West Virginia
Ever since 2018, sports bettors have been able to sing the line “Take me home, West Virginia,” as the Mountain State was one of the first to offer online sports betting. Since 2018, the state has become home to five retail sportsbooks and eight online sportsbooks.
Legal and licensed apps:
All legal ways to bet on in West Virginia
| Is online sports betting legal in West Virginia? | Yes |
| Is in-person sports betting legal? | Yes |
| Is daily fantasy sports legal? | Yes |
| Is betting on college sports legal? | Yes |
| Is horse racing betting legal? | Yes |
| Is greyhound betting legal? | No |
| Is political betting legal? | No |
| Is eSports betting legal? | Yes |
There are no professional sports teams in West Virginia, which leaves the West Virginia Mountaineers as the primary team for fans across most sports. Mountaineers fans can wager on their favorite team through the state's sports betting legislation, as there are no betting restrictions for professional and collegiate sports in WV.
Bettors more into eSports are also in luck, as the state legalized betting on the market in April 2022 through HB 4826. Other legal gambling-related markets in the Mountain States include daily fantasy sports apps and the ability to bet on horse racing in person or online.
Online sports betting in The Mountain State
Before PASPA was overturned, West Virginia was in hot pursuit of signing a sports betting bill into law. Delegate Shawn Fluharty introduced a sports betting bill in 2017 and then reintroduced that same bill, HB 2751, the following year. Despite his strong efforts, a bill titled SB 415 was the one that made it through both the Senate and House.
This bill received no action from the Justice of WV but still passed without a signature or veto. This gave way to online sports betting in December 2018, just a few months after retail betting had already been launched.
Sports bettors in West Virginia have been basking in gambling paradise since then. By passing SB 415, The Mountain State established a simple sports betting market through the five existing casinos before this bill was passed.
To enter the market in the Mountain State, online operators were required to partner with one of these five casinos that were granted a sports betting license. These operators could ultimately be sharing a retail partner, but in total, the state will allow up to 15 online skins to enter the market.
While each retail location could partner with three online operators, lawmakers in WV still felt that expanding the market could make it even better. This resulted in an attempt to take sports betting licenses away from the five casinos, but unsurprisingly, the casinos detested this motion, and this attempt by lawmakers was unsuccessful.
In total, entering 2024, there are currently eight mobile betting apps available for bettors in WV. These apps include Betly, Caesars, BetRivers, ESPN Bet, and more.
All legal WV sports betting apps in 2024 (from newest to oldest):
Sportsbook app | Launch date |
|---|---|
Fanatics Sportsbook | November 16, 2023 |
ESPN Bet | November 14, 2023 |
Betly | August 1, 2023 |
BetRivers | June 8, 2022 |
Caesars Sportsbook | August 4, 2021 |
BetMGM | August 27, 2019 |
DraftKings | August 26, 2019 |
FanDuel | August 26, 2019 |
Recently Closed Online Sportsbook
Sportsbook | Details |
|---|---|
Golden Nugget | After being acquired by DraftKings, the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app was shut down in multiple states, leaving just the online casino and retail sportsbook in WV. |
Sports betting & gambling legislation in WV
The ability to place a legal sports wager in West Virginia is not strictly limited to residents. Anyone who happens to be passing through the Mountain State and is within state lines can place a bet. Additionally, a bettor must be at least 21 to legally place a wager online or at the casino.
Residents of West Virginia or bettors who happen to be passing through are also not required to be on-site at one of the state's five casinos to create a mobile betting account with one of their partnered online operators. Remote registration is fully available to all bettors of legal gambling age.
Another facet of the state's sports betting scene is the tax rate. When a bettor’s winnings exceed $5,000, they are subject to a 6.5% tax rate on the state level and the typical 24% federal tax rate. Of course, if a bettor wants to gamble in other ways outside of sports betting, they can access online casinos, online poker, and the state lottery, all regulated by the West Virginia Lottery.
| Are online casinos legal in West Virginia? | Yes |
| Are retail casinos legal? | Yes |
| Are social sportsbooks legal? | Yes |
| Are sweepstakes/social casinos legal? | Yes |
| Is online poker legal? | Yes |
| Is the lottery legal? | Yes |
| The launch date of sports betting in West Virginia? | August 30, 2018 |
| How many legal sports betting apps are there in WV? | 8 |
| How many legal retail betting sites are there in WV? | 5 |
| Is remote registration allowed? | Yes |
| Legal age for sports betting in West Virginia? | 21+ |
| West Virginia's tax rate for betting/gambling winnings | 3%-6.5% |
| Who regulates sports betting in West Virginia? | West Virginia Lottery |
Most recent updates from the WV sports betting scene
October 16, 2024: As they look to get back in the win column, the West Virginia Mountaineers will host Kansas State this weekend as (+3) point underdogs.
October 7, 2024: West Virginia is set to host Iowa State this weekend following their conference win over Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers are (+3) point underdogs.
October 1, 2024: Fresh off their bye week, the West Virginia Mountaineers will head to Oklahoma State, where they are (+3.5) point underdogs.
September 24, 2024: With a 32-28 win over Kansas, the West Virginia Mountaineers will enter their bye week at (+2000) to win the Big 12 Conference Championship.
September 17, 2024: Coming off their loss in the Backyard Brawl, the West Virginia Mountaineers will play host to Kansas, where they are favored by (-2.5) on DK.
September 11, 2024: It's rivalry week for the West Virginia Mountaineers, as they will head to Pitt to take on the Panthers. WVU is currently favored by (-2).
September 3, 2024: Coming off a 34-12 loss, in which they failed to cover as (+7.5) point underdogs, the West Virginia Mountaineers will host Albany in week two.
August 23, 2024: College football season is here, and after week zero, the West Virginia Mountaineers will take on Penn State in week one in a game where they are (+8.5) point home underdogs.
July 15, 2024: Former WVU second baseman JJ Weterholt was selected 7th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2024 MLB Draft.
July 8, 2024: With less than a week till the 2024 MLB Draft, former WVU second baseman JJ Wetherholt has the second-best odds to be selected first overall at (+115) on DraftKings.
February 28, 2024: House Bill 4700 has passed through the House in West Virginia. The bill was created to protect athletes, coaches, and officials from sports bettors. A similar bill was passed in Ohio during their 2023 legislative sessions.
In-person sports betting sites and locations
West Virginia’s five commercial casinos are the only locations in the entire state that were given the ability to apply for a sports betting license when SB 415 was passed in 2018. Each of these casinos had been in business long before the state was able to get sports betting legislation passed.
Out of the five, The Greenbrier is the most exclusive, as customers must either stay in the hotel on the premises or be a member of their club to access their sportsbook, which FanDuel runs.
Retail Sportsbook | Location |
|---|---|
Mardi Gras Casino & Resort | 1 Greyhound Dr, Cross Lanes |
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack | 1 S Stone St, Wheeling |
The Casino Club at the Greenbrier | 101 W Main St, White Sulphur Springs |
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races | 750 Hollywood Dr, Charles Town |
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort | 1420 Mountaineer Cir, New Cumberland |
Sports betting in neighboring states
West Virginia residents do not have to travel far to find another location where they can place a legal sports wager. All five of West Virginia’s neighboring states offer a mix of retail and online wagering, most of which can be done on the same sports betting apps available in WV.
To find out what specific sportsbooks are active in each of West Virginia’s surrounding states, click on their name in the box underneath this section.
| State | Online sports betting | Retail sports betting | DFS | Horse Race betting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| Ohio | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| Pennsylvania | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| Maryland | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| Kentucky | Legal | Illegal | Legal | Legal |
Sports betting revenue impact on West Virginia's economy
West Virginia operates its licensing system similarly to many states, with sports betting legalized. The five casinos in the state are the only organizations that can apply for a license. These casinos can partner with up to three online operators through their licenses.
Each license has a $250,000 fee up front and lasts five years. When those five years are up, the renewal fee is $100,000. All operators in the state are also subject to a tax rate of 10%, which is considered average compared to the rest of the market.
Every year that goes by with legalized sports betting, West Virginia’s yearly numbers for handle, revenue, and tax income continue to increase. With a strong mix of mobile betting apps and retail locations, the betting market in the Mountain State is set for sustained success for years to come.
West Virginia sports betting record months:
Sports betting handle: November 2021 ($88,190,136)
Revenue: December 2022 ($8,060,617)
Tax income: December 2022 ($806,062)
Latest WV sports betting revenue report breakdown (September 2024)
Total betting handle: $46,385,866
Mobile betting handle: $41,662,239
Retail betting handle: $4,723,627
Winnings Paid to Players: $39,272,316
Hold: 15.34%
Gross revenue: $7,113,550
Tax revenue for the state: $604,652
Reported by the West Virginia Lottery.
Top 4 sportsbooks in the state in September 2024:
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town (DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook, & ESPN BET): Handle: $20m, Revenue: $2.9m
The Greenbrier (Fanduel & BetMGM): Handle: $19.4m, Revenue: $3m
Mountaineer Casino (Caesars & BetRivers): Handle: $1.9m, Revenue: $248,000
Mardi Gras (Betly): Handle: $319,000, Revenue: $28,000
Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)
Report | Total handle | Mobile handle | Gross revenue | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
September 2024 | $46,385,866 | $41,662,239 | $7,113,550 | $604,652 |
September 2023 | $49,912,781 | $44,632,091 | $4,799,913 | $407,993 |
YoY change | Down 7.07% | Down 6.65% | Up 48.20% | Up 48.20% |
WV sports betting revenue in 2024
The monthly sports betting handle, revenue, and VW's tax income from retail and online wagering are presented in the table below. The percentage figure in brackets indicates how such numbers have evolved compared to the previous month.
Month | Handle (MoM) | Revenue (MoM) | Tax income |
|---|---|---|---|
Sept. 2024 | $46,385,866 (47.50%) | $7,113,550 (61.49%) | $604,652 |
Aug. 2024 | $31,448,426 (50.60%) | $4,404,834 (59.50%) | $374,411 |
Jul. 2024 | $20,881,964 (-37.61%) | $2,761,663 (-30.44%) | $234,741 |
Jun. 2024 | $33,470,458 (10.27%) | $3,969,962 (15.37%) | $337,447 |
May 2024 | $30,352,182 (-11.85%) | $3,441,033 (-3.10%) | $292,488 |
Apr. 2024 | $34,430,692 (-33.94) | $3,551,227 (-24.63%) | $301,854 |
Mar. 2024 | $52,122,666 (34.33%) | $4,711,512 (25.85%) | $400,479 |
Feb. 2024 | $38,802,415 (-16.41%) | $3,743,786 (-37.86%) | $318,222 |
Jan. 2024 | $46,418,382 (-24.36%) | $6,025,132 (-12.98%) | $512,136 |
2024 Total YTD | $334,313,051 | $39,722,699 | $3,376,430 |
Yearly revenue data
Year | Handle (YoY) | Revenue (YoY) | Tax income |
|---|---|---|---|
2024 YTD | $334,313,051 | $39,722,699 | $3,376,430 |
2023 | $481,548,250 (-17.10%) | $47,674,568 (-7.78%) | $4,052,338 (-7.78%) |
2022 | $580,847,914 (6.67%) | $51,695,290 (13.71%) | $4,394,100 (13.71%) |
2021 | $544,509,148 (38.73%) | $45,463,826 (71.85%) | $3,864,425 (71.85%) |
2020 | $392,488,754 (73.65%) | $26,455,519 (38.20%) | $2,248,718 (38.20%) |
2019 | $226,027,131 (386.86%) | $19,142,375 (192.34%) | $1,627,103 (192.34%) |
2018 | $46,425,862 | $6,548,009 | $556,581 |
TOTALS | $2,606,160,110 | $236,702,286 | $20,119,695 |
West Virginia - Some commonly asked questions (FAQ):
What are the legal sports betting options in West Virginia?
Bettors in West Virginia currently have access to eight mobile betting apps and five retail betting facilities. In addition to those options, residents also have access to a range of DFS apps and racebooks.
How much money has WV gained from legalized sports betting?
Sports betting officially became legal in West Virginia in August of 2018, and since then, the state has made over $211 million in sports betting revenue.
What is the best sports mascot in WV?
With no professional sports teams located in WV, the West Virginia Mountaineer is the most popular mascot in the state.
What is the biggest meltdown in West Virginia sports history?
Back in 2008, the West Virginia Mountaineers football team was 10-1, and all they needed was one win to advance to the National Championship, but instead, they were upset by a 4-7 Pitt Panthers team.
