Are Online Casinos Legal in Mississippi?
Mississippi hasn’t regulated real-money gaming sites yet. Since 2012, politicians have introduced multiple bills to legalize online casinos.
None of this legislation has made it past the committee level. However, some land-based casinos run social gaming sites.
A social casino sees you play for coins rather than real money. In turn, you can exchange these coins for rewards and move up levels by playing enough.
The following MS land-based gambling establishments offer social casinos:
- Harrah’s Gulf Coast (Caesars)
- Horseshoe Tunica (Caesars)
- Tunica Roadhouse (Caesars)
- Riverwalk Casino (Churchill Downs)
- Isle of Capri Lula (Eldorado Resorts)
- Lady Luck Vicksburg (Eldorado Resorts)
- Boomtown Biloxi (Penn National)
- Hollywood Gulf Coast (Penn National)
- Hollywood Tunica (Penn National)
Zynga, Slotomania, and Double Down provide more social gaming options. These casinos aren’t related to Mississippi land-based venues, but they’re still legal in the state.
When will Mississippi Legalize Online Casinos?
MS lawmakers have made repeated efforts to legalize gaming sites. However, no online gaming bill has received any serious attention.
Mississippi is more focused on online sports gambling right now. With two dozen retail sportsbooks in the state, it wants to legalize internet betting before anything.
We don’t see Mississippi gaming sites becoming available within the next three years. The state may legalize internet casinos by 2025 at the earliest.
What Mississippi online casino games would be available?
The Magnolia State’s internet gaming market would likely feature a wide variety of games, such as slots, blackjack, roulette, and video poker.
Slots Online
Slots dominate every regulated online gaming market. Given the popularity of MS slot machines, Mississippi would be no different in this regard.
Each Mississippi online casino would offer hundreds of online slots. It would also provide various slots ranging from five-reel to Megaways games.
Bally, IGT, NetEnt, and WMS would certainly be among the most popular slots providers. Here are some notable games from these developers:
- Blood Suckers (NetEnt)
- China River (Bally)
- Cleopatra (IGT)
- Da Vinci Diamonds (IGT)
- Dead or Alive (NetEnt)
- Gonzo’s Quest (NetEnt)
- Kitty Glitter (IGT)
- Kronos (WMS)
- Mega Fortune (NetEnt)
- Raging Rhino (WMS)
- Siberian Storm (IGT)
- Triple Cash Wheel (Bally)
- Vikings (NetEnt)
- Zeus (WMS)
Blackjack
Just like in brick-and-mortar casinos, blackjack is popular at gaming sites. It features in-depth strategy and a low house edge.
Some games let you reduce the house advantage to just 0.5%. You just need the combination of the right game and strategy to do so.
MS online casinos would likely provide blackjack games with great odds. They’d also offer different variations, such as micro-limit blackjack ($0.10 hands) and Crazy 7s (side bets).
Roulette
Regulated gaming states typically offer two roulette variations that revolve around the American and European wheel.
The European wheel provides 37 numbers, including a zero pocket (favors the house). It offers a modest 2.70% house advantage.
The American wheel offers 38 numbers, including a single and double-zero pocket (both house-friendly). It features a less favorable 5.26% house edge.
Other table games
Mississippi internet casinos would surely provide table games beyond roulette and blackjack. Here are other likely options:
- Baccarat
- Blackjack
- Blackjack Xchange
- Caribbean stud
- Casino hold’em poker
- Craps
- Mississippi stud
- Pai Gow poker
- Texas Hold’em Bonus
Video Poker
Most regulated gaming sites don’t spread an abundance of video poker games. The average legal online casino offers 3-5 variations.
At the moment, every market features a small collection of variants from Game King. A typical MS internet casino might provide Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, and Jacks or Better.
Would Mississippi offer live-dealer online casino games?
After a state regulates online gaming, live-dealer casino games are the last to become available.
The Magnolia State would probably offer live-dealer gaming at some point. However, casinos would likely wait several months or longer before rolling out live baccarat, blackjack, roulette, etc.
Mississippi Online Casino Apps
Smartphones are most gamblers’ device of choice. Therefore, Mississippi gaming sites would surely offer Android and/or iOS apps.
The typical internet casino provides apps for both operating systems. After all, both Android and iOS boast massive user bases.
However, casinos feature different download processes for Android and iOS apps:
- Google Play doesn’t feature gambling apps in its US-based store. Online casinos must make Android apps available through their websites only.
- Apple allows gambling apps in the App Store. You visit the latter to download the relevant internet casino app.
Complete Registration
Following the download, you’d need to register at the Mississippi gaming site in question. Like other markets, MS online casinos would ask for the following information:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- Username
- Password
- Bonus code (if you want a bonus)
Register from Anywhere—Play in Mississippi
Every US online gaming market thus far lets you download casino apps and register from anywhere. The Magnolia State would no doubt uphold this standard.
If you live in Arkansas, for example, you could legally obtain an MS mobile casino app and complete registration. However, you wouldn’t be allowed to play for real money unless you were located in Mississippi.
A state’s laws only cover its own borders. Mississippi would quickly run into legal trouble by letting people located outside of its borders gamble online.
To prevent this from happening, internet casinos use geolocation software to pinpoint players’ locations. One could gamble at MS gaming sites as long as geolocation deemed them within state borders.
Depositing at Mississippi Online Casinos
Judging by other markets, Mississippi internet casinos would feature several deposit methods. Likely banking options include:
- ACH: You can transfer money from your bank account to an online casino with ACH.
- Cash at the casino cage: Visit a Mississippi land-based casino and deposit in person.
- Play+ card: This branded prepaid card lets you place deposits and withdrawals.
- PayNearMe: You visit a local 7-Eleven and fund a Mississippi gambling account with cash.
- PayPal, Skrill: These e-wallets are handy deposit and cashout methods.
- Visa, Mastercard: Use these leading credit card brands to deposit instantly.
Mississippi Online Casino Bonuses
Mississippi gaming sites would assuredly offer various bonuses. You could look forward to the following offers at MS casinos:
- Match-deposit bonus: A gaming site matches a percentage of your deposit (usually 100%) up to a given amount.
- No-deposit bonus: The online casino gives you a bonus just for registering.
- Free spins: You receive chances to win free money through online slots.
- Cashback: You get a percentage of your casino losses back within the first week.
- VIP rewards: Gaming sites give you rewards based on your playing volume.
- Game of the month: You receive extra rewards by playing a specific online slot.
History of Mississippi Casino Gambling
Mississippi features one of the longest gambling histories in the US. The Spanish built the state’s first racetrack, Fleetfield, in Natchez in 1795.
Riverboats drifting down the Mississippi River were frequent hotspots for card games. In fact, poker’s birthplace lies on these same riverboards.
Given its history, Mississippi surprised few when legalizing casinos through the Gaming Control Act of 1990. It became one of the earliest states to offer legal casino gaming.
Biloxi, Tunica, and Vicksburg have since become notable gambling destinations. Twenty-nine land-based casinos are spread throughout these towns and others.
For whatever reason, though, lawmakers can’t agree on online gambling legislation. Internet casino and poker bills have died in the legislature with no serious recognition.
MS politicians did regulate daily fantasy sports in 2017. However, DFS doesn’t draw nearly as much betting action as online casinos, poker rooms, or sportsbooks would.
Mississippi quickly legalized retail sportsbooks in 2018 once PASPA fell. However, it has rejected all attempts to regulate mobile sports betting in Mississippi.
FAQ Mississippi Casino
The Magnolia State offers legal DFS, social casinos, and social poker sites. DFS is the only regulated form of internet gambling.
Politicians have introduced legislation to regulate online sports betting, casinos, and poker sites. None of these bills have been successful to date.
This state requires both online and land-based gamblers to be 21+ years old. If Mississippi legalizes other forms of internet gambling, it’ll likely keep the same age requirement in place.
Mississippi only requires that you be within state lines to play DFS. Therefore, you can travel from another state and play daily fantasy here.
The same situation is almost guaranteed to be true when/if the state regulates internet casinos, poker rooms, and/or sportsbooks.
Yes. The Mississippi Gaming Commission oversees all regulated internet gambling in the state.
So far, the MGC only presides over DFS. However, it would likely oversee any future forms of legal MS online gambling.