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West Virginia has become the fourth state to legalize online gambling, following Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. As of now, there is only one online casino to play at, but it’s a start. DraftKings has partnered with land-based Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino, and the site is now live, along with mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Earlier this year, DraftKings got its foot in the door of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In May, the company launched in Pennsylvania and in June a standalone casino app was launched in New Jersey. Prior to becoming an independent platform, DraftKing’s casino was integrated into its popular sportsbook.
In West Virginia, the DraftKings online casino offers several table games. Slots, typically the most popular type of online casino game, has not yet been approved by regulators, but they are slated to launch pending approval. Bets on table games range from $1 to a maximum of $5000.
How Online Gambling Was Legalized in West Virginia
West Virginia was one of the first states to legalize sports betting, approving a law even before PASPA was repealed by the Supreme Court in May 2018. Once PASPA was repealed, West Virginia lawmakers got to work drafting operator regulations. The full sports betting launch took place in September 2018, and since then, lawmakers wanted to keep their momentum and expand to offer online gambling.
However, online gambling is not as easily legalized as sports betting, and it took a push from the state’s lottery in early 2019 to get the ball rolling. In March 2019, the WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act was passed. Since then, regulators have been working on getting online gambling up and running. According to regulations, the state’s 5 land-based casinos can be granted licenses and offer up to 3 skins each.
Anticipated Online Casino Launches in West Virginia
While DraftKings has a monopoly now, it won’t be that way for long. West Virginia residents can look forward to at least 3 other online casino platforms that already have a foothold in the state: FanDuel, PokerStars, and BetMGM. Once these operators are able to launch their own sites, West Virginia will have a competitive offering of online gambling sites. At a time when the gambling industries of many states have been ravaged by COVID-19, having online gambling options is more appealing than ever.
