Mississippi Betting Sites

Is Online Betting Legal in Mississippi?

Yes, but in a reduced capacity.

Mississippi has been playing catch-up over the last few years. Until 2018, the state was one of six not to hold a lottery. Moreover, the state allows for social casinos — where you use free coins to wager as opposed to real money — both online and in-person. As such, it’s presumably just one step away from allowing real-money online casinos. 

While it’s technically possible to place online sports bets, players’ options are severely limited. Mississippi permits virtual sports betting on the premises of licensed casinos only, with BetMGM serving as one of just two providers in the state. The BetMGM app can be downloaded from anywhere within Mississippi, just make sure you’re at either the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino or Gold Strike Casino Resort to place wagers legally. A partnership between the casino and the sportsbook is the driving factor behind this service. 

Before the opening of online sports betting at BetMGM in 2021, legislators in Mississippi legalized retail sports betting in 2018. After the fall of PASPA — Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act — the state worked quickly to develop proposals on how sports betting could work. The result is Mississippi’s current betting landscape.

Although land and water-based casinos operate in Mississippi, online casinos are prohibited. According to the Mississippi Gaming Commission, “Internet gambling is illegal”. Unlike BetMGM’s sportsbook, no loopholes exist for online casinos to jump through. 

With online casinos strictly banned from onboarding players in Mississippi, online poker, baccarat, roulette, and other games are also restricted. It appears unlikely that lawmakers will change online casino-related rules anytime soon. On the flip side, both horse and greyhound betting are legal despite the fact there are no racing tracks located in the state. 

As for the minimum age of bettors? Anyone over the age of 21 can partake in legal gambling activities — both online and in-person — in Mississippi.

Popular Sports to Bet on in Mississippi

Mississippi may not be home to the greatest sports teams in the country, but that doesn’t stop fans from tuning in every season. No teams represent the state in the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB, but there are a number of Division 1 collegiate teams for fans to get excited about. 

Here, we delve into the most popular sports to stick money on at online sportsbooks in Mississippi. 

NFL

The National Football League has entertained sports fans since 1920. Yet, not a single side has emerged from the state of Mississippi. That said, there are a few Div 1 colleges, and more than enough teams from neighboring states.

As a result, both NCAA and NFL betting is big in the state. BetMGM’s app provides odds on games across the league, including the likes of the Saints, Falcons, Texans, Cowboys, and Titans – all of whom reside in local areas. On top of betting on the nearest NFL teams, bettors can put money on the next Super Bowl winner, one-off affairs, same-game parlays, and more. 

NBA

As with the NFL, there are no NBA teams currently active in the state. It’s not all doom and gloom for basketball fans, though. The Memphis Grizzlies are situated right on the Tennessee border, while the New Orleans Pelicans play just south of Mississippi’s border with Louisiana. 

And, similar to the NFL, bets on the NBA are permitted in the state.  Whether it’s a punt on a team from a nearby state or a parlay on all the evening’s action, BetMGM covers all bases when it comes to NBA betting.

MLB

The third sport in our list which does not include a Mississippi-based franchise, bettors can wager on all 2,430 games during the MLB season. The nearest outfits are the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers – but each side is located at least two states across. 

A Minor League Baseball team for baseball fans in Mississippi is the Mississippi Braves. Having moved to Pearl from South Carolina in 2005, fans took to the Braves immediately. Since then, the side has won two championships and three division titles. Although MS punters are restricted from placing money on the Braves due to the team’s participation in Minor League Baseball, you can instead wager on its sister team — the Atlanta Braves. 

NHL

Mississippi is one of several states not to have a single participant in the world’s elite stage for ice hockey. The Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning are four closely located NHL franchises – but the driving distance to each team can be difficult to put up with.

In 2021, the Mississippi Sea Wolves were founded as a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Admittedly not at NHL level, this team is the closest MS residents will get to indulging in high-performance ice hockey action at home. Besides, punters are free to head to the Beau Rivage Casino & Resort to bet on NFL games.

Horse Racing

A lack of racetracks in Mississippi hasn’t deterred eager bettors from hitting local sportsbooks. The Beau Rivage Casino and the Gold Strike Casino Resort both support racing markets, while the tribe-owned Pearl River Resort also provides odds on countless meetings throughout the year. 

Unlike other forms of sports betting in MS, casinos can only take racing bets in person. This means sportsbook apps don’t publish racing odds, but you’re free to try your hand at winning money by speaking to a sports betting vendor.

Betting Markets Available in Mississippi

Mississippi holds no bars against particular betting markets. Wagers across a wide array of options are on the table, including moneyline bets, parlays, against the spread, and totals. 

You should get familiar with each of the four most prominent betting markets before placing your first bet. Below, we’ve outlined how the hottest Mississippi sports markets work.

Moneyline

The perfect bet type for rookies, moneyline bets offer the simplest form of wagering. Generally, there are just two outcomes: a win or a loss. Depending on the sport, some listings offer a third option, called a ‘push’. 

Before we get into winning, losing, or ‘pushing’, let’s run through a quick example.

• Jets are listed at -150 to beat the Chiefs.
• Chiefs are listed at +150 to beat the Jets.

The minus symbol next to the Jets indicates that the New York-based outfit are favorites to win. On the other hand, the positive symbol marks the Chiefs as underdogs. In the above example, bettors would need to wager $150 to get $100 back from a Jets bet, hence the -150. With the Chiefs at +150, a $100 punt is required to return $150. 

In the event of a draw, bettors may encounter something called a ‘push bet’, or a ‘draw no bet’. This is seen most often in soccer. Stakes are refunded to account wallets once the wager settles. However, stakes won’t be paid out as refunds if a ‘draw’ is listed as a betting option under the chosen market.

Parlay

Lumping multiple selections into one bet is called a parlay. Although typically more rewarding than moneyline wagers, parlays are renowned for being difficult to get right. 

Sports where multiple games take place over the course of a weekend are popular choices for parlays. Bettors can keep up to date with the latest scores via sportsbook apps — like the one provided by BetMGM Mississippi — and can make use of the cash out function if need be. 

Perhaps the best part about parlays is the ability to mix and match markets. See below for an example. 

• Jalen Hurts first touchdown scorer against the Eagles at +550.
• Chargers to beat Titans at -165.
• Colts to win by 7 to 12 points against Texans at +500.
• Packers to beat Falcons at -120.

Together, these picks give us odds of +11383. With such high odds, a $15 wager would return $1,722.50 if all four bets are successful, which is, of course, extremely unlikely. 

Over/Under

The over/under market is beloved by punters across the state. Also known as ‘totals’, with these bets you’re looking at sport-specific statistics, be it goals, corners, bookings, points, runs, passes, or something else. When you select ‘over’, you’re wagering on X number of Y taking place. For instance – a bet on over 5.5 bookings wins if the referee brandishes six or more cards in a soccer game. Bets on under 5.5 bookings win should five or fewer players get booked. 

Against the Spread

ATS betting adds a new layer of jeopardy to the equation. Rather than betting on the outcome of the game, this market pushes bettors to choose by how many points a team will win or lose.

See an example in the form of a matchup between the 49ers and Bengals below. In September 2023, BetMGM listed the following odds.

• 49ers -8.5 at -105.
• Bengals +8.5 at -115.

The ‘-8.5’ tells us that bets on the 49ers win if they still lead after subtracting 8.5 points from their score at full time. Wagers on the Bengals will come good if they win outright or stay within 8.5 points of their opponents.

Betting Apps Available in Mississippi

Despite legalizing sports gambling in 2018, the state’s online betting initiative seems to be virtually non-existent. Thanks to a couple of persistent casinos, sports fans in MS can bet on sporting events across the globe via downloadable betting apps. Here, we cover every online betting service in Mississippi.

BetMGM

Collect BetMGM promo offers and rewards, earn odds boosts, place parlays, and process rapid transactions with BetMGM's Mississippi sportsbook app. Downloadable from anywhere in the state, geo-fencing technology prevents users from accessing the apps’ facilities unless within the confines of a registered casino. 

The Gold Strike Casino, as well as the Beau Rivage Casino & Resort, are the only two locations from which users can access the app. Once inside either casino, customers can place bets on the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, soccer, tennis, golf, and much more. Just be sure to bring some form of identification to the building. 

Pearl River 

A casino owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Pearl River Resort recently released a full-fledged sportsbook app. Like BetMGM’s offering, the app can only be used while visiting a land-based casino. In this case, that’s Pearl River’s casino.
Complete with betting odds for a variety of top sports, the Pearl River Resort sports app — PRRSports for short — can be downloaded to iOS and Android smartphones for free. You must bring your Rewards Club Card and photo identification to the Pearl River Resort Players Club to create an online account and download the app. Once given the all-clear, visit www.PRRSPORTS.com to install the app.

Payment Methods Available at Mississippi Betting Sites

Every online bettor will experience a sportsbook’s cashier at some point. For this reason, sports betting platforms must support popular payment methods. On top of that, sites should make the deposit and withdrawal process as easy as possible for beginners.

Here’s a list of four top-notch banking options.

Bank Cards

Mastercard, Visa, and American Express are all popular bank cards in Mississippi. Linked to each customer’s personal bank account, these methods allow users to transfer money in and out of sportsbook wallets. 

Minimum deposits usually open at $10, while minimum withdrawal limits typically sit between $10 to $20. Banking via card is handy, but it has a way to go to catch up with e-wallets when it comes to withdrawing funds. 

e-Wallets

Where bank cards can make you wait up to 5 days for a withdrawal, e-wallets process outward transfers within 24 to 48 hours. Popular e-wallets such PayPal, Skrill and AstroPay all support fast withdrawals. 

Further to quick payouts, e-wallets protect customer’s bank information. Payments through e-wallets don’t require users to input banking details, and therefore provide an extra layer of security against data theft. 

Prepaid Cards

Many bettors view prepaid cards as a better alternative to e-wallets and bank cards. BetMGM supports Play+ cards, which is arguably the most utilized version of this payment method.

Play+ cards link to your banking and betting accounts, making deposits and withdrawals faster and more hassle-free. However, fees may apply. 

At BetMGM you also have the opportunity to buy the BetMGM gift card, which can be used to make deposits and can be bought either online or at a local store. 

Wire Transfer

The reliability of wire transfers makes this method an immovable force in the online betting space. In spite of an obscene $1,000 minimum deposit fee at BetMGM Mississippi, bank wire transfers continue to be used for transactions. 

Withdrawal times are sluggish, too, so this isn’t a great option for the vast majority of bettors. If not for the low fees for high rollers, this method would perhaps not be used anymore, but as things stand you can expect wire transfers to stick around at online casinos and sportsbooks.

Mississippi Betting Timeline

Lawmakers were quick to jump at retail sports betting in Mississippi. After the collapse of PASPA, states across the nation began to draft up potential laws and regulations for sportsbooks. In Mississippi, this process started only hours after PASPA was overturned. 

• March 2017: Bill HB 967 passes, legalizing Daily Fantasy Sports. The wording of this bill suggests that sports betting is also legal, but Mississippi awaits the anticipated 2018 federal ruling on PASPA before confirming this decision. 
• May 2018: The Supreme Court decides that PASPA — the reason sports betting is banned — is unconstitutional. Within hours, the Mississippi Gaming Commission gets to work on its sports betting framework. 
• August 2018: Beau Rivage and Gold Strike casinos take the state’s first sports bets on August 1st, 2018. 
• September 2021: BetMGM releases its downloadable sportsbook app for smartphones. The app is only accessible within a partner casino. 

Compare Mississippi Betting Sites and Sign Up

With two online sports betting platforms in Mississippi, your options are pretty limited. That said, both the BetMGM and PRRSports apps offer solid wagering services — it’s just a shame that you’ll need to visit a casino to put money down. 

For the best of both worlds, why not create an account with both sportsbooks? This way, you can claim the best odds and access a greater number of exclusive promotions. Click through get started as a bettor in the Magnolia State. 

Frequently Asked Questions