When Did Online Gambling Become Legal in West Virginia?
In late 2018 the first online sports betting platforms were legalized while the US Supreme Court passing of the gambling House Bill 2178 in 2019 soon saw online poker and casino platforms appearing and waiting in the wings. When it comes to online gambling in West Virginia, online operators must wait perhaps another 12+ months to play casino games while not being able to get operator licenses.
Legal Online Sports Betting in West Virginia
Long before sports betting was legal in West Virginia, top bookmakers were ready. With five land-based options already in place, each one of these has options to partner with 3 online sportsbooks. This is good news to locals with a high probability of more opening aside from the current 3.
- The first to launch was FanDuel Sportsbook in August 2019 as a Greenbrier partner.
- DraftKings Sportsbook launched 2 days after FanDuel as a partner of Hollywood Casino.
- Greenbrier has another online partner, which is BetMGM Sportsbook that launched at the beginning of 2020.
FanDuel Online Sportsbook
Risk-Free Bet for Up to $200
What Can I Bet on in West Virginia Gambling Websites?
- Horse racing bets – Horse racing has been a top sport suitable for wagering via desktop as well as mobile. Five land-based casinos offer horse racing, greyhounds with several online sites taking bets from punters. These include: Racelinebet.com, TVG.com, Trackinfo.com, Nyrabets.com, Bets.drf.com, Twinspires.com
- DFS contests – Daily fantasy sports contests have both tournaments aside from cash games. Top casino platforms to gamble online includes FanDuel with numerous exciting tournaments. It can be accessed across all devices and comes with an attractive new player bonus. DraftKings has high-paying contests like Flash Drafts, Tiers, Single Game Showdowns, and Classics. Monkey Knife Fight has great betting options as one of the few latest sites open for players from West Virginia. Claim a 100% welcome bonus when registering at its new betting site.
- Lottery games – With WV Lottery Commission prominent online, a misconception is that tickets are available online. Only qualified retail locations sell in-person lottery tickets.
- Sports betting online or at retail venues – sports are legal to play at one of 5 land-based and online casino platforms in WV. All other platforms offering sports that are outside the state and USA are not legal.
Online Horse Betting in West Virginia
- Racetracks – Charles Town Race Track operates 5 days per week. Mountaineer in Chester operates 5 nights per week.
- Off-track Betting – Off-track horse betting at Wheeling Island Hotel, Mountaineer Racetrack, Mardi Gras, and Hollywood.
Legal Online Casinos in WV
Social Casino Site Options:
- Chumba Casino is a social casino platform that is fully licensed in Malta playing with sweepstakes coins with 42 games, including the favorite poker games from providers Playtech, IGT.
- Luckyland is a US-based social casino platform for WV residents with sweep coins plus gold coins providing rewards players with its own incentives.
Online Casino Games
A diverse selection of casino games on social platforms is reminiscent of real money gambling in West Virginia. Casino games like roulette, video poker, blackjack with slots are plentiful. Fully licensed games come from top providers with interesting titles like Classic Spins, Jacks or Better, Lucky Charms, Garden Princess, Monster Spins, Frozen Queen, and hundreds more.
Legalized Online Casino Games
- Poker – legal online poker as part of the operator’s games are legal since March 2019. Five land-based casinos can launch poker rooms to players inside state lines.
- Online slots – land-based casinos have thousand plus slots with an obvious expectation to have West Virginia online casinos featuring similar slots from top developers. The good part is that slots developers provide similar popular slots to both land-based as well as online websites Expect progressive titles, multi- and single-level slots, classics, 3 reels to 5 reels with varying payline.
- Roulette – electronic number generators are used instead of traditional roulette wheels. While it is a popular land-based game, it is incredibly popular online. West Virginia real money gambling sites will offer variations like French and European and probably looking at tables with different bet levels.
- Blackjack – players will certainly have various variations of popular table games that will round off a gaming selection. Variations like Spanish 21, European, Switch, American, and more are ready to play for real money.
- Baccarat – ever-popular, it is a definitive yes that players love to have this table game where large cards like faces and tens have zero value.
- Other online casino games – different categories depending on casino developers with an abundance of potential games like craps, keno, arcade games, scratch cards, Red Dog, Wishmaster.
- Live casino games – while it isn’t clear if live dealer games will be presented on new casino sites, it is very probable when you look at neighboring states who have opened their authentic versions of land-based offering a variety of table plus top card games like blackjack, roulette, poker, etc.
Online Poker Websites in West Virginia
While real money gambling is not yet permitted in West Virginia unless it is at a sportsbook or until land-based casinos open an online casino with poker for real money, legal online poker is played differently in this state. Still, with real money prizes, players enjoy sweepstakes poker. West Virginia sweepstakes gambling laws do not fall under the West Virginia gaming commission and have different regulations and laws that do not coincide with gambling laws.
- PokerStars potential real money gambling – With leading poker sites like PokerStars that operate successfully in US states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, it is expected that West Virginia poker players will have that privilege too if new poker sites partner with one any land-based casinos.
West Virginia Legal Lottery
While lottery is legal, the online lottery is not allowed in West Virginia. Currently, legislation is not pushed to legalize lottery even though it has been in play since 1984.
Daily Fantasy Sports in West Virginia
Daily Fantasy Sports have been legal since 2016 with the argument that gambling falls under games of chance, which is not how fantasy sports are classified.
West Virginia top daily fantasy sports:
NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB Online Daily Fantasy, and College Fantasy Sport.
Does West Virginia Have Land-Based Casinos for Gamblers?
Gamblers in West Virginia previously only had several land-based casinos as well as racetracks to place bets. While four of mentioned land-based casinos are open 24/7, the private Greenbrier Casino Clun is for guests and invites.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
Penn National Gaming owns West Virginia’s largest casino, Hollywood. This online sportsbook partnered with both DraftKings and William Hill. It features a massive casino floor with a 16-table poker room, 75 other table games, and more than 2,200 slots.
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort
Mountaineer was the first to open doors to land-based gamblers in Ohio at the state’s northern tip where leading retail sportsbook is a William Hill partner. It has close to 40 table games with more than 1,100 slot casino games.
Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
Thirteen miles west of Charleston lies Mardi Gras Casino in Cross Lanes. The land-based sportsbook is operated by IGT with horse racing and greyhound throughout the year. Casino options include a poker room, table games, and close to 1000 slots.
Wheeling Island Hotel
Punters have sportsbook IGT for year-round greyhound and horse racing at Delaware North casino. WV casino players have 9 poker tables plus over 1,200 land-based slots plus a variety of table games.
The Casino Club at the Greenbrier Hotel
The Casino Club is not an establishment where the regular Joe pops in for a quick spin on slots or leisurely bet on the table. As a casino where presidents frequent, it is a private establishment catering for Hotel guests, Greenbrier property owners, and club members. Located in White Sulphur Springs, it is partnered with online and in-person sportsbooks, FanDuel and BetMGM online.
How to Deposit and Withdraw From Online Gambling Sites in WV
West Virginia gaming available on sportsbooks both for desktop play plus sports betting apps has various payment options making it easy to fund player accounts. Looking at options offered by sports betting platforms, casinos would have similar, especially when hosted by the same land-based operators. Commonly offered and expected include:
E-Wallets
E-wallets – it is the most common and best-recommended gambling payment method with e-wallet options like Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal. Players prefer this method for its zero fees but also the speedy and secure transactions these offers. Another advantage is that e-wallets allow both deposit and withdrawals and while the payment is instant, a withdrawal only takes up to 24-hours.
Debit & Credit Cards
Debit & Credit Cards – the widely accepted and preferred payment method for depositing funds as it is instant but take care as some credit cards are fee-based. Withdrawals are also accepted with a slight downside that money could take between 3 – 7 days to appear in a bank account depending on the card and the bank.
Bank Transfers & e-Checks
Bank transfers & e-checks – fast and secure payment between a casino and bank through a secure connection with fast deposits and slightly longer withdrawals. Nonetheless, widely used.
Prepaid Cards and Play+
Prepaid cards and Play+ – Play+ has a single purpose as its names indicate. Online casinos that accept Play+ are rising with the potential that West Virginia online gambling casinos accept it. A single card can be used multiple times and funded with ATM funds and credit cards. A variety of other cards are also online with the preferred card Paysafecard. It allows for depositing but not withdrawals. Play+ does cater to both payment and withdrawing.
Paynearme
Paynearme – this payment method in casinos is becoming increasingly popular in the US and West Virginia. You don’t need any cards or even a bank account or any banking presence. Simply go to a Family Dollar, CVS Pharmacy, or 7-Eleven in West Virginia who scans a bar code with the desired amount that will be instantly transferred to the casino online account.
Cash Box
Cash box – it is a popular method that casinos with a land-based presence offer to players of online casinos. Here you can deposit funds to your online account at the casino’s cashier at the land-based option. Request a withdrawal and collect funds at the casino cashier too. It is one of the most used payment methods with more players preferring the anonymity and instantly available funds method that does not have to go through processing periods and different channels.
Minimum Gambling Age at West Virginia Gambling Platforms
The minimum gambling age across all sports and online gambling sites is a minimum of 21 years old. This includes games like daily fantasy sports, which is still declared and will remain online gambling in the United States.
FAQ
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Can I gamble online in West Virginia?
- Yes, the passing of the bill to legalized gambling in 2019 deems gambling online legal for the state of West Virginia. It is expected that land-based casinos launch online counterparts in 2021.
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Who is allowed to play?
- West Virginia residents are allowed to access and bet on Sportsbook if they are a minimum of 21 years. Casinos make use of age verification processes that will prove the legality of players, while geo-location software will ensure that players are within the state lines.
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Who Regulates Sports Betting in West Virginia?
- The sports betting online is licensed and regulated by the West Virginia Lottery Commission.
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Are There Taxes on Winnings?
- Yes, the internal revenue service states that everyone must pay taxes on winnings.
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Is social gaming allowed in West Virginia?
- Yes, West Virginia players can enjoy playing free games on any website, especially those operating via Facebook, like Zynga games.