West Virginia Bringing In Sports Wagers From Out Of State NFL Bettors

• West Virginia launched mobile sports betting but had to pull the product due to licensing issues.
• With DraftKings and FanDuel operating mobile sportsbooks in West Virginia, NFL bettors are back to it.
• In the two reported weeks of September, the state’s three sportsbooks collected over $12.4 million in wagers.

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – West Virginia sports betting is back into full swing, as the NFL season is back in session. The state was one of the first to implement a mobile betting industry but the two sportsbooks that offered it were quick to pull their product due to licensing and technology issues.

Now, both FanDuel and DraftKings operate mobile sportsbooks and their launches came just in time, opening just a few weeks ago.

“With the start of football season, the sports wagering handle went up significantly,” said John Myers, the director of WV’s Lottery. “We didn’t see a great big jump with the mobile app but we do think it is going to grow.”

The two daily fantasy turned sports betting companies can be found at The Greenbrier and at Hollywood Casino, respectively.

During the two weeks of September that have been reported regarding West Virginia sports wagering revenue, the state’s three active sportsbooks have collected just shy of $12.5 million in wagers. To reference, this mark exceeds the total brought in for all of July and as well as the first three weeks of August.

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has been the main contributor to this number, as they are responsible for 70% ($8.75 million) of the action occurring over the last two weeks.

Despite having the ability for mobile betting in West Virginia, the majority of the books’ revenue has been coming from the land-based side of things.

Because Hollywood Casino is within driving distance to NFL towns such as Baltimore (Ravens) and Washington DC (Redskins), many bettors without legal sports betting in their state use this as their go-to sportsbook. Additionally, Hollywood Casino takes in a variety of betting action on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, despite Pennsylvania having legalized the industry.

This is likely due to the unfavorable betting lines the local sportsbooks offer. As every bettor in Pennsylvania looks to place a wager on their favorite team, the betting lines and odds are adjusted by the Pennsylvania sportsbooks in order to attempt to receive money on the local teams’ opponents.

Despite a quick spike in the increased betting handle, West Virginia still has a growing industry on the horizon.

“FanDuel and DraftKings [are] taking on the education role now in their advertising,” said Myers.

With the focus of these mobile books being slanted toward helping bettors sign up and understand their betting options, the handle and revenue should greatly rise as the NFL season progresses.

News tags: Baltimore Ravens | Cleveland Browns | DraftKings | FanDuel | Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races | John Myers | New York Giants | NFL | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Eagles | Pittsburgh Steelers | The Greenbrier | Washington Redskins | West Virginia | West Virginia Lottery