West Virginia Sports Betting

After passing a bill to pass the WV Sports Lottery Wagering Act into law in March 2018, West Virginia became the fifth state to offer legalized sports betting five months later. While the Governor did not personally sign the bill, both the House and the Senate passed it less than six weeks after it was first introduced.

The state took its first bet at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races on August 30, 2018. West Virginia originally launched online sports betting in December 2018 with the BetLucky app, but some BetLucky ceased operations shortly after, resulting in the state not truly having full online sports betting until August 2019.

Since then, the state has seen a lot of action, generating $129.6 million in bets in the final four months of 2019.

Is sports betting legal in West Virginia?

Yes. The bill to make sports betting legal in West Virginia was passed on March 9, 2018, with the first actual bet made on August 30, 2018. West Virginia became the fifth state to officially legalize sports betting.

Where can I bet at West Virginia sportsbooks?

Legalized sports betting was first offered in West Virginia at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town. Since then the state has seen bets being taken at The Greenbrier, Mardi Gras Casino, Wheeling Island and Mountaineer Casino.

Hollywood Casino at Charles town also offers an online platform through DraftKings and The Greenbrier is partnered with FanDuel. Mardi Gras Casino, Wheeling Island and Mountaineer Casino do not currently have operational online platforms.

The State also allows the two titans of the DFS industry, DraftKings and FanDuel, to operate within West Virginia, as well as Yahoo! Sports Daily Fantasy.

What about mobile sports betting apps in West Virginia?

There are three mobile sports betting apps currently taking action in West Virginia: DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel SportsBook and BetMGM Sportsbook.

The legal gambling age in West Virginia is 21.

Who is allowed to offer West Virginia sports betting?

The Hollywood Casino at Charles town was the first venue allowed to offer sports betting in West Virginia, doing a soft launch on August 30, 2018 before a full-launch on September 1. The Casino Club at the Greenbrier shortly followed suit, while the state’s three other casinos — Mardi Gras, Mountaineer and Wheeling Island — all took advantage of the opportunity to offer sports betting, doing so by the end of 2018.

Who regulates or licenses West Virginia sports betting?

The ball got rolling in March 2017 with the Delegate Shawn Fluharty’s introduction of H 2751, and currently operates as per HB 4191.

Legal sports betting in West Virginia is regulated by The West Virginia Lottery Commission.

What sports will be favorites of West Virginia sports bettors?

It was no surprise that the first bet in the state was on West Virginia University men’s football; the Mountaineers are the biggest school in the state and they play in one of the biggest conferences in the nation — the Big 12.

Their men’s basketball program also will draw a lot of action, also playing in the Big 12 and having a recent history of success during the regular season and NCAA tournaments.