Mississippi to study internet gambling possibilities

Democrat Representative Bobby Moak of Mississippi, a long-time proponent of legalised and regulated online gambling in his state, will be pleased with the news that a task force charged with researching online gambling possibilities has been appointed, and will report on its findings before the end of 2014.

On Friday Mississippi House Gaming Committee chairman Richard Bennett announced the comprehensive enquiry, emphasising that he wanted an objective and unbiased review of every aspect of online gambling as an essential element for informing subsequent political debate on the subject.

He commented that he wanted to have accurate information to hand in order to ensure that the state did not lag behind if lawmakers ultimately decided that online gambling was a desirable and appropriate strategy.

The composition of the task force was not detailed, but it will be chaired by Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, who told reporters that the enquiry will include a study of the experiences of other states where online gambling has been legalised, namely Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada.

Following suggestions from the state gaming industry, the task force will also look at sports betting.

Our readers will recall that Rep. Moak has appeared in previous bulletins covering his unsuccessful attempts over the past three years to drive online gambling legalisation measures through the Mississippi legislature.

He announced earlier this year that he intends to take another run at legalisation in the current legislative season.