Gambling is legal in Mississippi in several specific forms: casino gaming at licensed properties, sports betting placed in person at those casinos, the state lottery, charitable bingo and raffles run by qualifying nonprofits, and paid fantasy sports contests. Online casino games, online poker, and online sports betting are illegal. You must be 21 to gamble at a casino, place a sports bet, or buy a lottery ticket; the minimum drops to 18 for online fantasy contests.1Justia. Mississippi Code 27-115-73 – Sale of Lottery Tickets to or Purchase by Persons Under Twenty-One2Mississippi Gaming Commission. Fantasy Contests Regulations
Casinos and Where They Can Operate
The Mississippi Gaming Control Act of 1990 legalized dockside gaming and created the Mississippi Gaming Commission to regulate it.3Mississippi Legislature Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review. Gaming Regulation in Mississippi: A Progress Report Casinos are not permitted statewide. State rules confine them to defined waterfront areas, and any county can prohibit gaming by local vote.
Along the Gulf Coast, a gaming establishment must sit within 800 feet of the mean high-water line in the three southernmost counties. In Harrison County, it can go no farther north than the southern boundary of U.S. Highway 90’s right-of-way.4Mississippi Secretary of State. Rule 2.2 Location Along the Mississippi River, vessels must be on the river itself or on navigable waters within counties that border it. In practice, casinos cluster in two regions: the Gulf Coast (Biloxi, Gulfport, Bay St. Louis) and the Mississippi Delta (Tunica, Vicksburg, Greenville).
Sports Betting: In Person Only
Mississippi legalized sports betting in 2018, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban. Wagers are available only in person at licensed casino properties. You cannot place a legal sports bet from your phone or computer anywhere in the state, and the Gaming Commission has said explicitly that online and mobile sports wagering apps are illegal.5Mississippi Gaming Commission. Frequently Asked Questions
Lawmakers have floated changes. A 2025 bill, House Bill 1302, proposed allowing licensed casinos to contract with up to two online platforms each, but mobile sports betting had not been enacted as of the time of writing. For now, the in-person rule stands.
The State Lottery
The Legislature created the state lottery in 2018 through Senate Bill 2001, the Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law.6Mississippi Legislature. SB2001 As Sent to Governor – 2018 1st Extraordinary Session The Mississippi Lottery Corporation runs it, selling scratch-offs and multi-state draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions. Mississippi was one of the last states to establish a lottery, and it required a constitutional change because the state constitution had long banned lotteries.
Through June 30, 2028, net proceeds go to the State Highway Fund for road and bridge repairs, with priority given to matching federal highway infrastructure dollars. Any amount above $80 million in a fiscal year flows to the Education Enhancement Fund, which supports early childhood learning programs and classroom supplies. Starting July 1, 2028, the base allocation shifts to the State General Fund, though the education overflow provision stays in place.7Mississippi Legislature. HB 325 As Sent to Governor – 2026 Regular Session
Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Nonprofits can hold bingo and raffles under Mississippi’s Charitable Bingo Law, but the two activities work under different rules. Bingo requires a license from the Gaming Commission, and only organizations domiciled in Mississippi and holding tax-exempt status under Section 501(c) or (d) of the Internal Revenue Code qualify.8Legal Information Institute. 13 Mississippi Code R. 10-1-1 – Definitions All net proceeds must go to the organization’s charitable purpose, and organizations file reports with the Commission that become public records.9Justia. Mississippi Code 97-33-52 – Organizations Authorized to Conduct Bingo Games
A licensed organization can hold up to two bingo sessions per day and up to eight per week. Prizes are capped at $7,500 per session, or $8,000 if the organization holds only one session that week. Pull-tab paybacks don’t count toward those caps.10Mississippi Gaming Commission. Charitable Bingo Laws
One rule catches people off guard. You cannot offer a raffle in connection with a bingo game. The regulations prohibit any other game or raffle alongside authorized bingo sessions, and violating this can cost the organization its bingo license.8Legal Information Institute. 13 Mississippi Code R. 10-1-1 – Definitions Nonprofit raffles are legal on their own under a separate statutory exemption; they just can’t be bundled into a bingo event.
Paid Fantasy Sports Contests
Paid fantasy contests are legal under the Fantasy Contest Act. Operators whose player roster reaches 100 or more members of the general public in a calendar year must obtain a license from the Gaming Commission.2Mississippi Gaming Commission. Fantasy Contests Regulations Contests must turn on accumulated player statistics, not the outcome of a single game or a single athlete’s performance in one event. The minimum age for online fantasy contests is 18.
Online Gambling Is Illegal
Online casino games, online poker, and online sports wagering are all illegal in Mississippi. The Gaming Commission states that “any casino game or sports wagering conducted online where money is paid and won, is illegal,” and that both the companies offering them and the players themselves can face prosecution.5Mississippi Gaming Commission. Frequently Asked Questions
At the federal level, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act prohibits businesses from knowingly accepting payments to settle illegal online gambling debts and requires payment processors, banks, and credit card companies to identify and block those transactions.11Federal Trade Commission. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
Penalties If You Cross the Line
Penalties depend on what you did and how big the operation was.
The baseline offense under Mississippi Code 97-33-1 covers anyone who promotes, encourages, or plays any game for money outside the legal exceptions. Conviction is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500, plus up to 90 days in jail if the fine isn’t paid immediately.12Justia. Mississippi Code 97-33-1 – Betting, Gaming or Wagering; Exception From Prohibition; Penalty
Possessing or operating illegal gambling devices carries its own scale. A first offense is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $500 or up to three months in jail. A second conviction jumps to six months in county jail up to two years in the state penitentiary.13Justia. Mississippi Code 97-33-7 – Gambling Devices Defined
The heaviest penalties come under the Gaming Control Act itself. Evading or failing to pay gaming taxes brings one to six years in state custody and a fine of up to $5,000. Operating without required licenses or approvals can mean one to twenty years and fines up to $50,000. A conviction also triggers immediate revocation of all gaming licenses the violator holds.14Justia. Mississippi Code 75-76-267 – Penalties for Violation of Gaming Control Act
If You Want to Stop
Mississippi runs a voluntary self-exclusion program that bans you from every casino in the state. To enroll, you appear in person at any Gaming Commission office, present valid ID, get photographed, sign a self-exclusion request form, and surrender any casino player club cards.15Legal Information Institute. 13 Mississippi Code R. 3-10-2 – Request for Self-Exclusion The minimum period is five years, with no cap short of a lifetime ban. Entering a casino during your exclusion can lead to ejection and arrest for criminal trespass, and any winnings you accumulate while on the list are subject to forfeiture to the Commission.
The Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling runs a confidential, free helpline around the clock at (888) 777-9696. You can also text “msgambler” to 53342. The council offers self-assessment tools, referrals to Gamblers Anonymous meetings, and treatment connections.16Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling. Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling