JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi House passed a bill that would legalize mobile sports betting in the state. The Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act now moves on to the Senate.

Before the bill passed on Thursday, there was quite a bit a floor debate on the proposal. Most of the questions and skepticism came from lawmakers representing rural districts with small casinos within them.

Their fears came from how the bill mandates casinos operate with online sportsbooks, such and FanDuel and DraftKings. The bill mandates that these betting programs must be contracted with one of the 26 brick and mortar casinos in Mississippi. The sportsbooks are allowed to contract with all casinos in the state, but Mississippi casinos can only contract with one sportsbook.

Rep. Robert Johnson (D-District 94) is afraid this will single out the small casinos around the state.

“There are platforms in this country that just about now already have a monopoly. Everybody knows that, quit saying it’s going to be 40 platforms. After a while, there’ll be two or three platforms. And if you don’t have a contract with one of those platforms, then you’re out of the market and you don’t make any revenue. I’m just dealing with a practical reality,” Johnson said.

The bill’s author, Rep. Casey Eure (R-District 116), said all casinos will have a fair playing field.

“With 26 casinos, there’s approximately 30 to 40 platforms out there, and you’re allowed to create your own platform so it doesn’t hold you back from creating your own platform. DraftKings and FanDuel can partner with all 26 casinos, but all 26 casino can’t have 40 different platforms,” said Eure.

The bill’s author said the state is projected to make $25 million to $35 million in revenue if the bill is signed into law. The money will go into the roads and bridges fund.