West Virginia

Ever since 2018, sports bettors have been able to sing the line “Take me home, West Virginia,” as the Mountain State was one of the first to offer online sports betting. Since 2018, the state has become home to five retail sportsbooks and eight online sportsbooks.

There are no professional sports teams in West Virginia, which leaves the West Virginia Mountaineers as the primary team for fans across most sports. Mountaineers fans can wager on their favorite team through the state's sports betting legislation, as there are no betting restrictions for professional and collegiate sports in WV.

Bettors more into eSports are also in luck, as the state legalized betting on the market in April 2022 through HB 4826. Other legal gambling-related markets in the Mountain States include daily fantasy sports apps and the ability to bet on horse racing in person or online.

Online sports betting in The Mountain State

Before PASPA was overturned, West Virginia was in hot pursuit of signing a sports betting bill into law. Delegate Shawn Fluharty introduced a sports betting bill in 2017 and then reintroduced that same bill, HB 2751, the following year. Despite his strong efforts, a bill titled SB 415 was the one that made it through both the Senate and House.

This bill received no action from the Justice of WV but still passed without a signature or veto. This gave way to online sports betting in December 2018, just a few months after retail betting had already been launched.

Sports bettors in West Virginia have been basking in gambling paradise since then. By passing SB 415, The Mountain State established a simple sports betting market through the five existing casinos before this bill was passed.

To enter the market in the Mountain State, online operators were required to partner with one of these five casinos that were granted a sports betting license. These operators could ultimately be sharing a retail partner, but in total, the state will allow up to 15 online skins to enter the market.

While each retail location could partner with three online operators, lawmakers in WV still felt that expanding the market could make it even better. This resulted in an attempt to take sports betting licenses away from the five casinos, but unsurprisingly, the casinos detested this motion, and this attempt by lawmakers was unsuccessful.

In total, entering 2025, there are currently eight mobile betting apps available for bettors in WV. These apps include Betly, Caesars, BetRivers, ESPN Bet, and more.

All legal WV sports betting apps in 2025 (from newest to oldest):

Recently Closed Online Sportsbook

Sports betting & gambling legislation in WV

The ability to place a legal sports wager in West Virginia is not strictly limited to residents. Anyone who happens to be passing through the Mountain State and is within state lines can place a bet. Additionally, a bettor must be at least 21 to legally place a wager online or at the casino.

Residents of West Virginia or bettors who happen to be passing through are also not required to be on-site at one of the state's five casinos to create a mobile betting account with one of their partnered online operators. Remote registration is fully available to all bettors of legal gambling age.

Another facet of the state's sports betting scene is the tax rate. When a bettor’s winnings exceed $5,000, they are subject to a 6.5% tax rate on the state level and the typical 24% federal tax rate. Of course, if a bettor wants to gamble in other ways outside of sports betting, they can access online casinos, online poker, and the state lottery, all regulated by the West Virginia Lottery.

Most recent updates from the WV sports betting scene

• January 2, 2025: After beating Kansas on the road, the West Virginia Mountaineers are now (+5000) to reach the Final Four.

• December 11, 2024: West Virginia will play Memphis in their bowl game on December 17th. The Mountaineers are (+3) point underdogs.

• December 3, 2024: The West Virginia Mountaineers have fired head coach Neil Brown. Offensive coordinator Chad Scott will be the interim coach for WVU in their bowl game.

• November 26, 2024: To close out their regular season, the West Virginia Mountaineers will head to Texas Tech, where they are (+3.5) point underdogs.

• November 19, 2024: With a chance to become bowl eligible, the West Virginia Mountaineers will host UCF this weekend as (+3) point underdogs.

• November 18, 2024: Legendz social sports betting and casino gaming platform launches in West Virginia and 42 other states, offering free play, high RTP, and daily rewards. Open to players 18+, it features props, parlays, and real prize redemptions.

• November 12, 2024: Searching for a third straight win, the West Virginia Mountaineers will host Baylor as (+2.5) point underdogs.

• November 5, 2024: The West Virginia Mountaineers will be back in action after a bye, as they'll head to Cincinnati as (+5) point underdogs.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

West Virginia’s five commercial casinos are the only locations in the entire state that were given the ability to apply for a sports betting license when SB 415 was passed in 2018. Each of these casinos had been in business long before the state was able to get sports betting legislation passed.

Out of the five, The Greenbrier is the most exclusive, as customers must either stay in the hotel on the premises or be a member of their club to access their sportsbook, which FanDuel runs.

Sports betting in neighboring states

West Virginia residents do not have to travel far to find another location where they can place a legal sports wager. All five of West Virginia’s neighboring states offer a mix of retail and online wagering, most of which can be done on the same sports betting apps available in WV.

To find out what specific sportsbooks are active in each of West Virginia’s surrounding states, click on their name in the box underneath this section.

Sports betting revenue impact on West Virginia's economy

West Virginia operates its licensing system similarly to many states, with sports betting legalized. The five casinos in the state are the only organizations that can apply for a license. These casinos can partner with up to three online operators through their licenses.

Each license has a $250,000 fee up front and lasts five years. When those five years are up, the renewal fee is $100,000. All operators in the state are also subject to a tax rate of 10%, which is considered average compared to the rest of the market.

For the first five years of legalized sports betting, West Virginia's yearly numbers for handle, revenue, and tax income continued to increase annually. However, in 2023, the total handle declined 17% year-over-year, leading to close to an 8% drop in both sportsbook revenue and tax income. Luckily for the state, the 2024 calendar year brought new record annual figures for WV in revenue and tax income, even with the total yearly betting handle still dragging behind the top levels of 2021 and 2022.

With a strong mix of mobile betting apps and retail locations, the betting market in the Mountain State is set for sustained success for years to come, even if the most rapid years of growth in the betting market might be behind.

West Virginia sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: November 2021 ($88,190,136)

• Revenue: December 2022 ($8,060,617)

• Tax income: December 2022 ($806,062)

Latest WV sports betting revenue report breakdown (November 2024)

• Total betting handle: $67,844,346

  • Mobile betting handle: $61,109,953

  • Retail betting handle: $6,734,393

• Winnings paid to players: $59,788,517

  • Hold: 11.87%

• Gross revenue: $8,055,829

  • Adjusted taxable revenue: $8,000,805

• Tax revenue for the state: $800,081

Reported by the West Virginia Lottery.

Top 4 sportsbook apps in the state in September 2024:

1. The Greenbrier (Fanduel & BetMGM): Handle: $30.3m, Revenue: $4.0m

2. Hollywood Casino at Charles Town (DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook, & ESPN BET): Handle: $26.6m, Revenue: $3.2m

3. Mountaineer Casino (Caesars & BetRivers): Handle: $3.6m, Revenue: $250,041

4. Mardi Gras (Betly): Handle: $575,761, Revenue: $64,772

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

WV sports betting revenue in 2024

The monthly sports betting handle, revenue, and VW's tax income from retail and online wagering are presented in the table below. The percentage figure in brackets indicates how such numbers have evolved compared to the previous month.

Yearly revenue data