Gaming revenues in Mississippi fell in February, with sports betting declining almost 30%.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission’s report for the month revealed the state’s casinos brought in $172.4 million in revenue, down 12.7% from January’s $194.3 million.
Casino patrons are still required to wear masks even though Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves lifted a statewide mask mandate in early March.
Sports wagering dropped 29.4% to $47.8 million after January’s record handle of $67.7 million. Taxable revenue from sports betting in February was $4.6 million after January’s $9.11 million, a decline of 49.5%.
The total handle for sports betting at casinos in Mississippi’s Coastal Region, which includes Biloxi, Gulfport, and Bay St. Louis, was $34.8 million, with taxable revenue of $2.7 million. In the Northern Tier, which includes Tunica and Lula counties, the handle was $5.6 million, with taxable revenue of $683,125. The handle at casinos in the Central Region (Adams, Warren, and Washington counties) was $7.78 million with taxable revenue of $1.2 million.
Casinos in the Coastal Region again brought in the most revenue in February. But the $112.1 million those casinos reported was a decrease of 4.6% from January’s $117.2 million,
Casino revenue also declined in the Northern Tier by 18.6%, from $49.5 million in January to $40.3 million in February. Central region casinos brought in $20.0 million, a drop of 37.1% from $27.5 million in January.
