The number of place that offer sports betting in West Virginia is about to go up.
Two new casinos will offer sports betting in the state and they’re bringing mobile wagering with them.
Lottery director John Myers told the state’s lottery commission on Nov. 29 that two casinos owned by Delaware North will soon offer mobile wagering. Both Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island casinos will launch retail and mobile wagering.
“During the last month, we have begun sports gaming at the Mountaineer Casino on Nov. 20,” Myers said. “We’ve completed testing Delaware North, which includes both Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island casinos on Nov. 19. Both of those locations will have the mobile app when they begin receiving wagers.”
Not all casinos will have mobile wagering
West Virginia sports betting launched in early September. Hollywood Casino was the first to offer sports betting, followed by FanDuel Sportsbook at the Greenbrier. The Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort was the third to offer sports betting, opening its sportsbook on Nov. 21.
Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island could, in theory, be the first casinos to offer mobile wagering and for the time being, they’ll be the only two. Hollywood, the Greenbrier, and Mountaineer currently do not offer mobile sports betting.
Myers told the commission no other casinos have completed the required testing for mobile applications at this time.
Revenue forecast should brighten with mobile
Dean Patrick, deputy director of finance and administration, gave an update on the Lottery’s revenue. In October, there were $101.6 million in sales. The lowest revenue stream came from sports betting with just $59,000 in sales.
Through the first two weeks of November, retail-only West Virginia sports betting produced a handle of $22,406,637. At that pace, West Virginia sports betting would fall way short of the $5.5 million in tax revenue projected before sports betting was launched in the state.
If New Jersey is any indicator, the revenue forecast should get a bump once mobile wagering is offered in West Virginia. It took only a couple of months for mobile handle to eclipse retail in New Jersey.
In October, it was reported $175 million of New Jersey sports betting wagers came from online and mobile. That accounted for almost two-thirds of all wagers taken in New Jersey for the month.
