Football made a welcome return for Mississippi sports betting in September.
The state’s riverboat casinos took in $43,139,311 in handle for the month, coinciding with the return of college football and the NFL, and that more than doubled the total from the previous month.
The September total wagered on sports was, to be precise, up 103.2% in a month-over-month comparison with the $21.23 million in the Mississippi August revenue report.
However, the total was down in a year-over-year comparison, declining 21.3% from September 2021 ($54.835 million).
Mississippi Sports Betting, September vs. August
September Revenue Up Even More Sharply
The sports betting revenue rose even more dramatically than the handle in the Magnolia State. The revenue at the state’s riverboat casinos – the only wagering option in a state with no mobile sports betting except in person at those casinos – was $8,779,943 in September.
That was a 226.7% increase from August ($2,687,465) but down 0.7% from the $8.846 million in September 2021.
It doesn’t hurt that both of the state’s SEC football programs are off to hot starts.
Coach Lane Kiffin and the Mississippi Rebels are 7-0 and ranked No. 7 in the latest Associated Press poll. A tough stretch awaits – at LSU, at Texas A&M, home against No. 6 Alabama and at Arkansas – before Ole Miss faces archrival Mississippi State to close the regular season.
The Bulldogs are 5-2 and ranked 24th under Mike Leach.
Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart, a transfer from Southern California, has thrown for 1,488 yards with 11 touchdown and six interceptions. Dart started the season as a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate, but has fallen to +15000 odds for college football’s top individual honor at DraftKings Sportsbook despite his team’s success thus far.
Mississippi Casino Numbers Up Slightly
The casinos in Mississippi also reported improved numbers for September compared to August, but with less dramatic increases than sports betting. This is no surprise because sports betting is very seasonal (numbers drop steeply in summer then pick back up in the fall and winter) whereas the handle and revenue on casino games is much more consistent from month to month.
The amount bet on slot machines, known as the drop, was up 2.8%, from $2.139 billion in August to $2.198 billion last month, the Mississippi Gaming Commission reported.
The drop at table games was $163.840 million in September, up 0.6% from August ($162.81 million).
