Mississippi State Tax On Gambling Winnings

To ensure you meet your tax obligations, you may ask the casino to withhold state and federal taxes from your gambling winnings. How Will I Know If Tax Was Withheld from My Gambling Winnings? Federal taxes withheld from winnings will be shown in Box 4 of Form W-2G. If state tax has been withheld, it will be shown in Box 15 of the Form W-2G.

Introduction to Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

1, 2002, Mississippi income tax law has required casinos to withhold a nonrefundable income tax at the rate of 3% on gambling winnings that are required to be reported to the IRS.
Gambling winnings reported on a W2G, 1099, or other informational return from Mississippi casinos are subject to a three percent (3%) non-refundable income tax. The casinos withhold the tax at the time of payout. The amount withheld is non-refundable to the taxpayer.

Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 28 riverboat casinos and 3 American Indian tribal casinos. The riverboat casinos, in fact permanently docked barges, appear as land-based casinos. International cruise ships with onboard casinos also depart from ports in Biloxi and Gulfport.

Minimum and maximum payout return limits have been legally set by the state. Further, comprehensive actual payout return statistics are available by gaming machine type and state region.

This post continues the weekly series Online Resource: A State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambling enthusiasts to success. Each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or the federal district.

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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Mississippi*

The minimum legal gambling age in Mississippi depends upon the gambling activity:

Land-Based Casinos: 21
Poker Rooms: 21
Bingo: 18
Lottery: n/a
Pari-Mutuel Wagering: n/a

Gambling in Mississippi has aided to the economy of the state and breathed new life into its tourism industry. In 1990, the Mississippi state legislature was the third U.S. state to legalize riverboat gambling.

By law, Mississippi’s riverboat casinos must be located on coastal waters, the Mississippi River, and in navigable waters of counties bordering the Mississippi River.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Mississippi legislature allowed the state’s gulf coast casinos to rebuild on land within 800 feet of the shoreline.

Winning a jackpot of $1,200 or more in Mississippi results in a nonrefundable 3% tax of those winnings paid to the Mississippi Gaming Commission. This limit also applies to any cash prizes won in casino drawings and tournaments.

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws apply to various forms of gambling. This information is not intended to provide legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Mississippi

It is legal to privately own a slot machine in Mississippi if it is at least 25 years old.

Gaming Control Board in Mississippi

The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) is the state’s gaming control board for non-tribal casinos. The MGC has its own gaming regulations as well as those found within state law, specifically the Gaming Control Act.

The MGC also provides monthly gaming revenues since 2008. It separates its riverboat casinos by their physical region within the state. These three regions are:

Central Region, including the cities of Vicksburg and Natchez
Northern Region, including the cities of Tunica, Greenville, and Lula
Coastal Region, including the cities of Biloxi, Gulfport, and Bay St. Louis

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians also has its Choctaw Gaming Commission for Mississippi’s three tribal casinos. This gaming commission was established via the tribal-state compact and regulates tribal gaming in Mississippi.

Casinos in Mississippi

There are 28 non-tribal casinos and 3 American Indian tribal casinos in Mississippi. There are also cruise ship ports in Biloxi and Gulfport with international destinations.

The largest casino in Mississippi is Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport, having 2,700 gaming machines and 45 table games.

The second largest casino is Silver Star Casino at Pearl River in Philadelphia, having 2,500 gaming machines and 75 table games.

List of Casinos in Mississippi

Mississippi’s 28 riverboat casinos are:

Ameristar Casino Vicksburg in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Boomtown Casino – Biloxi in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
1st Jackpot Casino Tunica in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Fitz Casino Hotel in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Golden Nugget – Biloxi in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Biloxi in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Harlow’s Casino Resort in Greenville within the Northern Region located 119 miles northwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River
Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis within the Coastal Region located 91 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Hollywood Casino Tunica in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport within the Coastal Region located 75 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula in Lula within the Northern Region located 59 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River
Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel in Natchez within the Central Region located 103 miles southwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River
Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Resorts Casino Tunica in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River
Sam’s Town Tunica in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis within the Coastal Region located 91 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast
Trop Casino Greenville in Greenville within the Northern Region located 119 miles northwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River
Tunica Roadhouse Casino and Hotel in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River
WaterView Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River

List of Tribal Casinos in Mississippi

Mississippi’s 3 tribal casinos, each a property of Pearl River Casinos and Resorts owned and operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, are:

Bok Homa Casino in Sandersville located 93 miles southeast of Jackson
Golden Moon Casino in Philadelphia located 75 miles northeast of Jackson
Silverstar Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia located 75 miles northeast of Jackson

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Mississippi slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state.

Mississippi is bordered by:

North: Tennessee Slots
East: Alabama Slots
South: Gulf of Mexico
West: Arkansas Slots and Louisiana Slots

Each of the links above will take you to my state-specific blog for that bordering state to Mississippi.

Payout Returns in Mississippi

The minimum and maximum payout return limits are 80% and 100% per MGC Regulations Part 3: Operations per Rule 12.5: Minimum Standards for Gaming Devices.

These gaming regulations apply to each wager available for play on the device. Further, for skill-based games, these legal limits require a player is employing an optimal strategy for perfect play.

MGC Monthly Revenue Reports provide the most recent month’s Hold Percentage and Win Percentage. Prior reports are in the website’s Monthly Archives by month since April 2000.

The monthly Win Percentage report provides the Win% for all the casinos in total for each State Region: Central, Coastal, and Northern. Further, these state regions offer Win% for each available machine denomination as well as separate entries for progressive machines also by denomination.

For each state region and denomination, the monthly reports combine payout statistics for all electronic gaming machines, including:

Slot machines
Video poker machines
Video keno machines

Finally, another monthly report is a Gaming Devices Report, which provides the number of electronic gaming machines available by denomination for each Mississippi non-tribal casino. Once again, progressive versus non-progressive machines are separate.

Relative to other U.S. gaming jurisdictions, the payout statistics provided by Mississippi are the most thorough treatment I’ve seen for payout returns.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has not established payout return limits via its tribal-state gaming compact or its Choctaw Gaming Commission. Further, as is usual with tribal casinos in other states, no actual payout return statistics are publicly available.

Our Mississippi Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Mississippi? If so, join our new Mississippi slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in or near Mississippi. Come join us!

Summary of Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 28 riverboat casinos, three American Indian tribal casinos, and international cruise ships out of ports in Biloxi and Gulfport on the Gulf Coast.

Minimum and maximum payout return legal limits for the non-tribal casinos are 80% and 100%, respectively. Comprehensive actual payout return statistics are available within three state regions and electronic gaming machine denomination. Further, these statistics are separate for progressive versus non-progressive gaming machines.

Annual Progress in Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling

In the last year, Mississippi’s second largest casino has moved into the lead position primarily by providing another 741 gaming machines. The former largest casino, with its unchanged number of gaming machines, dropped to the second-place position.

Archive: Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2017