Online Gambling Continues To Grow In A Busy West Virginia Market

Written By Chris Imperiale on September 8, 2020 - Last Updated on March 21, 2023

It’s a very exciting time for gamblers in the state of West Virginia. After patiently waiting for online casinos to launch, the Mountain State now features several mobile betting platforms.

The best news is that the end isn’t anywhere in sight.

Last week, BetMGM Casino WV went live, becoming the second online casino available in the state. It joins DraftKings Casino WV, which hit the market in mid-July.

After struggling through the tough months where everything was closed due to COVID-19, the WV market is looking strong.

These mobile casinos now accompany the state’s online sports betting apps. The second wave of online sportsbooks just passed its one-year anniversary since debuting in WV.

For a good part of the last year, sports bettors have taken advantage of these online platforms:

Most recently, another new online sportsbook has hit the market.

betly Sportsbook is now offered thanks to Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island. Delaware North owns both WV establishments.

The two casinos released their newest betting app since having a difficult time the first go around.

In December 2018, they launched the state’s first online book with the BetLucky App. Unfortunately, a contract dispute between their service provider and a third-party vendor led to the demise of the online sportsbook.

It even shut down both retail sportsbooks from accepting wagers for quite some time.

However, they have turned that corner and now have a bright future. betly Sportsbook is looking to grab a piece of the online sports betting handle that totaled over $9 million for the week of Aug. 22.

Not to mention, both land-based sportsbooks at Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island are back open again.

Let’s take a deeper look at online gambling apps in WV and see what other options lie ahead.

Online casinos in WV

Although WV didn’t have online casino betting while residents were forced to quarantine, perhaps that’s why it’s actually available today.

The lack of betting revenue finally lit a fire under the WV Lottery and forced its hand to move faster with online casinos.

Now that they are legalized and offered on the market, the industry does not appear to be slowing down.

There are now two high-quality online casinos in the state with DraftKings and BetMGM.

It wasn’t surprising to see these two brands take charge in regard to online gambling. Of course, both operators were among the first to launch online sportsbooks in WV.

With mobile licenses already in place for sports betting, it made sense that Hollywood Casino and The Greenbrier would introduce the first online casinos.

Hollywood has a partnership with DraftKings, while BetMGM is tied to The Greenbrier.

This leaves FanDuel as the only gambling provider to not launch an online casino yet. Odds are likely that its mobile casino expands into WV in the very near future.

FanDuel Casino is already available in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets.

Despite not being around long, online casino betting is a hit with West Virginia residents.

DraftKings Casino took in more than $37 million in casino bets during its first four weeks. In the most recent report, the online casino saw nearly $11 million in handle for the week of Aug. 22.

This is a great sign for BetMGM and any other potential operators that might launch in WV. Even with a lot of people out of work and plenty of sports to wager on, online casino betting looks promising.

Betting figures should only keep increasing with more mobile options.

There shouldn’t be any type of concern regarding over-saturation, either. The NJ market includes over 20 different online casino operators.

WV online sports betting

The online casino business isn’t the only one growing. For the first time in a while, WV is adding more online sportsbooks to its rotation.

betly Sportsbook is now live and available for download. Its app can be downloaded to Apple and Android devices.

This marks the first time a new online platform has debuted in the Mountain State since February when BetMGM launched.

It will also be the first time Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island take mobile wagers since March 2019.

betly won’t be the only newcomer, though. Mountaineer Sportsbook will be adding its first-ever online platform sometime soon.

According to the WV Lottery, the William Hill Sportsbook is undergoing testing this week. That means it’s almost ready to be released into the open market.

Once it does, all five retail sportsbooks in WV will officially feature an online app together for the first time.

With five total online sportsbooks, sports betting figures should be able to reach new heights.

It will be an exciting time for Mardi Gras, Wheeling Island and Mountaineer. Finally, they will have the ability to at least compete with Hollywood and The Greenbrier.

This is a very intriguing time in the world of sports betting, too.

The NBA and NHL playoffs are heating up, as the MLB season is about at the halfway point.

There is lots of football betting just around the corner, as well. Both NFL and college football wagering will start to impact sportsbooks in less than two weeks.

As far as retail sportsbooks go, all five are now reopened. With the launch of betly, Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island announced their plans to start taking retail bets again.

Wheeling Island’s book returned on Sept. 2, while Mardi Gras was back up last week.

Betting odds at WV sportsbooks

WV sportsbooks are loaded with more than enough popular betting markets. Fans of a variety of sports have the opportunity to wager on some of the biggest events of their seasons.

As the NBA playoffs continue, the contenders are separating themselves from the pack.

While the Eastern Conference is already in its second round, the West is still finalizing a few things.

There have been a few bumps in the road, but it appears that many of the favorites heading into the postseason are still in good shape.

Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks are the focus of many futures bets.

At the moment, DraftKings Sportsbook lists the following odds on which team will win this season’s NBA Finals:

  • Los Angeles Clippers +250
  • Los Angeles Lakers +275
  • Milwaukee Bucks +360
  • Boston Celtics +500
  • Miami Heat +1300
  • Houston Rockets +1600
  • Toronto Raptors +2200
  • Denver Nuggets +3300
  • Oklahoma City Thunder +6000
Chris Imperiale Avatar
Written by
Chris Imperiale

Chris Imperiale is currently the Managing Editor of Catena Media's US online lottery site, PlayiLottery. He used to be the Managing Editor of PlayWV, covering the sports betting and online casino industries in the Mountain State. He has a journalism degree from Rutgers University and was formerly on staff at Bleacher Report.

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