Late last week, Phil Bryant, the Governor of Mississippi, officially signed SB 2541 into law. The bill will see daily fantasy sports legalized and regulated in the state, making Mississippi the 4th state in the US to pass legislation in regards to DFS gaming.
Back in March, the bill, titled the Fantasy Contest Act, was passed in the State Senate. The bill then moved to the House where it was changed to a different bill. The language involving daily fantasy sports legislation and regulation was removed and a decision was made to create a Fantasy Contest Gaming Study Committee. The bill also authorized a state lottery with an amendment that was hand-written and signed. The House passed this version of the measure.
To try and fix matters, a conference committee was created and would consist of three individuals who are representatives and senators of the state. These lawmakers worked on the measure, removing the language of the lottery and then putting the DFS regulations back in place. This reworked measure would pass in the House and Senate with the Governor expected to sign the bill. Bryant did sign the measure and now DFS contests are regulated in the state.
The bill does not place a licensing fee on DFS operators and a Fantasy Contest Task Force is to be created. This group will be reviewing the contests and operators, providing recommendations for regulations. Players must be 18 years of age or older to compete with employees of DFS sites and their immediate family members not allowed to play. These factors of the measure are similar to DFS bills in other states including the fact that player funds have to be segregated from player funds as well as player protections being put in place by operators.
In Mississippi, the law will expire on the 17th of July next year. One could assume that putting a deadline on the activity would see the contests becoming illegal after this date unless the law is renewed.
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