- Sports betting in West Virginia has been active since August of 2018.
- Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races was the first WV sportsbook to open.
- The Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island Casino both suspended their sports betting operation on March 7, 2019.
CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Sports betting in West Virginia has proven to be a popular activity since it first went live in August of 2018. Since that time, residents and visitors of the state have wagered close to one billion dollars and leading the way is Hollywood Casino at Charles Town.
The popular racino was the first to open a sportsbook in the state and have comfortably held the lead in terms of revenue ever since. This is highlighted by last month’s figures.
According to the West Virginia Lottery’s revenue report for the month of March, Hollywood Casino was able to bring in a total handle of more than two million dollars and retain a little more than $300,000.
Coming up in second place in terms of total handle was the Mountaineer Casino with over $600,000 in bets placed, however, the sports book came out of the month in the red. The sportsbook was unable to retain any profit and instead came in at -$3,365.55 in total retail revenue.
The Greenbrier was able to generate more sports betting revenue than the Mountaineer Casino last month, despite having a smaller total handle and having a private sportsbook.
Hollywood Casino’s only other sports wagering competitors, Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island Casino, suspended their sportsbook operations on March 7, 2019, and have not confirmed a return date.
Both locations are also still paying out bets placed before the suspension. These bets include ones that were made on the BetLucky sports wagering app since the mobile platform was also owned by the racinos parent company, Delaware North.
Since Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races launched their sportsbook, they have accrued nearly 93% of the total revenue for West Virginia sports betting.
The number is staggering until you put the pieces together. When looking in terms of weekly revenue since September of last year Hollywood casino averaged ($324,388.48) followed by the Greenbrier at ($36,248.25) then Wheeling Island at ($-472.75), Mountaineer Casino at ($-3,365.55) and finally Mardi Gras ($-6,183.80).
With two of the state’s five racinos unable to take in sports wagers, one unable to turn a profit, and another that is closed to the public, it is no wonder why Hollywood Casino seems to be burying its competition.
However, based on these numbers, if West Virginia hopes to capitalize on the state’s legal sports betting market through taxes they will need the other sportsbooks to either re-open, perform better, or introduce a mobile sports wagering app once more.
Advertising Disclosure
In order to provide you with the best independent sports betting news and content LegalSportsBetting.com may receive a commission from partners when you make a purchase through a link on our site.
News tags: Hollywood Casino | West Virginia | West Virginia sports betting | WV revenue
– In his career, Hasan has worked both local and state government positions—including the Attorney General’s Office in Florida. On top of being familiar with the legislative process, he has also been researching and writing on the legality of sports betting across the US. Outside of work you’ll most likely find him producing or playing music, playing sports, or working on creative writing projects. You’ll also catch him at Doak Campbell Stadium cheering on the Noles.
College Football Betting
Best Online Sports Betting
Best Legal NFL Betting
States With Legal Sports Betting
Sports Betting Events
