The Southern state of Mississippi is often cited as the home of poker, and so it is a crying shame that the charge to create online gambling legislation has seemingly come to a halt. 
Poker was born on the riverboats of this great state, but the paddles have just stopped paddling.

State Democratic Representative, Bobby Moak, is the man largely responsible for the push to allow people of the state the free will to gamble online. Moak is not a man easily dissuade, after submitting his bill in March 2012 and January 2013. 

The resubmission of the bill involved little or no changes at all, meaning that the proposals were for operators to apply for five-year licenses through the Mississippi Gaming Commission, and players must be 21-years of age and sign a wagering agreement.

It has been reported in the online poker news that the latest attempt to push through the bill has ‘died in committee’. It was hoped that this second attempt would have proved more fruitful after Moak collected the support of the local brick and mortar casinos. 

Unfortunately, it seems that no amount of money could help win the war against the anti-gambling and religious groups who believe that gambling offers nothing but damage to the Magnolia State.

The state of the economy in Mississippi is not as bad as some of its neighbours. Debt is just 14% of GDP whereas New Jersey’s levels have risen to 21%. The state of New Jersey looks likely to be the third state, behind Nevada and Delaware, to offer online gambling to its residents. Mississippi will not be following them for now.