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University of Mississippi researchers, armed with a bevy of data, have in recent weeks met with state lawmakers and outlined their case for why the Legislature should fund new programs to study and treat problematic gambling.
The researchers will request a $2 million annual allocation to fund two major gambling initiatives on campus, a presentation obtained by Mississippi Today shows.
The effort comes as gambling in the U.S. is on the rise due to increasing access and availability, the researchers said. It also comes as the legalization of mobile sports betting remains stalled in the Mississippi Legislature, with House and Senate leaders at loggerheads over the policy.
The University of Mississippi researchers have not taken a position on the legalization of mobile sports betting. Hailing from departments ranging from social work to higher education to the law school, the researchers will ask for $1 million to fund a Center on Collegiate Gambling. The center will conduct academic research on student gambling and gambling on collegiate sports.
The other $1 million would fund gambling treatment clinics for the general population of Mississippi. The home-base clinic would be located at the University of Mississippi, with additional potential clinics at Mississippi State University, Jackson State University and the University of Southern Mississippi.
The University of Mississippi announced the launch of its Center on Collegiate Gambling in March, describing it as the “first of its kind in the nation” amid rising national concern about betting on collegiate sports.
Researchers affiliated with the initiative have since been looking for steady funding for the center. Figures included in the presentation they delivered to lawmakers point to a growing problem that will take resources to solve.
About 20 million people, or 8% of U.S. adults, report experiencing at least one problematic gambling behavior several times in the past year. The estimated social cost of problem gambling in the U.S. is $14 billion a year, according to findings from the National Council on Problem Gambling. That can be traced to gambling-related criminal justice and healthcare spending, as well as job loss, debt and bankruptcy.
In Mississippi, an estimated 4% of adults in Mississippi are believed to meet criteria for gambling disorder.
In late June, Rep. Beth Luther Waldo, a Republican from Pontotoc, said she and several fellow lawmakers visited the University of Mississippi and that the growing problem of gambling addiction among young people “stood out as particularly concerning.”
“We discussed how easily some individuals can become trapped in a cycle of gambling losses and debt often digging themselves into an even deeper hole as they try to recover what they’ve lost,” Waldo wrote on social media. “While online sports betting is currently illegal in Mississippi, many young people (& adults) are still accessing gambling opportunities through offshore websites and other online platforms.”
A 2025 survey of schools in the Institutions of Higher Learning found that about 40% of undergraduate students gambled in the past year, most often via lottery, cards and sports betting. Gambling was more prevalent among students who were male, white, lived off campus, participated in sports and were involved in Greek life. About 16% of student sports bettors met criteria for moderate or severe problem gambling.
But more broadly, the researchers said, nine out of 10 individuals with a gambling problem never receive treatment.
While gambling might be a financial problem for some individual Mississippi residents, it’s big business for the state as a whole.
In 2025, total statewide commercial casino gambling revenue in Mississippi was $2.43 billion, the researchers said. That same year, commercial casinos generated approximately $287.9 million in direct gaming tax revenue.
Despite the growing prevalence of gambling addiction and the longstanding power of the state’s casino industry, Mississippi is one of only nine states with no public funding specifically designated for problem gambling services, the researchers said.
The state used to transfer $100,000 to the Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling, but that spending was discontinued in 2018.
In addition to being one of the few states with no taxpayer-funded gambling services, Mississippi has also remained among a minority of states that haven’t legalized mobile sports betting.
The opposition is largely rooted in fears that legalization could harm the bottom line of the state’s casinos and increase the prevalence of gambling addiction. That hasn’t stopped a thriving black market from taking hold in the state.
In 2024, illegal online betting in Mississippi made up about 5% of the national illegal market, which is about $3 billion in illegal bets in Mississippi, proponents said that year. Supporters of legalization, including House Speaker Jason White, say people will place online sports wagers regardless of whether the practice is legal, so the state should regulate and tax it.
The state House voted, for the third year in a row, to legalize mobile sports betting during the regular 2026 legislative session. But Senate leaders have said they plan to let the measure die again.
Recently, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who leads the Senate, restated his opposition to legalization, citing the potential economic impact on casinos and “a social cost that is of increasing concern.”
“Mobile sports betting could undermine the billions of dollars invested in brick-and-mortar gaming facilities across our state, increase opportunities for misconduct and illegal actions involving athletes, and raise serious questions about whether the resulting tax revenue would even be sufficient to offset the associated social and economic costs,” Hosemann said. “The Senate should continue to reject this harmful legislation.”
Whether or not Mississippi chooses to legalize mobile sports betting in the future, the University of Mississippi researchers told lawmakers that their gambling initiatives will educate the public around responsible gambling while providing a safety net for those who develop problems.
