Online Sports Betting is Legal in West Virginia

The good news has created shockwaves of enthusiasm throughout the community. West Virginia has joined the ranks of other states like New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. Legislature approved gambling activities back in March 2018, and they opened the first sportsbook in August. The buzz surrounding this has continued to escalate from there as the popularity picks up steam. 

What Does the Framework Look Like?

When we examine the framework for legal betting in West Virginia, we see that sports betting has included provisions for mobile and online sports betting. For example, you have the WV Lottery, which regulates the industry, and they have worked hard to launch these activities in close coordination with retail operations. The operators weren't prepared for mobile and online apps in the beginning, but they have started to come around to it. Many of the sites launched in October 2018 or early November 2018, and people have grown more accustomed to it over time. 

Some of the Casinos in the Online Gambling Loop

When it comes to casinos in the online gambling loop, you have a couple of different ones. You have five different casinos that have received this approval. They include: 

• Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack
  
• Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
  
• The Greenbrier
  
• Hollywood Casino Charles Town Races
  
• Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort

Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island Hotel Casino launched their mobile SportsBook app on BetLucky.com.

Still Regulations Exist

We have to realize that some regulations around online gambling still exist that may interfere with the gameplay. For example, the regulations remain in the public comment period, and this means that they could still change over time into something else entirely, so you have to stay alert to this possibility. 

Three Skins for Each Licensing

When lawmakers were drafting up a bill to create laws around this subject, they decided to use a light touch on it. This has helped them to create a basic framework surrounding the creation of the online sports betting. Each casino will be allowed to have three different individual platforms for their gambling, which will meet the gambling needs of the people. 

Another law that may be a good thing is that betting is not allowed to take place for high school games. While you will be allowed to gamble on eSports in the state of West Virginia, you will only be granted this opportunity if the contestants are over the age of 18. When legal online sports betting first became legal, we saw some legislators that dragged their feet on it. For example, West Virginia state governor Jim Justice refused to sign his name on the bill, and despite his reluctance to allow for online gambling, it still became legal for sports betting in the state.