The first legal bets in Mississippi on sporting events have been placed. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out, but here’s a scenario that seems likely.
There will be a rush at first of people placing bets at casinos, which is the only place Mississippi allows it. The casinos will report higher numbers of patrons and revenue. But as legalized sports betting spreads across the country, the business in Mississippi will plateau and then start dropping, just like casino revenues did after this state lost its distinction of being one of the few states with legalized gaming.
Soon the casinos in Mississippi will lobby for the right to receive sports bets remotely, which almost assuredly is going to happen in other states that enter the market later.
The internet will host the bulk of the sports betting, with a few large companies dominating the action nationally and possibly globally.
Will Mississippi be home to any of those? Someone needs to set the odds on that.
