Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians go all-in for sports betting

CHOCTAW, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi is one of just five states that have the edge on getting started with sports betting.

Regulations are out for public comment from the Gaming Commission.

But similar changes have already been given a greenlight by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

While the three Choctaw casinos aren’t connected to the state’s gaming commission, the overall goal and excitement surrounding the new offering, is the same.

PR Director Erica Clemons Moore explained, “We are hopeful that we will bring in new guests that haven’t been here with the addition of the sports betting. We’re hoping that the people that are really into the professional sports, the collegiate sports, will come here and participate in the legal sports betting and have a good time while doing it.”

Just more than two weeks after the Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to add legal sports betting, the Tribal Council unanimously approved its new regulations.

And Chief Phyliss Anderson thinks it’s the right environment for the addition.

“We expect it to do very well as Mississippi and Alabama both have dedicated sports fans,” said Anderson.

“And we also anticipate and are hopeful that we’ll attract new guests from the region that’ll come to our property that haven’t been here before. And also we want to offer an exciting new opportunity and gaming options for our loyal guests as well,” said Moore.

Pearl River Resort includes two casinos, the Silver Star and Golden Moon. They plan to offer sports betting at both those locations and the Bok Homa Casino in Sandersville.

“We currently have several locations that we’re looking at that’s already pre-existing here. So, we anticipate being able to announce the exact location in the near future,” said Moore.

So you may be wondering when you can start placing those bets? But it looks like you’ll have to hold your horses just a little longer.

“Timing for us is very important and we want to get it open as soon as we can but we also want to make sure that we do it right,” Moore replied.

The tribe hopes to announce the official date that sports betting will go live in the near future.

Author: Courtney Ann Jackson via statewide news partner WLBT.