West Virginia
Sports Betting in West Virginia
The betting scene in West Virginia was nothing special for many years but in the past couple of decades it has started to change. On August 30, the state became the fifth US state to offer regulated sports betting post PASPA and of particular note allows both in-person and online wagering. Currently, sports betting is offered at only one property—the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races—and is soon to launch at the Greenbrier Casino Club.
In 1931, West Virginia created their racing commission and with it legalized parimutuel wagering. Currently, there are two thoroughbred horse racing tracks and two greyhound tracks offering live racing in the state. In 1994, legislation was passed to allow video lottery terminals at horse tracks. At the same time, casino and riverboat gambling was authorized in the state though table games would remain illegal until 2007.
The West Virginia State Lottery began in 1986 and today the lottery serves as the de facto gaming regulator in the state covering everything except charitable wagering and parimutuel betting. The lottery games themselves are nothing out of the ordinary with the usual mix of draw and scratchoff games. The state offers video lottery terminals (VLTs) at the five casinos in the state as well as a limited offering in bars. The lottery also provides oversight for table games and sports betting.
There are currently five casinos in the state of West Virginia with four associated with parimutuel racing facilities. They are the, the Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, the Mountaineer Casino and Racetrack and the Wheeling Island Hotel Casino and Racetrack. All four properties offer slots, table games and poker.
The fifth casino in the state is the Greenbrier Casino Club and it’s something of an ‘odd duck’ for a US gaming property. It’s a high end resort hotel and by law offers gaming only to “overnight resort guests, members of The Greenbrier Sporting Club and The Greenbrier Golf & Tennis Club, as well as attendees of an event or convention staying off-property when more than 400 rooms are occupied.” The Greenbrier Casino Club even has a dress code with ‘resort attire’ before 7:00 PM and ‘jackets required’ after 7:00 PM. The Greenbrier offers table games, slot machines, simulcast wagering on horse and dog racing and the second licensed sportsbook in the state. The Greenbrier Casino Club has been in operation since 2010. Most recently, an executive for Hollywood Casino indicated that the launch of a mobile sports betting platform is just ‘weeks away’.
