West Virginia is currently one of four US states to legalize all forms of online gambling. And though the online casino market has been slow to develop in WV, more and more new online casinos are making their way to the state, which is regulated by the West Virginia Lottery Commission.
The newest online casino in West Virginia is BetMGM, launched on August 27, 2020.
Owned by MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings, BetMGM is one of the biggest gambling platforms in the United States. BetMGM casino was launched in West Virginia on August 27, 2020.
The BetMGM casino app is intuitive and user friendly, and the online casino lobby is easily navigable as it opens to a sliding promo gallery. Just below the gallery, the top casino games and newest games are categorized according to genre.
The mobile app offers 30 gaming options that include the popular jackpot title “MGM Grand Millions” as well as table games and other slot titles. BetMGM boasts one of the best support teams and it is currently the only WV online casino that offers live chat to customers.
DraftKings Casino was the first online gambling platform launched in West Virginia, debuting on July 15, 2020. The operator recorded over $800,000 in revenue within its first month of operations.
The DraftKings mobile casino app offers many of the games you would find available at land-based casinos. The game library includes slot titles such as Triple Diamond, 2 Tribes, and several variations of blackjack, video poker, roulette, keno, and three card poker, while also having games exclusive to DraftKings.
The DraftKings mobile app has an intuitive user interface and is easy to navigate. The bet amount varies from pennies to thousands. DraftKings operates in the Mountain State under the license of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town.
There are endless benefits of signing up at online casinos. Some of the advantages are:
If there’s one thing that separates online casinos from land-based casinos, it has to be the bonuses. Online casinos offer new players attractive welcome bonuses as a way of motivating them to register and start betting.
Some of the bonuses can be claimed even without making a deposit, which are called no deposit bonuses. Currently, the best WV no deposit bonus offered is by DraftKings Casino.
Other bonus types include first deposit bonuses and reload bonuses.
A casino’s loyalty program can potentially pad your bankroll or give you some extra promotions you wouldn’t get otherwise. There may be a special promo, especially early on, that can double or triple the points you can earn. This is great if you are looking to obtain extra perks.
In contrast to land-based casinos where the game collection might be limited because of the required landmass, bettors have access to a bigger games library on online casinos. When you sign up to a new online casino, you get to take advantage of the latest offers and features.
Online casino players can access online gambling platforms from the comfort of their homes without the need to visit a land-based casino in person.
Golden Nuggets, a popular gambling operator and leading sportsbook operator in New Jersey and now Michigan, is expected to partner with The Greenbrier Casino in WV. The announcement came a while after Golden Nugget prepared to launch in Illinois.
Golden Nugget is a popular casino in New Jersey, and thanks to the impending launch in West Virginia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the brand’s popularity is expected to soar. For an effective partnership, Golden Nugget must meet the licensing requirement for the state.
While this is the operator’s first partnership with Greenbrier Casino, Golden Nugget is the third online gambling platform operating under Greenbrier’s license.
FanDuel is one of the most popular gambling brands globally. FanDuel currently offers sports betting services in West Virginia via its partnership with The Greenbrier Casino. Flutter, the owners of FanDuel, have a sports betting agreement with The Greenbrier Casino Club, so it is expected that the company would offer online gaming services in the nearest future.
There’s some speculation that PokerStars Casino will eventually launch in West Virginia
The expectation for this gambling site will be similar to how it is operated in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
BetRiver’s launch in West Virginia is the product of the partnership between Rush Street Interactive (RSI) and Century Casino. Rush Street Interactive is one of the top casinos with the highest revenues in the U.S. The company also received the 2020 Casino Operator of the Year award from eGaming Review.
RSI currently offers casino gambling in sports betting in Pennsylvania, Michigan New Jersey, under its BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse casino brands. You can also find the sportsbook in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.
BetRivers Casino is expected to launch in the state in early 2021 and it will be the operator’s first online casino platform. Mountaineer Casino will be the casino partner for BetRivers.
The WV Lottery was launched in 1984 after a lottery amendment was passed in the state constitution. It became legal to purchase scratch tickets in 1986, and the first tickets were sold on January 9 in the same year. West Virginia became a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association’s American game, renamed Powerball. Revenues from lotteries were dedicated to education and tourism programs in 1989. In 1994, Class II games were legalized in the state, and Video Lottery terminals were featured at racetracks. Table games were legal by 2008.
The state’s first attempt to legalize online gambling was in the form of the HB 3067 bill which was co-signed by five individuals in 2017. Physical casinos would have been permitted to offer online gambling services under the bill. However, the bill was opposed as it was countered by the WV House Speaker, and the casino operators only made minimal effort to support the bill. The bill was never voted in, and it died shortly after its proposal.
The plans to legalize online gambling started again in 2018 when lawmakers started working on the WV Lottery Sports Wagering Act. After this, another bill was passed in 2018 in a bid to update the gaming market in the state.
The WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act was passed and online gambling was legalized in the Mountain state. Licensed dog racing, horse racing, and parimutuel betting, and charitable betting are also legal under WV state laws. The first WV online casino was launched in July 2020.
After the legalization of online gambling in West Virginia in 2019, attempts were made by leading gambling companies to operate in the Mountain state.
Two operators met all the licensing requirements and the first online casinos that launched in West Virginia are DraftKings Casino and BetMGM Casino.
There are currently five land-based casinos in the Mountain state. The land-based casinos include Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Mardi Gras Casino and Resort at Cross Lanes, Wheeling Island Casino Racetrack at Wheeling, Casino Club at The Greenbrier, and Mountaineer Casino Racetrack at Chester.
There are currently two online casinos in WV: DraftKings Casino and BetMGM Casino.
According to state regulations, up to 15 online casinos can operate in West Virginia. There are five land-based casinos in West Virginia casino, one casino is entitled to one license to go along with three online casino skins. So, there is still room for the establishment of more casinos in the state.
And although Live Dealer games are popular in neighboring states like New Jersey, there is currently no Live Dealer action in West Virginia. But this is one area where innovation can occur for gambling sites in WV.
With the increasing number of investors online casino operators looking to enter the state, an exponential increase in the revenue is expected and online gambling is expected to generate up to $1 billion in revenue and $385 million in taxes. Regardless of what the future holds, it is certain that a new era has dawned in the state and online gambling is here to stay.