West Virginia sports betting had its best showing in six weeks as the betting handle for the state nearly topped $2.3 million for the week ending June 8. WV sportsbooks have been struggling to accept a high volume of wagers for a while now, and there is still no online sportsbook in the Mountain State to help.
With both the Wire Act and Apple’s newest app store policy looming over sportsbook operators, the WV Lottery has been cautious to bring back online gambling.
Bettors have been without online sports betting since March, and there’s no telling exactly when the next online sportsbook will release. Barring any major change of events, the first three online options back in WV will consist of:
Hopefully, online sports betting will re-emerge sooner than later. If not, many WV residents may have to travel north to Pennsylvania to use the Keystone State’s first sportbook app. Sports betting in PA just launched its first app, SugarHouse Sportsbook.
There is some good news in WV, though. The three active land-based sportsbooks generated almost $250,000 in revenue for the week. All three actually ended this week in the black.
This week’s report includes activity from June 2-8 for all five WV sportsbooks:
- Hollywood Casino Sportsbook
- Mountaineer Sportsbook
- The FanDuel Sportsbook at The Greenbrier
- Mardi Gras Casino Sportsbook
- Wheeling Island Sportsbook
Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island’s sportsbooks are still closed for business, however, both continue to pay out on wagers that just settled.
WV Sports Betting Summary
Here are the latest figures released by the WV Lottery Commission since WV sports betting revenue tracking began in August 2018:
- Handle: $122,652,413.49
- Revenue: $11,800,588.81
- Taxes: $1,180,059.00
Despite the overall betting handle improving, it was still a slow week for sports bets in WV. Handle increased 13% and rose to $2,296,017.40.
The week of June 8 was another good one for revenue, though. Even though it was a decrease of 24% from the previous week, profits totaled a solid $245,792.52.
WV sports betting revenue for the week ending June 8, 2019
| Casino | Handle | Mobile Sports Betting Revenue | Retail Sports Betting Revenue | Total Revenue | Taxes (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino | $1,610,022.30 | N/A | $61,884.22 | $61,884.22 | $6,188.42 |
| Mountaineer Casino | $610,680.85 | N/A | $152,062.35 | $152,062.35 | $15,206.24 |
| The Greenbrier | $75,314.25 | N/A | $32,442.75 | $32,442.75 | $3,244.28 |
| Mardi Gras Casino | N/A | N/A | $-218.20 | $-218.20 | $-21.82 |
| Wheeling Island Hotel | N/A | N/A | $-378.60 | $-378.60 | $-37.86 |
| Total | $2,296,017.40 | N/A | $245,792.52 | $245,792.52 | $24,579.26 |
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Handle
Betting handle continues to struggle in WV without the presence of an online betting app. Until one is available to the residents of the state, the sports wagering figures are going to remain unimpressive.
With that being said, Hollywood Casino is still doing very well. It leads the pack once again and was able to top the $1.6 million mark for the first time in three weeks.
Hollywood Casino’s location helps it see more betting action from out-of-state gamblers compared to the other casinos. If it can get DraftKings Sportsbook to launch first, Hollywood will take real control of the sports betting market in WV.
On the news of its impending sale, Mountaineer Casino remains fairly consistent. It accepted another $600,000 worth of bets this week, about only $7,000 less than the week prior. Mountaineer’s handle has been hovering around the same figure for the last two months.
The Greenbrier’s handle exceeded $75,000 this week, its highest in eight weeks.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly handle:
- Hollywood Casino ($1,610,022.30)
- Mountaineer Casino ($610,680.85)
- The Greenbrier ($75,314.25)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($0)
- Wheeling Island ($0)
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Revenue
Total revenue for the state was over six figures for the second-straight week and positive overall for the fourth consecutive time.
Surprisingly, Mountaineer overtook Hollywood for the top spot this week. Mountaineer produced more than $150,000 in profit, the most it has since late March.
It is only the second time Mountaineer has put up back-to-back six-figure revenue weeks since the sportsbook debuted in Nov. 2018.
The Greenbrier had a quality showing as well. It made more than $30,000 this week, the most in 10 weeks.
Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island each paid out a couple of hundred dollars on wagers that just recently settled.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly revenue:
- Mountaineer Casino ($152,062.35)
- Hollywood Casino ($61,884.22)
- The Greenbrier ($32,442.75)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($-218.20)
- Wheeling Island ($-378.60)
On the board for WV Sportsbooks
MLB
Major League Baseball season is approaching the halfway point, with a lot of familiar teams leading their current divisions. Of course, there’s still plenty of ball to be played, but the playoff picture is starting to take shape in the middle of June.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook in New Jersey, here are the following odds to win the World Series this October:
- Houston Astros +325
- Los Angeles Dodgers +350
- New York Yankees +650
- Minnesota Twins +1000
- Atlanta Braves +1200
College Football
Although we’re still months out, it’s never too soon to start thinking about college football betting in West Virginia. With the college year starting earlier almost every season, let’s examine which teams DraftKings lists as the favorites to win the title in 2019:
- Alabama +200
- Clemson +200
- Ohio State +700
- Georgia +800
- Oklahoma +1200
