Mississippi Casinos Earn $210.7 Million in July, College Students Illegally Place Sports Bets Online

Mississippi casinos generated $210.7 million in revenue in July, up 2.5% from the $205.5 million generated in July 2024. 

The latest statistics from the Mississippi Gaming Commission break down casino revenue by three regions, Northern, Coastal, and Central, which all saw revenue rises. 

The report shows that slots generated $176.5 million, up 3.8% year-on-year from $170.1 million. The coastal region accounted for 66.2% of the total slot revenue, generating $116.9 million. The coastal area also generated the highest revenue for table games, raising $20.1 million of the $28.2 million in the state. 

Positive Increases All Around for Mississippi Casinos

Of the three regions, the coastal region saw the most significant revenue increase of 10.4%, from $126.4 million to $139.6 million. 

In addition, the Northern region also saw a steady year-on-year increase in revenue, with 2025 seeing a 3.6% rise compared to July the year before, from $43.9 million to $45.4 million. Slots generated $36.6 million for casinos in the Northern region in July, a 0.7% decrease from the $36.8 million generated the year before, with Penny Progressive slots generating the highest revenue of $14.5 million. Table games, however, saw a rise of 47% year-on-year in revenue, from $4.4 million to $6.5 million. 

Central casinos saw the smallest revenue increase year-on-year, from $25.2 million to $25.7 million. Table games contributed $1.6 million to the total. However, this is a decrease of 25.1% from the $2.1 million generated in July 2024. Slot revenue saw a 5% rise, from $21.9 million to $23 million. 

Study Shows that 60% of University of Mississippi Students Admit to Online Sports Betting

While land-based casinos are seeing rises in revenue year-on-year, a new report has found that college students in the state are gambling on online sportsbooks despite the practice being illegal in the state. 

The study, completed by the University of Mississippi, showed that 60% of the nearly 1,600 students surveyed reported gambling on ‘legal’ sportsbooks. 

While the state continues to consider legalizing online sports betting and has recently passed a ban on online sweepstakes casinos, the study shows that students still find ways to place bets on illegitimate sites. 

In addition, 32% of the students surveyed said that they had used family and friends to place bets in the past year, and 15% had used sportsbooks outside of the US and Canada. 

“Our students are showing similar patterns to those identified by the NCAA and seen nationally, including that legality doesn’t make a difference with college students,” said Dan Durkin, an associate professor of social work.

Mississippi lawmakers passed legislation to legalize online sports betting in 2023, 2024, and 2025. However, the Senate denied the legislation each time.