West Virginia sports betting has officially hit a new low since losing two retail sportsbooks and the state’s only mobile option. The WV sportsbooks produced the lowest handle in the Mountain State since Oct. 2018.
Overall handle dropped below $2.3 million for the week ending May 4. It’s the lowest total reported since sportsbooks were in their first two months of accepting sports wagers.
Of course, the leading cause of the decline is the lack of online sports betting apps in WV. The sports betting market is hanging on while sports bettors wait patiently for one of the recently approved online sportsbooks to hit the market:
Despite the horrific showing in terms of handle, the active sportsbooks had a great week of earning revenue. The three WV casinos with active sportsbooks ended up making a profit during the same week for the first time in more than a month. At present, there are no operational online casinos in West Virginia.
This was a promising recovery after the state lost money a week ago.
This week’s report includes activity from April 28 – May 4 for all five WV sportsbooks:
- Hollywood Casino Sportsbook
- Mountaineer Sportsbook
- The FanDuel Sportsbook at The Greenbrier
- Mardi Gras Casino Sportsbook
- Wheeling Island Sportsbook
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: $111,948,568.47
- Revenue: $11,019,017.70
- Taxes: $1,101,901.85
The week of May 4 was terribly slow for sports betting in WV. The total handle of $2,296,202.32 was a 12% decrease from last week.
Revenue figures jumped in the right direction, though. Sportsbooks generated $401,286.56 in revenue, an incredible 1,438% increase from the week prior.
WV sports betting revenue for the week ending April 27, 2019
| Casino | Handle | Mobile Sports Betting Revenue | Retail Sports Betting Revenue | Total Revenue | Taxes (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino | $1,620,385.92 | N/A | $245,591.46 | $245,591.46 | $24,559.15 |
| Mountaineer Casino | $643,014.90 | N/A | $151,952.95 | $151,952.95 | $15,195.30 |
| The Greenbrier | $32,801.50 | N/A | $4,510.25 | $4,510.25 | $451.03 |
| Mardi Gras Casino | N/A | N/A | $-435.55 | $-435.55 | $-43.56 |
| Wheeling Island Hotel | N/A | N/A | $-332.55 | $-332.55 | $-33.26 |
| Total | $2,296,202.32 | N/A | $401,286.56 | $401,286.56 | $40,128.66 |
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Handle
Just as it appeared that handle figures hit a plateau, things somehow got even worse.
Hollywood Casino lead all sportsbooks yet again, even though it had another off week. The $1.6 million in wagers was the highest in the state, however, it’s around $320,000 fewer than last week.
This is now the second-consecutive week that Hollywood hasn’t hit $2 million.
The Mountaineer Casino actually saw an uptick in handle for the week. It saw its handle grow by almost $20,000 as it totaled nearly $650,000. This was the highest it’s been in five weeks.
The Greenbrier continues to struggle with handle as it decreased once again. This is now three-straight weeks it’s fallen. The Greenbrier hasn’t topped six figures in handle since the end of March.
It seems as though there’s no stopping the handle figures from dropping in WV until online sportsbooks come back to the state. Even with major sporting events taking place like the Kentucky Derby, the retail sportsbooks are unable to sustain consistent action.
Once WV residents have online betting options available, there should be a massive rise in sports betting. Most people in the area are probably very frustrated that there’s no mobile app after having one for nearly three months.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for the weekly handle:
- Hollywood Casino ($1,620,385.92)
- Mountaineer Casino ($643,014.90)
- The Greenbrier ($32,801.50)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($0)
- Wheeling Island ($0)
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Revenue
In spite of another difficult week for the volume of wagers, sportsbooks had a great showing in regard to revenue. As mentioned, all three active books ended the week in the black.
Hollywood leads the way here, too. It had a big bounce-back week after posting rare negative revenue in the previous report. Hollywood made more than $240,000, the most in five weeks.
Mountaineer Casino also recovered nicely after being in the red last week. It topped $150,000 for the first time in six weeks.
The Greenbrier had positive revenue as well, but it didn’t even total $5,000.
Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino lost a combined total of around $800 for bets that just settled.
It’s actually fairly surprising that the WV sportsbooks have been able to continually make money almost every week. Without an online presence offered in the state, the handle continues to fall but revenue figures remain strong for the most part.
It will be interesting to see if revenue increases significantly when a mobile app goes live. Hopefully for gamblers and the casinos, a new online sportsbook debuts in the near future.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly revenue:
- Hollywood Casino ($245,591.46)
- Mountaineer Casino ($151,952.95)
- The Greenbrier ($4,510.25)
- Wheeling Island ($-332.55)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($-435.55)
On the board for WV Sportsbooks
NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs have reached the conference finals. The Eastern Conference looks much different with LeBron James out of the picture this season.
The Milwaukee Bucks and MVP-hopeful Giannis Antetokounmpo will battle with Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.
In the West, it looks more familiar.
The Golden State Warriors are back in the conference finals looking to earn another berth to the NBA Finals. They take on the Portland Trail Blazers who are attempting to make their first Finals appearance since 1992.
According to DraftKings in New Jersey, here are the odds to win the NBA title:
- Golden State Warriors -155
- Milwaukee Bucks +240
- Toronto Raptors +650
- Portland Trail Blazers +1500
NHL Playoffs
The NHL conference finals have already gotten underway. In the East, the Boston Bruins have protected their home-ice advantage and jumped out to a 2-0 series lead against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The series will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, now as the Canes look to get back into the series.
In the West, the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues split the opening two games of their series. The teams will travel to Missouri for Game 3 on Wednesday.
DraftKings in NJ provides the following odds to win the Stanley Cup:
- Boston Bruins -105
- Louis Blues +290
- San Jose Sharks +320
- Carolina Hurricanes +1250
