Mississippi Casino Revenue Keeps Slipping
The history of casinos in Mississippi is a rich one. After all, it's a state with a history of illegal gambling dating back to the late 19th century – with the first such property opening in August 1992 in Biloxi as the pioneer for casinos in the South.
But increasing competition from neighboring states in recent years has taken a toll on the state's casino industry. After adjusted gross casino revenue topped out at $2.57 billion in 2022, that number shrunk to $2.48 billion in 2023 and then $2.43 billion in both 2024 and 2025 (the latter representing another decrease of 0.1%).
The slide has dropped Mississippi from its status as a top-three casino market in the 1990s and 2000s - trailing only Nevada and New Jersey - to barely a mid-tier revenue producing state.
Casinos in West Memphis, Ark. have reclaimed a significant amount of Arkansas residents used to spend on gambling in Mississippi, and Tennessee's legalization of mobile sports betting has meant that those residents no longer need to visit a Mississippi casino to place such wagers.
According to the Mississippi Gaming Commission, the state’s Coastal Region casinos produced a record $1.59 billion in revenue in 2025 - up 0.6% from 2024.
The Central Region facilities were up 0.9% to $321 million, but the Northern Region casinos had combined revenues of $522 million - down 1.9% from 2024. The latter casinos are near the borders of both Arkansas and Tennessee.
Sports betting numbers in Mississippi also declining
Another concerning trend for the Mississippi state budget is a drop in sports betting revenue in 2025 to $379.1 million - down 16% from 2024.
Analysts have concluded that a key reason is that Mississippi has an unusual system of only allowing sports betting to take place at the state's casino properties. In an increasingly online world, younger gamblers likely are turning instead to illegal, offshore sportsbooks that are easily accessible on their smart phones in the comfort of their own home.
A University of Mississippi study of 1,600 college students in 2025 found that 15% of those surveyed admitted they had placed wagers with illegal sportsbooks.
Mississippi Rep. Casey Eure, a Republican who is the chairman of the House Gaming Committee, has been trying for three years to bring the state into the modern era by annually introducing bills that would legalize mobile sports betting. Such gambling tends to produce well over 90% of the total betting handle in states with both online sports betting and casino sportsbooks.
In early 2026, Eure proposed a new bill that could pay dividends. Opposition for the concept has been led by operators of smaller casinos that have been concerned that national sportsbook companies such as FanDuel would only pair up with the larger casinos, thereby leaving them out in the cold.
Eure's current bill would reduce the tax rate on retail sportsbook revenues from 18.5% to just 3.5%, with a further sweetener of reducing the tax on casino revenue from an already low 8% to a nationwide low of 6%.
The new mobile sportsbooks, meanwhile, would pay a 22% tax on gross sports betting revenue. All casinos also would be permitted to become partners with more than one sportsbook.
The bill easily was approved by House members in February 2026, but a March 3 deadline for state Senate approval expired without action - dooming the proposal at least until 2027.
Eure has estimated, based on figures achieved by neighboring states, that Mississippi could add $100 million in annual tax revenue from mobile sports betting that could go toward the currently-underfunded public pension system.
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