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According to latest revenue report released by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, state-licensed sportsbooks generated a record handle (total dollars wagered) in November and nearly $10 million more than in the preceding month. Sportsbooks in the state saw a combined $44.5 million handle in November, up from $32.8 million in October.

It’s the third straight month the Mississippi sports betting handle has trended upward, rising from $31.8 million in September.

Football, as you probably would expect, is driving the action in Mississippi, account for $27.9 million in total bets wagered, while $8.1 million in bets were placed on basketball, $7.3 million on parlay cards, and $1.4 million on “other” sporting events.

Sportsbooks along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which includes Biloxi, continue to set the pace in the state, with a handle of $27.7 million in November, as compared to $10.4 million in Tunica and the surrounding Northern region, followed by $6.4 million in the Central region.

Mobile wagering in Mississippi would change everything

Clearly there is an appetite for legal sports betting in Mississippi. However, the action so far is barely the appetizer. The regulations in Mississippi are such right now that people can only place bets while on sportsbook premises or while using an app while located on casino premises. In other words, in-person only.

​In New Jersey, people can access and use their sportsbook accounts anywhere within the state. How’s that working out? In New Jersey, $238.6 million of November’s $330.7 million total handle came from mobile wagering. That accounted for 72 percent of the month’s betting handle in New Jersey. Obviously New Jersey is a much more populous state than Mississippi (or Nevada) but you get the idea: make it mobile, baby.

FanDuel and DraftKings are leading the charge in New Jersey, and already have a foothold in Mississippi, but can’t yet fully activate given the existing regulatory limitations.

In order to get their foot in the door, DraftKings reached an agreement with Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, Miss. in November to open the DraftKings at Scarlet Pearl Sportsbook. In September in conjuntion with Boyd Gaming, the IP Sportsbook and FanDuel Sports Zone opened in Biloxi at the IP Casino Resort and Spa.