — sports betting is also likely to be included somewhere in the bill.

According to the American Gaming Association, sportsbook revenue will reach $7.5 billion in 2022.

In-person casino gaming revenue, which combines slots and table games, reached a record $47.83 billion, but FanDuel's parent company Flutter expects the entire U.S. sports betting market to be of addressable size. ing. it would be worth it By 2030, it will exceed $40 billion, nearly doubling current gaming revenue.

The University of Alabama likely wants a piece of the action.

As for Mississippi, the Senate has until April 2 to decide whether to adopt the bill.

Michael Brauner is a senior sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP