State Spotlight

2019 Mississippi Milestones

We took a deeper dive into Mississippi’s milestones throughout 2019 and have listed those highlights below. New Biloxi casino In June, the Mississippi Gaming Commission gave site approval to what will be Biloxi’s ninth casino — Biloxi House — on the site of the former Margaritaville Casino on the Back Bay. The building, off 5th … Continue Reading

Update on Sports Wagering in Louisiana

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd and Chris Ulfers on June 21, 2019 Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering

We write with an update on the status of sports wagering in Louisiana. In our May 2019 article titled “Sports Wagering in Louisiana Might Be on the Horizon,” we provided an overview of Senate Bill 153, sponsored by Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie), and its efforts to legalize sports wagering in Louisiana. As of May 22, the date on … Continue Reading

Sports Wagering in Louisiana Might Be on the Horizon

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd and Chris Ulfers on May 24, 2019 Posted in Horse-racing, PASPA, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering, Tribal Gaming

With the introduction and serious consideration of Senate Bill 153 during the 2019 Regular Session, Louisiana is primed to join the growing number of states that have legalized sports wagering in recent years. Senate Bill 153, sponsored by Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie), would authorize sports wagering in Louisiana. The bill, if passed, would call for … Continue Reading

Will Louisiana Be the Next Southern State to Permit Sports Wagering?

By J. Kelly Duncan and Tommy Shepherd on April 9, 2019 Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, PASPA, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering

The 2019 session of the Louisiana Legislature began on April 8. Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie) has pre-filed a bill which would authorize sports betting on a parish-by-parish basis in the same way that daily fantasy sports (DFS) was legalized last year. Even though the Louisiana Senate Judiciary B Committee was the only place in the … Continue Reading

Mississippi Court Rules Slot Wagering Vouchers are Gaming Debts which may be Voided if not Redeemed by Expiration Date

By Katie Hester on January 22, 2019 Posted in Casino Gaming, Mississippi Gaming Commission, Slot Machines

On January 8, 2019, in response to a patron’s appeal of a Mississippi Gaming Commission decision, the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled that a slot voucher, a/k/a TITO, was a gaming debt under the Mississippi Gaming Control Act and that any dispute over the payment of a slot voucher was governed by the patron dispute … Continue Reading

Top “Baker’s Dozen” Mississippi Gaming Stories of 2018

By Tommy Shepherd on December 31, 2018 Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation, Lottery News, Mississippi Gaming Commission, Sports Betting, Tribal Gaming

As we round the bend into 2019, we pause to reflect on the top Mississippi gaming stories of 2018. Here is our list: Out of the Shadows and Into the Light. On May 14, 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Christie vs. NCAA, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the … Continue Reading

Mississippi has Passed a Lottery Bill: Now What?

By Tommy Shepherd and Zach Branson on September 5, 2018 Posted in Casino Gaming, Lottery News

On August 31, 2018, Governor Phil Bryant signed legislation authorizing a lottery, removing Mississippi from the list of states without a lottery (now down to five jurisdictions). So, when will Mississippians be able to buy a lottery ticket? Through close analysis of the statute and anticipated procedure, it is possible to get some sense of the … Continue Reading

What Do Delaware’s Early Sports Betting Numbers Tell Us About Mississippi’s Potential?

By Zach Branson and Tommy Shepherd on July 10, 2018 Posted in Mississippi Gaming Commission, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering

Recently, the State of Delaware released data from the first 20 days of sports wagering in the state. These numbers may provide some insight into the anticipated success of sports betting in Mississippi. But first, let’s review what some of the experts have previously estimated gross gaming revenue (“GGR”) from sports wagering could be in … Continue Reading

What Has to Happen Before the First Sports Wager in Mississippi?

By Tommy Shepherd and Zach Branson on June 6, 2018 Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation, Mississippi Gaming Commission, PASPA, Sports Wagering

While many media outlets have reported that Mississippi is one of a handful of states on the forefront of preparing for legal sports betting after the Supreme Court declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional, there is a great deal that must happen before a Mississippi casino may accept legal sports wagers. … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Decision on PASPA Could Lead to Mississippi Sports Betting by June

By Tommy Shepherd on May 14, 2018 Posted in Casino Gaming, Mississippi Gaming Commission, Sports Wagering

Following the United States Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act unconstitutional, the Mississippi Gaming Commission’s Executive Director has stated a goal of having legal sports betting in Mississippi casinos by the end of June. Draft regulations have circulated for weeks, and it is only a matter of time before final … Continue Reading

How Important Would Sports Betting Be to the State of Mississippi?

By Tommy Shepherd and Zach Branson on April 6, 2018 Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, Horse-racing, Skill-based Gaming, Sports Wagering, Uncategorized

Enacted in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”) effectively prohibits sports betting in the U.S. at both a federal and state level other than for a few exceptions that benefit four states (Nevada, Oregon, Delaware, and Montana). In recent years, some state governments and professional sports leagues have completely altered or at … Continue Reading

What will Santa bring for 2018 in Mississippi gaming?

By Tommy Shepherd on December 21, 2017 Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, Lottery News, Mississippi Gaming Commission, Sports Wagering

While a lot has happened with regard to the gaming industry in Mississippi in 2017, many questions arise with respect to 2018. Is this the year for the lottery? Lottery proponents for many years have introduced bills for a lottery in Mississippi, only to have such bills die in legislative committees. However, in 2016, the … Continue Reading

Mississippi Gaming Commission Considers Easing Restrictions on Institutional Investors

By Tommy Shepherd on October 26, 2017 Posted in Government Regulation, Mississippi Gaming Commission

At the October 19, 2017, meeting of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, the Commission approved for publication, for receipt of public comment, a proposal to amend the Commission’s regulations on institutional investors. Institutional investors under the Mississippi gaming regulations and those of other jurisdictions are certain defined banks, insurance companies, registered investment companies, registered investment advisors, … Continue Reading

Russell Published in American Gaming Lawyer – “With the ‘Eddie Tipton Situation’ Over, What Happens Now?”

By Jones Walker LLP on October 13, 2017 Posted in Casino Gaming, Lottery News

Daniel Russell published an article for American Gaming Lawyer’s Autumn 2017 issue. In his article, “With the ‘Eddie Tipton Situation’ Over, What Happens Now?” Mr. Russell discusses the issues surrounding the Hot Lotto scheme and the direction of the gaming industry with regard to security. The article provides information of the legal ramifications of security breaches and … Continue Reading

Sports Betting – Will the Tribes be Shutout?

By on September 20, 2017 Posted in American Gaming Association, Sports Wagering, Tribal Gaming

Whether it’s members of Congress making highly publicized bets against each other on their hometown teams in the college national championships, March Madness office pools, or the massive amounts wagered on the Super Bowl each year, sports betting is a well-established American pastime. All this, of course, notwithstanding the federal ban on sports betting in … Continue Reading

Will Sports Betting Become Legal in Mississippi?

By Tommy Shepherd on July 13, 2017 Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, Sports Wagering

While the appeal of the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision against New Jersey’s challenge to the Professional and Amateur Sports Act of 1992 (“PASPA”) winds its way through the U.S. Supreme Court, Mississippi has taken some important steps on the road to legal sports wagering in the state. In the 2017 Mississippi Legislative … Continue Reading

It’s All in the Numbers: Chances of a Lottery in Mississippi?

By Tommy Shepherd on June 15, 2017 Posted in Government Regulation, Lottery News, Mississippi Gaming Commission, Skill-based Gaming

For many years, the State of Mississippi had a constitutional prohibition on lotteries. Sec. 98 of the Mississippi Constitution (adopted in 1890) stated as follows: No lottery shall ever be allowed, or be advertised by newspapers, or otherwise, or its tickets be sold in this State; and the legislature shall provide by law for the … Continue Reading

Back to the Future: Gaming “Site Wars” Return to Mississippi

By Tommy Shepherd on March 29, 2017 Posted in Government Regulation, Mississippi Gaming Commission

In the mid 1990s, the Mississippi Gaming Commission served as the battleground for numerous fights regarding the legality of gaming sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Many of those contests resulted in a series of cases that the Mississippi Supreme Court decided. In a set of disputes that are reminiscent of those days gone by, the Mississippi … Continue Reading

Casino Gaming in Georgia? Don’t Bet On It Just Yet

By Chris Ulfers on January 18, 2017 Posted in Bingo, Casino Gaming, Georgia Gaming, Government Regulation, Horse-racing, Tribal Gaming

Casino gaming is, at present, not permitted in the State of Georgia. Indeed, some commentators have gone as far as to categorize Georgia as one of the three least gambling-friendly states in the nation. Yet, others believe that Georgia’s casino-gaming prohibition may soon come to an end. In fact, some legislators and commentators are of … Continue Reading

The times are a changin’ – Louisiana creates the Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force

By J. Kelly Duncan on October 13, 2016 Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation

This summer, a concurrent resolution that creates a Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force (“Task Force”) was adopted during the regular session of the Louisiana State Legislature. The Task Force, to be chaired by Ronnie Jones, Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, is charged with (1) studying current law and existing rules and … Continue Reading

Lyle Berman: Retailer, Gambler, and Hall of Famer

By Tommy Shepherd on October 11, 2016 Posted in American Gaming Association, Casino Gaming

In 1992, I got a phone call from Tony Cabot, a gaming attorney in Las Vegas. Tony asked me a question that would change my life. “Would you like to represent Grand Casinos?” he said. I responded “yes”. For the next sixteen years, until the company was merged with Park Place Entertainment Corporation in 1998, … Continue Reading

Has New Jersey armed the first forfeiture warhead to be used against Fantasy Sports operators?

By Jones Walker LLP on September 22, 2016 Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Skill-based Gaming

A recent appellate court opinion from New Jersey could serve as the basis for civil and criminal proceedings against fantasy sports operations. The case styled New Jersey v. Amboy National Bank, 2016 WL 4488162, was handed down on August 26, and involved the civil forfeiture of accumulated funds in a bank account on deposit for … Continue Reading

Gaming Expansion in Florida Rests with the Florida Supreme Court

By Jones Walker LLP on June 24, 2016 Posted in Lottery News, Slot Machines, Tribal Gaming

Two issues of profile now are in the hands of Florida’s highest court which could forever change the landscape of Florida’s gaming industry. The first case involves a small horse track in North Florida, Gretna Racing. This quarter horse track located in Gadsden County, Florida applied for a license to operate slot machines after the … Continue Reading