West Virginia is one of a short list of states that offers virtually every form of gambling, including: Racing, Bingo, Lottery, Video Lottery at Tracks, Video Lottery at Bars, Table games, DFS, and sports betting. Sports betting was the last to become legal and was legalized in August of 2018 as West Virginia became the 5th state in the United States to legalize sports betting. This article will take a short glance at the status of betting within the state, places to bet in the state, and the teams that help drive sports betting before taking a more in-depth look into each category. Let’s begin by taking a glance at the status of betting in the state of West Virginia.
At a Glance
Status of betting at a glance: West Virginia is one of a short list of states in the United States where virtually every form of betting is legal. Betting on racing was first legalized in 1931. Gambling on Bingo became legal in 1980. Gambling using video lottery at tracks became legal in 1984. Betting using video lottery at bars became legal in 2001. Table games became legal in 2001, DFS remained legal after a decision in July of 2016, and sports betting became legal in 2018.
Where to bet at a glance: There have been five casinos in the state of West Virginia that have allowed sports betting; however, two of them have suspended their operation. The casinos that allow sports betting are Hollywood Casino at Charles Town, The Greenbrier and Mountaineer Casino. The two casinos that have suspended their sports betting operation are Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island.
Teams at a glance: West Virginia is another state where sports betting is legal, but they lack a major sports team within the state. However, a lot of people from Pennsylvania travel to the casinos in West Virginia and college sports, especially the West Virginia Mountaineers, help to drive sports betting within the state.
Status of Sports Betting
West Virginia became the 5th state in the United States to allow sports betting. On August 30th, 2018, West Virginia, became the 5th state in the United States to legalize sports betting. The first casino to implement sports betting was the Hollywood Casino, which is owned by Penn National.
The move came six months after the West Virginia legislature passed a bill with the West Virginia Lottery Commission serving as the chief regulator. Both in-person and online sports wagering are permitted under the law. The West Virginia Lottery Commission set forth its sports betting regulations and expected the casinos to start accepting wagers by September 1st, 2018. FanDuel secured a deal to manage sports betting operations at The Greenbrier Resort. On August 30th, 2018, the Hollywood Casino started accepting wagers.
Two casinos recently suspended their sports betting operations—Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island. There are only a handful of casinos in the state, but we will take an in-depth look at those casinos in the next section of the article.
Where to Bet Sports
There are not a lot of casinos in the state of West Virginia that offer sports betting, three to be exact, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more casinos to open and accept sports wagering. This section will examine those three casinos that do offer sports betting, let’s begin by looking at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town: The casino was the first casino in the state to allow sports betting and did so starting in August of 2018. They are partnered with DraftKings Sportsbook. Starting in June of 2019 they are expected to begin to allow mobile wagering and players will be able to do so through the DraftKings sportsbook app. The casino is located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The hours of operation are Sunday-Thursday: 10 am-12 am, Friday 10 am-1 am and Saturday 9 am-1 am.
The Greenbrier: The Greenbrier is a private casino that first started to accept sports wagers in September of 2018 and was the second casino in the state to begin accepting sports wagers. The Greenbrier is partnered with FanDuel, which should mean there will be mobile wagering using the FanDuel app. However, as of now, the casino does not offer mobile wagering on sports. The Greenbrier is located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Mountaineer Casino: The third and final casino that allows sports betting now is the Mountaineer Casino. The Mountaineer Casino began to allow sports wagering in November of 2018. They do not offer mobile sports wagering yet but hope to eventually. The Mountaineer Casino is located in New Cumberland, West Virginia. The hours of operation are Monday-Thursday 10 am-12 am, Friday 10 am-1 am, Saturday 9 am-1am and Sunday 9 am-12 am.
Latest News
The WV DraftKings Sportsbook app has completed regulatory testing, according to WV Metro News and could launch as soon as next week. A company spokesperson later confirmed the report to LSR but offered no timeline for launch. WV online sports betting was previously live for several months via BetLucky WV, but the app and its associated retail sportsbooks shut down in March over a dispute with the supplier.
The decade-long legal challenge to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was a one-state fight, but other states stood ready to enter US Sports betting when the Supreme Court accepted the case. Over the past year, 38 states representing nearly 90 percent of the US adult population have introduced more than 150 bills on the topic. Sports betting is arguably the most talked about policy in state capitols across the United States.
Delaware North is prepared to take the ultimate step to restore its sports betting operation in West Virginia. The owner of the Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras casinos confirmed that it is terminating its relationship with its supplier, Miomni. The relationship was short-lived, surviving less than six months from announcement to annulment. The decision comes 23 days into a dispute between Miomni and a third part that has interrupted service for two retail sportsbooks and the BetLucky WV app.
Sports Teams That Drive Betting
Although West Virginia does not have any professional sports teams that are close to Pennsylvania and Ohio which do have multiple professional sports teams and with fans in West Virginia having allegiances to these teams it helps to drive sports betting. Let’s take a closer look at each professional league and what drives sports betting in the state of West Virginia.
NBA: There are no professional NBA teams in the state of West Virginia, but the state shares borders with both Ohio and Pennsylvania which do. The NBA teams that drive sports betting as a result are the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as the Philadelphia 76ers.
NFL: Sharing borders with Ohio and Pennsylvania there are four teams that help to drive sports betting in the state of West Virginia which are the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
MLB. The state of West Virginia may not have any professional MLB teams, but they share borders with two states that have multiple teams in the MLB, and as a result, these teams help to drive sports betting in the state of West Virginia. The teams that drive sports betting in the state of West Virginia when it comes to the MLB are the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and the Cleveland Indians.
NHL: Again, West Virginia may not have any professional sports teams, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any teams in close proximity to the state of West Virginia. Sharing borders with Ohio as well as Pennsylvania there are a few NHL teams that help to drive sports betting in West Virginia which are the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.
College Teams: West Virginia has some of the most diehard college sports fans when it comes to football as well as basketball, and as a result, this helps to drive sports betting in the state. The biggest college team in the state that helps to drive up the revenue when it comes to sports betting is the West Virginia Mountaineers.
In closing with the team section, there may not be any professional sports teams, but since the state shares borders with two states that do there is a mixture of fans of different professional teams within the state. There is also a lot of revenue gained due to the West Virginia Mountaineer athletic program.
Legal Status
Casinos: Casinos have been legal in the state for quite some time, and they offer slots, blackjack, poker, craps/roulette, horses, and lottery.
Sports Betting: Sports Betting became legal in August of 2018, and there are five casinos in the state that allow sports wagering.
Horse Racing: Horse racing was the first form of gambling that was legalized in the state of West Virginia and was legalized in 1931.
Poker: Poker has remained legal in-person at their casinos, and all three casinos offer poker on site.
DFS: Remained legal after a court decision in July of 2016 that made DFS a game of skill versus a game of risk.
Lottery: The Lottery in the state of West Virginia became legal in 1984, video lottery at racetracks became legal in 1994, and video lottery at bars became legal in 2001.
Sports Betting Timeline
- 2018 West Virginia approves Bill that legalizes sports wagering in the state.
- August 2018 The first sports wagers are accepted at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town
- September 2018 The second casino in West Virginia, The Greenbrier, begins to accept sports wagers
- November 2018 The third casino in the state of West Virginia, the Mountaineer Casino, opens its sportsbook and starts to accept wagers.
- March 2019: BetLucky WV app is shut down as the Mardi Gras, and Wheeling Island Casinos cease to allow sports wagers at their casinos
