The Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi posted a warning against online sports betting on X as House lawmakers continue to put pressure on the Senate.
Key Takeaways
- Also serving as Senate president, Delbert Hosemann largely controls the chamber's agenda.
- The lieutenant governor cited addiction, crime and casino revenue losses in opposing legalization.
- The House Speaker, who is in the same party as Hosemann, has supported online sports betting legalization.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R) said in Tuesday's post that young adults are “particularly susceptible” to the dangers of gambling addiction.
“Online mobile sports betting increases the risk of gambling-related harm and addiction compared with traditional in-person betting (roughly 1 in 5 people with problem gambler disorder attempt suicide),” he wrote, while noting that betting apps are available “24/7.”
The Mississippi House of Representatives passed multiple bills to regulate mobile sports betting during recent legislative sessions. All of those attempts ended in the Senate, of which Hosemann serves as president.
Hosemann argued legalization would undermine billions of dollars of investment in the state’s retail casino industry. He also said legalization would increase illegal gaming activities and might not generate enough tax revenue to offset the losses.
“The actual revenue is unknown, and the last mobile sports betting bill passed by the House included a 25% tax cut for casinos,” Hosemann wrote. “Mobile sports betting wouldn’t create a single job for Mississippians and comes with a social cost that is of increasing concern.”
He closed by encouraging his chamber to continue its steadfast objection to mobile sports betting.
“The Senate should continue to reject this harmful legislation,” he wrote.
Online mobile sports betting increases the risk of gambling-related harm and addiction compared with traditional in-person betting (roughly 1 in 5 people with problem gambler disorder attempt suicide). Our young adults are particularly susceptible and can receive push…
— Delbert Hosemann (@DelbertHosemann) July 7, 2026
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Differences of opinion
House Speaker Jason White, who is also a Republican, sees mobile sports betting much differently.
“Sports betting is already perfectly legal in Mississippi, and our casino operators already have sports betting on property,” he told the Magnolia Tribune on Thursday. “In addition, thousands of Mississippians are accessing and betting on sports through illegal sites and other mobile platforms, including the national ‘predictive markets’ through Kalshi, which appear to be here for the long haul.”
Mississippi is one of a shrinking number of states that have not legalized statewide mobile sports betting, instead limiting mobile wagers to the grounds of brick-and-mortar casinos.
White also contested Hosemann’s claim that legalization would create a new wave of crime, saying black-market gambling is already too prolific to be reeled in.
“Our gaming commission admittedly does not have the bandwidth and cannot police and rein in the illegal activity; they’ve said as much,” he said. “Betting consumers have adapted and are placing mobile online bets.”
White insisted he does not have an issue with Hosemann and wasn’t sure what prompted his comments. He said he is not obsessed with legalizing mobile sports betting but noted that “most every casino operator in Mississippi supports mobile sports betting.”
The state’s 2027 legislative session will begin Jan. 5, at which time lawmakers will be free to propose and debate more Mississippi sports betting measures.
Mississippi's mobile sports betting outlook
House officials passed two pro-sports betting bills earlier this year. The most recent was the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act by Rep. Casey Eure (R), the House Gaming Committee chairman.
The Act, which called for a 22% tax on mobile sports betting and offered an approximate $48-million tax cut to casinos, passed a House vote 100-11. It was transferred to the Senate Gaming Committee, where it died before receiving a vote by the March deadline.
Mississippi’s commercial casinos generated $2.4 billion in revenue in 2025, the same amount that they posted in 2024. The House’s most recent tax proposal was projected to generate $30 million-to-$32 million annually.
