West Virginia Online Casinos
West Virginia may be a small market, but it’s the fastest-growing in the US, having doubled in revenue from 2021 to 2022. You’ll find all the biggest and best online gambling brands here. Online casinos, poker and sports betting are all legal, though there are no poker rooms at the moment.
Though the Mountain State doesn’t have quite the same range of operators as, say, New Jersey, the market is picking up. There are two new online casino brands which have launched in the past six months: PointsBet Casino and Caesars Online Casino. These helped propel the state to an all-time revenue record in February 2022.
The state’s online gambling history dates back to March 2019, when it passed the WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. In doing so, it joined the small but growing number of US states with legal online casino gambling. With the additions of poker and sports betting, West Virginia is one of the few that regulates all three primary forms of online gambling.
The first legal WV online casino — DraftKings Casino — went live on July 15, 2020. It enjoyed a monopoly for about six weeks before BetMGM joined the ring. BetRivers and FanDuel arrived the following year. Expect to see more new online casino launches in West Virginia soon.
What’s happening: May 2022
- Apr 22, 2022: DraftKings’ DK Craps was offline for a period of about two weeks, due to a bug. It is now back online and the company has compensated affected players.
- Apr 19, 2022: West Virginia’s market is showing signs of stabilizing, but it still has the highest year-over-year revenue growth of any state, at over 100% in March.
- Mar 17, 2022: The Mountain State hit an all-time online casino state revenue record in February, at over $8 million. Daily average GGR was up almost 20% from January.
- Mar 1, 2022: West Virginia could soon see the number of retail casinos in the state double, as a bill has passed in the Senate which would allow each retail casino to open a satellite location in the same county. The impact of this on the state’s online casino market should be minimal.
- Jan 26, 2022: PointsBet Casino has launched, five months after PointsBet Sportsbook began taking bets in the Mountain State.
- Dec 21, 2021: West Virginia online casino revenue is quite volatile, but have grown in the latter half of 2021, with monthly totals in the $6 to $7 million range.
Top casino bonus offers in WV
So far, there are six online casinos operating legally in WV:
- BetMGM Casino WV
- BetRivers Casino WV
- Caesars Casino WV
- DraftKings Casino WV
- FanDuel Casino WV
- PointsBet Casino WV
The law permits iGaming operators to partner with one of the state’s five brick-and-mortar casinos, each of which may deploy up to three online casino brands. That means there could eventually be as many as 15 online casinos available to gamblers statewide, though the state’s small population makes it unlikely to support quite that many.
WV online casinos will mostly be available for both desktop and mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones.
West Virginia online casino partnerships
| Brand | Licensee | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| BetMGM Casino | The Greenbrier | August 28, 2020 |
| Caesars Casino | Mountaineer | Late October, 2021 |
| DraftKings Casino | Hollywood | July 15, 2020 |
| BetRivers Casino | Mountaineer | April 12, 2021 |
| FanDuel Casino | The Greenbrier | May 7, 2021 |
| PointsBet Casino | Hollywood | Jan 26, 2022 |
| -- | Mardi Gras | -- |
| -- | Wheeling Island | -- |
Land-based licensees are allowed three online casino brands apiece.
With the launch of FanDuel in May 2021, all the biggest and most widespread names in the online casino vertical were present in West Virginia. A few second-tier operators like Caesars and WynnBet followed. Brands like Golden Nugget or Barstool could end up throwing their hat in the ring as well, but the market is probably also close to reaching its saturation point, given the state’s small population.
The Stars Group also secured access to WV under a partnership with Eldorado Resorts (now Caesars Entertainment), but the situation has since changed for both parties. TSG is now part of Flutter — the same company that is the primary owner of FanDuel — and Eldorado sold off its WV casino in order to facilitate its acquisition of Caesars. The latter has subsequently launched its own casino in the state.
Games at WV online casinos
Products available in other regulated US online casino markets provide some indication of what games might be available from those in West Virginia.
The catalog for most operators will likely include a variety of slots and video poker titles, along with table games like blackjack and roulette. Stakes should range from as low as a penny up into the thousands of dollars.
It seems less certain that supporting companies like Evolution Gaming will bring their novel products and services to less-populous states like WV.
West Virginia online casino bonuses
Online casinos routinely offer various promotions to players, including:
- No-deposit bonuses
- Matching bonuses
- Reload bonuses
- Referral bonuses
A no-deposit bonus gives new players funds just for registering an account, allowing them to try out games without risking any of their own money. They are similar to no-risk bets that give players free bets before they deposit. Such bonuses cannot be withdrawn, but any winnings the player accumulates with them can be.
Matching bonuses give first-time depositors an amount that matches their deposit up to a designated maximum. Those bonuses generally must also be wagered within a certain time period after depositing (e.g., 30 or 60 days). Reload bonuses are similar, giving players bonus funds to match amounts they deposit.
Referral bonuses give players bonuses for recruiting other players to get accounts. Other loyalty promotions common to online casinos include double-points deals and rewards programs.
Depositing and withdrawing at WV online casinos
Much as is the case with WV online sportsbooks, online casinos in the state will no doubt accept a variety of methods for users to deposit funds to their accounts:
- ACH/eCheck
- credit and debit cards
- online banking/bank transfers
- PayPal
- Skrill
- Play+
- PayNearMe
- check
- cash at the casino cage
Withdrawal options may be fewer, though cash-outs via ACH/eCheck, PayPal, and regular checks will likely be allowed. Players will also be able to withdraw funds in person at the licensing casino’s cashier cage, in all likelihood. The minimum deposit for WV online casinos is typically around $10, but individual operators vary.
Sweepstakes casinos in West Virginia
While players in West Virginia await regulated real-money options, there exists an alternative in sweepstakes online casinos such as Chumba Casino.
Sweepstakes games don’t use real money but rather require one of two virtual currencies — gold coins and sweeps coins. Sites that operate under this model are therefore legally able to welcome gamblers from West Virginia and nearly every other US state.
FAQ: West Virginia online casinos
Here are answers to some of the most-common questions about online casinos in West Virginia.
Are online casinos legal in WV?
Yes. Online casino gambling is legal in West Virginia under a law passed in 2019, and the first regulated sites appeared in 2020.
Sweepstakes online casinos like Chumba Casino also welcome West Virginians.
Who can play at WV online casinos?
West Virginia’s rules are similar to most other states with legal online gambling. The minimum age is 21 and online gambling is open to visitors as well as state residents. Employees of the state’s casinos are forbidden from gambling, and the state lottery maintains a self-exclusion registry for problem gamblers.
One must, however, be located within the physical borders of the state in order to bet at regulated online gambling sites. Online casinos will be able to ensure players are indeed inside West Virginia via geolocation technology.
What are the fees and taxes for WV online casinos?
Online casino operators pay $250,000 apiece for the privilege of offering their games in West Virginia. Licenses are valid for five years, and renewal costs $100,000.
The state taxes WV online casino revenue at a rate of 15%.
Who regulates online casinos in WV?
The West Virginia Lottery regulates all gambling in the state, including online casinos.
- Phone: 800-982-2274
- Email: [email protected]
West Virginia online casino history
Lawmakers in West Virginia spent a few years toying with the idea of legal online gambling before a piece of 2019 legislation gathered enough steam to cross the finish line.
The WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act (HB 2934) authorized both online casinos and WV online poker sites, making the small state one of the few with a full suite of iGaming options. The two chambers passed the bill with relative ease in March, and online casinos subsequently became legal without the governor’s signature.
The launch timeline proceeded on schedule, with emergency rules finalized over the summer. DraftKings Casino christened the WV market with its launch on July 15, 2020. BetMGM subsequently began offering online casino games in the state at the tail end of the following month.
