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Mississippi Senate approves bill banning sweepstakes casinos
SB 2104, which could limit online casino-style gaming, is a third of the way to becoming law in Mississippi after the Senate unanimously approved the bill.
For the second consecutive year, the Mississippi Senate has approved legislation that would ban the operation and promotion of sweepstakes-based, casino-style online games with real money components in the state. The robust support for the premise in the Mississippi Senate is not an indication of the same in the Mississippi House of Representatives or with Gov. Tate Reeves, though.
Mississippi SB 2104 visits familiar terrain
Mississippi SB 2104 is now with the Mississippi House's Gaming Committee after the Senate approved the measure 52-0 on Thursday. The proposal is similar but not identical to a bill that was also advanced by the Senate in 2025.
SB 2104 includes language that aims to shield entities like internet service providers and social media platforms from potential prosecution in regard to unwitting cooperation or promotion of illegal gaming. Otherwise, it's extremely reminiscent of the bill that died in the Mississippi House in 2025.
The bill explicitly classifies online sweepstakes casinos as illegal gaming. At present, there are no legal channels for real money online casino games in Mississippi.
It was an attempt to expand the scope of legal online gaming that doomed the 2025 version of this bill. That issue is still outstanding in Mississippi.
Gaming expansion push stymied sweeps ban in 2025
In 2025, a House amendment to the Senate-approved sweepstakes casino ban would have legalized online sports wagering everywhere in Mississippi. Currently, online sports betting is only legal on the grounds of partner physical casinos.
That tying of gaming expansion to the sweeps ban hampered support for the measure in the House, ultimately leading to the bill's failure. However, there is reason to believe that SB 2104 could be considered as-is in the House in 2026.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission has taken action against sweepstakes casino operators, which resulted in several of those entities geofencing Mississippi out of their sales areas from June 2025 onward. SB 2104 could affect more similar decisions.
The Mississippi House has already approved a standalone online sports betting expansion bill for the 2026 session as well, removing the need for House members to attach such a proposal to SB 2104.
Reeves has not commented on SB 2104 or whether he would sign such a bill. The legislation has veto-proof support in the Senate at this point.
All of this legislative movement could set the stage for Mississippians to access the BetMGM Casino app in the future. BetMGM already has a presence in the state via its online sportsbook, albeit in limited fashion.
Mississippi could soon join the growing number of US states that have enacted new statutes to explicitly outlaw casino-style, sweepstakes-based online games. The events of the past eight months are trending toward the state becoming a hostile environment for such games.
