For college students over the past couple of decades, entertainment on campus has undergone a constant makeover with students discovering new ways to unwind away from the lecture theatres and seminar rooms. Some old habits never die. Hanging out with friends while financing the local bar and campus sports will always remain a popular avenue for students looking to achieve the optimal balance between study and relaxation.
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However, for the modern-day student in Mississippi, there is a whole realm of entertainment opening that is being rapidly brought into the mainstream by digital advances, and the local lawmakers. iGaming is a term that is becoming more widely recognized around the state of Mississippi after local federal lawmakers passed a bill in February 2024 legalizing mobile and online sports betting.
The Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act represents a step in the digital direction with Mississippi moving one step closer to aligning itself with other states in the U.S that already permit all forms of iGaming, including play on online casinos. Online players are able to find some here that could potentially apply to their state and offer all the advantages that the small proportion of legal American online casinos provide.
From an enormous range of games covering blackjack, roulette, poker, and slots, along with a diverse variety of payment methods on offer, there are many reasons why this phenomenon has taken off. Mobile sports betting has opened the door to iGaming in Mississippi, which could potentially lead to greater changes in the near future.
iGaming revenue cannot be ignored
One of the main reasons for lawmakers passing the bill on mobile sports betting is the amount of revenue the state of Mississippi was missing out on by not permitting the activity. The U.S as a whole is forecasted to report staggering revenue numbers from the iGaming industry in the region of $24.98 billion for 2024 with the state of Mississippi estimating an annual boost of between $25-$35 million that could be reinvested in the state.
The projected revenue figures for mobile sports betting are only an initial projection and do not yet consider the scalability of online sports betting in the coming years. The activity has witnessed an exponential rise not just in the U.S, but around the world, with many governments and legislators also passing similar bills to welcome iGaming.
What else might follow?
With the door to mobile sports betting firmly open to students residing in Mississippi, it might not be long before discussions are held over the legalization of online casinos in the state. There are currently only seven states that allow residents to access all forms of iGaming, including online casinos, lottery, and bingo. While mobile sports betting in Mississippi is regulated under the same laws that land-based casinos must abide to, the introduction of legislation for online casinos would require a completely new framework to be written.
The example of how strict the framework that covers online casinos needs to be has been set by those states that have legalized all forms of online gambling. Rules would have to cover aspects related to privacy, online security or encryption, fair gaming, and obligations to promote responsible gaming to name a few. And with introductions such as cryptocurrency emerging on some online casino platforms around the world, legislation covering the digital currency would also have to be fine-tuned.
States where all online gambling is legal:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Michigan
- New Jesey
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
An array of online options
For students living in the current era, they are spoiled with a vast variety of entertainment options, even at their fingertips. The digital revolution has created an online void that is being filled with games in mobile app form, including iGaming providers and classic board games, while video streaming and social media remain extremely popular.
However, iGaming is one of the trends that is growing increasingly popular for people of all ages. For students in Mississippi, especially those who are passionate about their sport, a whole new realm of sports interaction has opened. What follows mobile sports betting remains to be seen but the face of entertainment could be set to change drastically.