West Virginia sports betting had its slowest week since the first two weeks of legal sports gambling in the state. The overall handle in the Mountain State fell below $1.4 million for the first time since Sept. 2018.
Hopefully, the excitement around the USA Women’s World Cup team can help provide a bit of a boost by bringing bettors into to an online WV casino to place a bet. WV sportsbooks can certainly use some help after reaching a new low.
After about 3 months of the total handle hovering around the same point, betting action slowed down significantly for the week ending June 22.
Although it’s tough to tell, the emergence of online sports betting in Pennsylvania could have something to do with the decline. During the time of this report, the SugarHouse PA Sportsbook had been live for three weeks.
The Keystone State now has three total online sportsbooks available while progress for the relaunch of online gambling in WV is non-existent.
This news comes as no real surprise to those who have been following the WV sports betting market. Without online sports betting in WV, the state is falling behind the times.
The good news remains that three notable online sportsbooks will be launching in WV at some point, but it’s impossible to know when. The West Virginia Lottery recently commented that it could be “football season” before we see a WV sports betting app.
The initial mobile options in WV will include:
- DraftKings WV Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- William Hill Sportsbook
Handle and revenue figures have shown over the last few months that online betting is necessary to have a successful betting industry. Residents simply do not live near or have the time to make their way to one of only three active sportsbooks.
Despite the terrible week for handle, revenue figures bounced back slightly. Sportsbooks generated about $25,000 in profits after being in the red a week ago.
This week’s report includes activity from June 16-22 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 betting, however, they 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: $126,274,420.80
- Revenue: $11,785,989.12
- Taxes: $1,178,599.02
The week of June 22 had the least sports betting action for some time in WV. The handle decreased 37% from the week prior, falling to $1,394,106.96.
Revenue figures fared much better this week, even though they aren’t overwhelmingly impressive. The sportsbooks generated $26,363.41, which is a 164% increase from the previous week.
WV sports betting revenue for the week ending June 22, 2019
| Casino | Handle | Mobile Sports Betting Revenue | Retail Sports Betting Revenue | Total Revenue | Taxes (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino | $997,458.55 | N/A | $-6,456.50 | $-6,456.50 | $-645.65 |
| Mountaineer Casino | $387,416.91 | N/A | $31,129.51 | $31,129.51 | $3,112.95 |
| The Greenbrier | $9,231.50 | N/A | $1,827.25 | $1,827.25 | $182.73 |
| Mardi Gras Casino | N/A | N/A | $-118.00 | $-118.00 | $-11.80 |
| Wheeling Island Hotel | N/A | N/A | $-18.85 | $-18.85 | $-1.89 |
| Total | $1,394,106.96 | N/A | $26,363.41 | $26,363.41 | $2,636.34 |
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Handle
It was a bad week for WV sportsbooks in terms of handle. Sportsbooks were unable to reach the $2 million mark for just the sixth time in ten months of legal sports betting.
The first four instances occurred during the first month of accepting wagers.
Hollywood Casino still led the way among active sportsbooks even though it had one of its worst weeks as well. Even so, it failed to reach $1 million in bets for the first time since the sportsbook’s opening week.
Hollywood enjoyed 38-straight weeks of handle in the millions before this disastrous week.
The other active land-based sportsbooks didn’t perform well either.
Mountaineer Casino finished with less than $400,000 for the first time in 18 weeks.
The Greenbrier finished third for this week. Its handle didn’t hit $10,000 for the first time in the history of the sportsbook.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly handle:
- Hollywood Casino ($997,458.55)
- Mountaineer Casino ($387,416.91)
- The Greenbrier ($9,231.50)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($0)
- Wheeling Island ($0)
Major takeaway: Hollywood Casino owns the market share
In spite of the awful showing this week, Hollywood Casino has continued to dominate the WV sports betting market commanding 71.5% of the total handle for the state.
While this is the first week that Hollywood didn’t hit $1 million in handle, the other two active sportsbooks combined have only reached that number once.
Without the Hollywood Casino Sportsbook, the WV sports betting industry would barely exist.
Hollywood’s location has truly helped it separate from the other sportsbooks in the state. It’s positioned less than an hour from cities like Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
What’s also impressive is the fact that Hollywood has been able to sustain success without having an online sportsbook.
Obviously, the state needs a mobile option as a whole, but if Hollywood’s DraftKings Sportsbook is the first to release, Hollywood will take an even stronger hold of the WV industry.
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Revenue
Revenue figures increased almost $70,000 this week following a loss of more than $40,000 last week. Although this is a nice recovery, $26,000 in revenue is nothing to be excited about.
Mountaineer Casino once again grabbed the lead from Hollywood this week, posting more than $30,000 in revenue. Although this figure isn’t too high, it was a nice bounce back from a week ago.
The fact that The Greenbrier was able to finish second with less than $2,000 in revenue tells you a lot about the WV market right now.
Hollywood Casino ended the week in dead last, losing around $6,500. This is the first time the sportsbook has lost money in two months.
Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino paid out around $140 in settled wagers.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly revenue:
- Mountaineer Casino ($31,129.51)
- The Greenbrier ($1,827.25)
- Wheeling Island ($-18.85)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($-118.00)
- Hollywood Casino ($-6,456.50)
Major takeaway: Hollywood Casino controls revenue, too
Mountaineer Casino is the only sportsbook that even remotely comes close to Hollywood in regards to creating revenue. Although this week was a particularly bad one for Hollywood, its control of the revenue category in WV is unparalleled.
Through 10 months of accepting sports bets, Hollywood has made almost $9 million. Mountaineer Sportsbook is the only other over seven figures with $1.6 million.
While some sportsbooks are lucky to earn more than $100,000 in a week, Hollywood still does so fairly consistently even during a slow sports betting period.
Hopefully, when online sportsbooks return to WV, the other casinos in the state are able to start producing and closing the gap. With DraftKings as Hollywood’s partner, however, it might be an uphill battle.
On the board for WV Sportsbooks
FIFA Women’s World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has its semifinals matchups set. Team USA will battle with England, while the Netherlands take on Sweden.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook in New Jersey, here are the following odds to take home the title:
- USA -134
- England +400
- Netherlands +500
- Sweden +600
Major League Baseball
The MLB season has hit the halfway point in games as teams will enjoy the All-Star break early next week. With only a few months of the season remaining, DraftKings NJ offers the following odds on the MVP races:
AL MVP
- Mike Trout -200
- DJ LeMahieu +500
- Alex Bregman +1300
- Joey Gallo +1500
NL MVP
- Cody Bellinger +100
- Christian Yelich +150
- Nolan Arenado +900
- Freddie Freeman +1500
Wimbledon
The Grand Slam of all slams is underway with a predictable men’s draw and a less predictable women’s draw. In fact, 15-year-old Cori Gauff, and American qualifier upset Venus Williams in the first round.
NJ online sportsbooks have the following odds to win the gentlemen’s final:
- Novak Djokovic +110
- Roger Federer +300
- Rafael Nadal +759
The most favorite to win on the ladies side are:
- Ashleigh Bartley +480
- Karolina Pliskova +480
- Serena Williams +850
