Best online gambling sites in Mississippi — at a glance

To gamble online in Mississippi, your best bet is to go to a social or sweepstake casino. Online social and sweeps casinos let you play your favorite slots and table casino games legally and for free.

Keep in mind that you can’t win any real money at a social casino. Real money can be won from sweepstakes casinos but each casino will have a different mechanic of how to convert virtual coins to real ones.

These casinos are popular in Mississippi and beyond because they provide an exciting gameplay experience without the need to risk money. Many players use social and sweepstake casinos such as Gambino Slots or Pulsz to learn games, practice, and develop their strategies and skills. Social casinos allow you to interact online with fellow players and be part of a community.

There are dozens of fantastic social and sweepstake casinos you can access from Mississippi, so choosing the best one can be challenging. Our casino experts have listed the top social casinos in Mississippi to get you started.

Mississippi gambling sites by type — what’s legal?

Despite being one of the most welcoming states to retail gambling, lawmakers drafting the Mississippi gaming control act have approached online gambling sites more cautiously. After the state legalized land-based casinos in 1990, Mississippi saw a massive rush of casinos opening up. Now, there are almost 30 in operation. The Magnolia State even legalized sports betting before the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in 2018.

Having said that, you can’t gamble at Mississippi casinos online, play online poker, play live dealer games or buy lottery tickets online. There are a limited number of online sportsbooks, and using these sites is restricted by location. You can only legally bet in the partner land-based casino of your sportsbook. The minimum gambling age in Mississippi is 21+ for most activities. 

Mississippi online casinos — not yet legal

Are there any legal online gambling sites in Mississippi? No. The Magnolia State may have welcomed dozens of commercial land-based casinos over more than three decades, but the state’s lawmakers aren’t ready to legalize online casinos yet — but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any alternatives and we list them in our dedicated page about the best Mississippi online casinos. 

It seemed like the state was very interested at one point when the House Gaming Committee formed the Internet Gaming Taskforce in 2014. The Taskforce was responsible for studying the possibility of an online launch. The results viewed launching Mississippi online gambling negatively, citing technology issues and how rural the state is.

These concerns led the Taskforce to conclude that Mississippi online gambling may not be profitable. There have been more recent attempts to legalize online casinos, but so far, nothing has passed. As states around Mississippi like Louisiana and Tennessee welcome more forms of gambling, we may see the demand to legalize online casinos in the Magnolia State increase.  

Mississippi online betting sites — not yet legal

Mississippi gambling laws for sports betting are different than in other jurisdictions. In most states, you can download a sportsbook app and bet from anywhere in the state as long as you are old enough to gamble.

While retail sportsbooks operate at licensed land-based casinos in Mississippi, you can’t place bets online from everywhere. Some MS sportsbooks allow you to download an app to use on the casino’s property. You will need to enable the app to track your device’s location, and you can’t bet once you leave the casino.  

Online social casinos in Mississippi

While online casino gambling may not be permitted in Mississippi yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite casino games. You can use online social casinos, like Gambino Slots and BetRivers.net, to play slots and table games. Gambino Slots also provides free online poker you can play against other players. While you won’t make any profit, you can also play these games with no risk to your finances. Many land-based casinos in MS are partnered with a social casino.

Click on any link in this section to play with the best social casinos. We carefully review every site we recommend to ensure it provides various games, good customer support, and top player safety measures. Here are our top social and sweepstakes sites in Mississippi.

Offline gambling in Mississippi

There are 29 land-based casinos spread across the Magnolia State, where you can play slot games, table games, and poker. Many of these land-based casinos also provide retail sportsbooks where you can place bets.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) licenses every commercial casino. There are also some tribal casinos that the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians regulates.

Some casinos were launched back in the early 90s with more and more casinos opening up their doors as recently as 2015. Some of the Mississipi land-based casinos also have an online social casino counterpart.

How to choose the best Mississippi gambling sites

The final decision on where you gamble online is obviously down to you. But we provide you with as much information as possible so you can make the right choice. Our gambling experts test out every gambling site reviewed on our site and rank each one by categories that are important to players. This includes safety and financial security, a variety of gambling products, and promotions on offer.

Mississippi gambling and safety

Compared to the rest of the US, Mississippi has unique gambling rules. The state government formed the Mississippi Gaming Commission in 1990 to enforce those regulations. Only gambling operators licensed by the MGC can provide casino games, sports betting, or charitable games in MS. The body is responsible for checking every company that applies for a gambling license sticks to gambling regulations. The MGC also runs background checks on key staff members.

Following Mississippi gambling laws, the Mississippi Gaming Control act currently doesn’t regulate any online casino gambling. The MGC licensed BetMGM and Pearl Rivers Sports to provide online betting within the confines of each operator’s partner casinos.

Mississippi gambling laws through time

The Mississippi gambling market kicked off in 1990 when the state agreed to legalize commercial casinos. Previously, the Magnolia State was only home to tribal casinos. The bill passed in 1990 also legalized bingo, which is now played in many halls around MS. Check out our timeline for more information on the essential Mississippi gambling laws, regulations, and milestones.

Mississippi gambling laws — latest updates

The biggest change on the horizon for Mississippi gambling laws is legalizing mobile sports betting. Land-based casinos have resited this change, killing off many proposed bills over the years.

Mississippi’s neighbors Louisiana and Tennessee have now both legalized mobile sports betting. The pressure from these two markets may force MS lawmakers to change their minds on online sports wagering.

• February 2021 — Mississippi hits an overall betting handle of $1 billion.  
• September 2021 — BetMGM launches its mobile app in Mississippi. Players can use this by visiting the sportsbook’s partnered casinos.
• February 2022 — Rep. Cedric Burnett introduces HB184 to legalize wagering through “digital platforms”. The bill dies in the House Committee.

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