West Virginia Sports Betting Takes Slight Dip In January, Totaling Around $51 Million In Handle

Written By Chris Imperiale on February 18, 2021 - Last Updated on March 22, 2023

Sports betting figures in the Mountain State were down in the month of January. West Virginia sportsbooks generated just shy of $51 million in bets for the month after exceeding $53 million in December.

Unfortunately, it appears that betting is trending downward. There was over $14 million in handle during the first two weeks of January. However, the last two weeks saw bets drop to about $12 million and $10 million.

The conclusion of the football season certainly played a part in this decrease. Once the NFL playoffs begin, there are only so many games for bettors to put action on.

Wagering at the WV online sports betting apps remained about the same compared to last month.

They accepted 65% of the overall handle in January, with a total of nearly $33 million.

Retail sportsbooks saw a sizable reduction in bets in the middle of the month. Following opening weeks of more than $5 million each, they only took in around $7 for the remainder of the month.

Overall, their handle almost hit $18 million during the four-week period.

WV books also didn’t perform well in regard to revenue in January, either.

While they earned nearly $4 million in profits, it’s about $800,000 less than December.

WV sports betting January handle

The total handle of $50.7 million was a 5% decline from the month prior.

After two solid weeks to start, betting figures dropped off at the end of January. The overall handle in the state for the week of Jan. 30 was only $10.2 million.

This is the first time WV’s weekly handle fell below $11 million in 14 weeks.

While online betting had consistent results, mobile wagers are heading in the wrong direction, too. They brought in at least $8.2 million in bets each week until the last of the month, when handle was only $7.1 million.

This marks the lowest online handle since the week ending Nov. 21.

Retail betting hit new lows for recent wagering as well. It endured two weeks under $4 million in bets after not doing so for 16 consecutive weeks.

Hollywood Casino led all others with over $25 million in wagers. Its online app, DraftKings WV Sportsbook, topped retail betting, flipping the result from last month.

The online sportsbook saw around $13.3 million in handle, while the retail book was just short of $12 million.

The Greenbrier finished second in January with almost $19 million.

As always, its FanDuel WV and BetMGM Sportsbook WV lead the way because of the resort’s private status. The mobile apps registered more than $18 million in handle, or about 97% of the total.

Mountaineer Casino placed third with over $4.4 million. Its William Hill WV betting app accounted for more than $1.1 million of the monthly total.

Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island rounded out the remainder of the active sportsbooks with about $1.7 million and $725,000, respectively.

Mardi Gras’ Betly app produced around $265,000 in bets, whereas Wheeling Island’s was closer to $65,000.

WV sports betting January revenue

The revenue report from January wasn’t overly impressive. WV sportsbooks made around $4 million altogether, which was a 16% decrease compared to December.

Online sports betting apps were responsible for over $2.4 million of the earnings, while retail locations saw more than $1.5 million.

Hollywood Casino led in terms of revenue as well. Its retail book and DraftKings app totaled about $2.2 million in profits last month.

The online sportsbook made nearly $1 million during the four-week period.

The Greenbrier was second in January with around $1.4 million in revenue.

Its online platforms of FanDuel and BetMGM brought in the majority of earnings. Together, they totaled over $1 million for the month.

Mountaineer Casino was third in earnings with only $165,000. The sportsbook actually lost money in two of the month’s four weeks.

Mountaineer’s William Hill Sportsbook accounted for over $100,000 of the total.

Mardi Gras was next with $105,000 in total revenue. Wheeling Island was last in January with almost $70,000.

The Betly app took in more than $14,000 for Mardi Gras, while it made about $16,000 for its sister property.

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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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