Mississippi Reports Gambling Handle Increase in March 2023

Mississippi boasts one of the most organized gambling spaces in the United States and globally. The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) keeps track of the monthly income from gambling in the state. 

In the MGC's latest report, there was an increase in betting handles in March. But note that the March numbers are lower than the same time last year's, where the state collected $249 million in gambling revenues. 

The report says that Mississippi's casinos experienced a boost in gambling revenue compared to the revenue generated in January and February this year. The state collected $230.97 million in revenue from gambling games. Compared to the prior month, all casino operators in the state experienced increased revenues. 

• The state's Coastal region was leading with $143.0 million, marking an increase from $134.3 million registered in February. 
• The state reported $53.8 million from the Northern casinos, an uptick from the $47.7 million in February. 
• The Central casinos posted $34.1 million, an increase from $29.5 million in February 2023.

Sports Betting Handle Breakdown

The sports betting industry in Mississippi has shown impressive performance since the pandemic. The Mississippi Gaming Commission recorded $40.9 million in February before jumping by nearly $6 million to reach $46.7 million in March. However, the figure is lower than the total handle in March of 2022 (almost $47.9 million). 

Breaking it down by region, the Coastal casinos collected $31.8 million, while the Central casinos had a handle of $9.5 million from sports betting. On their part, the Northern casinos had $5.4 million in bets. 

The report says basketball is the most popular sport, with a handle of $33.1 million in March. It adds that $22.7 million of the total basketball betting revenue was from the Coastal casinos alone.