The sports betting revenue of Mississippi rose slightly in December on a monthly basis but nearly doubled when compared to December 2019.

Ending 2020 on a positive note

The Mississippi Gambling Commission reported recently that December 2020 was a positive month for the state, as it noted a small increase in its sports betting handle on a month-on-month basis. The state’s sports betting handle for the month was $55.3 million which is 1.6% higher compared to November when it earned $54.4 million. On a year-on-year basis, it marked a 12.7% improvement over the $49 million reported in December 2019.

Revenue from sports betting dropped to $7.76 million in December against $8.1 million in November. This 4.3% drop on a monthly basis is higher than the $3.4 million earned in December 2019.

Coastal region casinos take a lead

Casinos in the coastal region reported $37.6 million in sports betting handle in December. The Central region and northern region casinos were at par with $8.9 million and $8.8 million in betting handles respectively. In total, the gaming facilities of the state reported a handle of $364 million in 2020. It marks a $5 million drop from the $369 million reported in the previous year. The gross gaming revenue of the state was $1.795 billion in 2020 which marks a $400 million fall from the $2.2 billion reported in the previous year. Sports wagering revenue in 2019 was $44.5 million while in 2020 it fell slightly to $44 million.

Mississippi online gambling is still waiting for a push from the government. Currently, users can only place their bets while inside a gaming property.  Republican Senator Scott DeLano is trying to change hat via Senate Bill 2396, which could start online betting. However, it comes after the state failed to make any progress on three bills that sought to expand sports wagering in 2019. If all goes well, DeLano’s legislation could be voted on and approved by July 1.