Tag: West Virginia

BetMGM Online Casino Goes Live in West Virginia

Posted on by Grant Mahon
  • BetMGM has launched its WV online casino on Thursday, August 28, 2020
  • The launch comes just six weeks after the birth of West Virginia’s online gaming industry
  • BetMGM also plans to launch an online casino in Michigan in the fall

BetMGM online casino has launched earlier this week in West Virginia, doubling the internet gaming offer available to gamblers from the Mountain State. Less than two months after the launch of the first online gambling platform in WV, players from this state have two online casinos at their disposal.

The first WV internet casino to launch was DraftKings Casino. BetMGM followed, and so should two more casinos. Their launch should happen by the end of the year.

What do the WV Gamblers Get from the BetMGM Online Casino?

BetMGM is a gambling company owned by two companies – MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings. The role of GVC is to provide software solutions to the online casino. MGM Resorts provides funding, as well as the basis for the operating license of the WV BetMGM online casino. Without the MGM-owned land-based casino in West Virginia, the BetMGM online operation would not be possible.

Basically, the casino that’s launched on Thursday is an online version of Greenbrier Casino, a brick-and-mortar business owned by MGM. The internet casino has a pretty similar gaming offer as its real-life counterpart. We’re talking table games like blackjack and roulette, as well as a large number of slot titles.

Speaking of online slots, BetMGM is currently the only online casino that has a progressive jackpot game in its offer. The main prize of this slot will keep growing until a lucky player hits the jackpot. Depending on how long it goes, the winner might hit a jackpot worth millions of dollars.

Second Online Casino in West Virginia

At the moment, West Virginians can play progressive slots only at BetMGM. However, that’s likely to change in the last couple of months. It could happen if the only other operational internet casino in West Virginia, DraftKings Casino, decides to include such a game in its game library.

If DraftKings doesn’t do it, other casinos might. There are at least two more online casinos ready for launch in this state. The cooperation between FanDuel and Betfair is expected to produce a new WV online casino by the end of the year. PokerStars Casino WV should also get viral in the upcoming months.

BetMGM Online Casino to Launch in Michigan This Fall

With MGM Resorts suffering huge financial losses in the retail casino industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company seems to be looking for other sources of income. That’s why it’s not surprising that the BetMGM online casino has turned into such an ambitious project.

Apart from being available in West Virginia, the online casino also operates in New Jersey. It’s also working on a launch in Pennsylvania, as well as Michigan, the state that’s only recently signed a bill that makes online gaming legal.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did sign the bill a few months ago, but there still aren’t any online casinos in this state. The casino that’s expected to launch first is BetMGM online casino. The cooperation between GVC and MGM Grand Detroit is supposed to go online in November 2020.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

West Virginia Becomes 4th US State to Legalize Online Casinos

Posted on by Grant Mahon

As of Wednesday, July 15, there are four states within the US where online casino gambling is legal. The most recent addition is West Virginia whose lawmakers have recently okayed this gambling form. Previously, the only states where online gambling was permitted were New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

DraftKings Casino is the first gambling platform to go online in this state. In partnership with Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino, DraftKings has launched its casino website, as well as its WV mobile app, which is available in two versions – one for Android and one for iOS devices.

DraftKings Embraces Online Casino Business

DraftKings is perhaps best known as a daily fantasy website, which is how this company started out back in 2012. Once the sports betting ban got lifted as a result of New Jersey’s case in front of the US Supreme Court, many states started passing laws to make online betting legal and regulated.

DraftKings wanted to get on the bandwagon right away, applying for a license in a number of betting-friendly states all across the United States.

After the company’s decision to branch out its business proved successful, DraftKings decided to get in on the online casino business. Pennsylvania and New Jersey were the first two states where DraftKings online casino launched.

Pennsylvania saw the birth of the DraftKings Casino on May 1, 2020. In New Jersey, the standalone casino app launched on June 24, 2020. Before that, the casino was a part of the NJ DraftKings Sportsbook. Exactly three weeks later, DraftKings Casino West Virginia went online for the first time.

What Games Can You Play at DraftKings Casino West Virginia?

Real-money online slots make up most of the DraftKings Casino game library in the other two states. There are slots of different types to be found there, including 3-reel, 5-reel slots, 3d games, progressive jackpot slots, and so on. The games are developed by some of the world’s most reputable software companies, such as NetEnt, IGT, and Spin Games.

You might not get to play slots straight away at DraftKings WV Casino as these guys are typically regulated the last. In the meantime, West Virginia players can quench their casino thirst by playings table games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and others.

Are Other States Expected to Follow West Virginia’s Example?

Right now, only four states within the Union are when gaming fans can play online casino games legally. The number of states is expected to go up drastically, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing measures preventing people to go to land-based casinos en mase, online gaming seems like a better alternative.

Furthermore, the experience from the states that have already made online gambling legal shows that during the pandemic, this industry can serve as an important source of income for the state budget. For example, online slots in Pennsylvania created a $38m revenue last month. Land-based casinos in coronavirus-ridden Nevada probably aren’t going to get anywhere near that number.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

West Virginia’s Governor Approves Online Gambling

Posted on by Aran Malik

West Virginia is officially getting its own legal online casinos, following multi-lateral support for the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act approved by the House, Senate, and the Governor himself.

  • West Virginia online bill receives endorsement by state Gov. Jim Justice
  • H 2934 passed final legislature approval on March 9
  • Online poker will be featured as part of the activities allowed in the state

West Virginia Successfully Passing Bill

West Virginia made a very determined entry into the online casino industry. At first, it was just a bill. H 2934 landed in the House of Representative in February under a friendlier name, the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act, and cleared it without a hitch.

Then came the vote in the Senate, with Senators throwing their near-unanimous support for a future online gambling industry.

Then, everyone had to wait for Gov. Jim Justice.

Governors have been unlikely disruptors in recent years, shooting bills down long after the toughest bit – passing a legislation through the House and Senate, has taken place.

Mr. Justice decided not to veto the bill and chose to endorse it a bit, giving the state a reason for hoping that West Virginia will see its first online casinos open doors for netizens very soon. So far, there are five properties where online casinos can operate from, including:

  • Hollywood Casino, Charles Town Races
  • Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resorts
  • The Casino Club, The Greenbrier
  • Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
  • Wheeling Island Hotel

All properties have said that they will pay up or a casino license and also foot a renewal fee every year to the tune of $100,000. A license to run online casino costs $250,000, but there are other associated costs.

Another $100,000 will have to go for maintaining the online platform, not to mention that suppliers will also need to obtain a license with each costing $10,000.

Readying to Launch Online Casinos in West Virginia

Online casinos will probably not arrive until 2020 in the state, though this is just a preliminary estimate. Some hope that we can see an early launch in December, much like was the case with the sports betting industry in the state.

Next year is realistic, though, given the current challenges, such as logistics, signing partnerships, and not least of all the Wire Act that the Department of Justice want to champion at the expenses of online gambling activities.

In other places, such as Virginia, the state won’t see its first online casinos open until July 2020, and this is a fairly aggressive timeline. Virginia got an approval last week, so it’s very likely that West Virginia didn’t want to be behind.

It’s also interesting to watch how the process unfolds. In Virginia, for example, the Lottery Board (which will be regulating the new industry) has requested a special report that will asses how other states regulate and approach online gambling.

West Virginia has announced no such plans, but the bill is just fresh out of the oven.

Aran Malik

“Magic Malik”—as we like to call him—is not only a tech whiz but a wizard when it comes to getting obscure news hot off the press so we know exactly what’s happening and can explore and report it back to our growing and loyal readerbase.

West Virginia Almost Done with Online Gambling & Poker Bill

Posted on by Aran Malik
  • WV clears H 2934
  • Governor signature needed
  • The state’s Lottery to regulate online gambling

West Virginia is getting exceptionally close to signing online gambling into law. All that is needed is the signature of the state’s governor, following a successful passage through all levels of legislature.

West Virginia Can Soon Have Online Gambling

All scaremongering about the Wire Act and the Department of Justice’s high-handedness aside, West Virginia has been pushing towards full legalization of its online gambling industry. On February 12, Delegate Jason Barrett introduced House Bill 2934, which was expedited through the various stop-checks of the legal process in WV.

Minor patches were applied, but no large defiance came. The final approval was secured on March 9 when 78 delegates threw their unanimous support behind the bill with 18 people against and four choosing not to take sides.

WV’s H 2934 has been the quickest legislation to transition from a concept to proposition to now being what is one-signature away from becoming a law. Should the governor ratify the document, WV will be joining four states where online gambling is legally allowed, including Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

What Does WV Legal Gambling Bill Say?

The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Ac allows companies interested in providing online gambling services to do so for a period of five year because re-application/renewal is needed. The license comes at a cheap cost of $250,000 and tax rate of 15% of GGR.

Existing land-based casinos in the state can now – on condition the governor approves the bill – start building their online brands that will be affiliated or borrow the name directly. This includes the following properties:

  • Hollywood Casino
  • Mountaineer Racetrack and Casino
  • Delaware North’s Nitro and Wheeling
  • Justice Greenbrier Resort

All activities will be regulated by the Lottery with the state about to figure out a way to address how to leverage funding coming from the gambling industry to use on public causes. Another issue that remains to be addressed is exercising control over gambling addiction and trying to narrow down its potential impact.

WV is a fairly unpopulated state for the needs of expanding the online gambling industry at a larger scale across the United States. However, the state is also among the first to try and push ahead with legalization of its segment and hopefully fetch extra customers from across the state border, while Kentucky, especially Ohio, and Indiana are still dithering over a decision. Connecticut is also spearheading its own expansion.

WV’s success can serve as inspiration to other states that are debating whether to push ahead with kickstarting their own industries. It’s worth noting that WV had solid political backing and not the history of divide common in other places that have tried to legalize online gambling.

Aran Malik

“Magic Malik”—as we like to call him—is not only a tech whiz but a wizard when it comes to getting obscure news hot off the press so we know exactly what’s happening and can explore and report it back to our growing and loyal readerbase.

West Virginia’s House Judiciary Okays Sports Betting Bill

Posted on by Aran Malik
  • West Virginia House Judiciary Committee votes in favor of H 2934
  • The tax rate changes from 10% to 15%
  • WV is serious about expanding online sports betting through independent contractors

The West Virginia House Judiciary Committee has decided not to put a stop to an advancing sports betting bill. As per the new agreement, businesses that want to start running activities in the state will have to pay a slightly steeper tax rate, too.

H 2934 Gets the Go-Ahead in West Virginia

House Bill 2934 is the most advanced hope for sports betting in West Virginia. The bill outlines the tax rate and binding licensing conditions and now the WV House Judiciary Committee has agreed to push the legislation forward.

Originally set at 10%, the new proposed tax law will see operators pay 15% as a result of the renegotiation in the Committee.

However, the Committee didn’t alter any of the other pillars of the bill, including the proposed license fee nor their period.

Licenses will still cost $250,000 (far less than Pennsylvania where they can reach $10 million) and a renewal fee would need to be paid every five years to the amount of $100,000.

A Controlled Expansion of Sports Betting in WV

So far, WV doesn’t plan on pushing with multiple properties state-wide. Legislators want to establish a vibrant industry and make sure that tax revenue is gathered. With this in mind, only four brands would be allowed to operate in the state, including:

  • Hollywood Casino
  • Mountaineer Racetrack
  • Casino and Delaware
  • Greenbrier Resort

The bill will indeed focus on land-based operations and try to concentrate power in the hands of the aforementioned, but this doesn’t preclude the existence of other operations.

For example, there will be special licenses for companies that want to pursue online gaming independent of the land-based properties. This will come with a fair priced license and renewal fee at $100,000 each.

The renewal fee will have to be paid every year as opposed to what land-based properties are paying. An interesting addition to the bill is that everyone who wants to be employed in the sector will need to acquire an occupational license priced at $100.

In the United Kingdom, for example, regulators are not hesitating to go after individual people as well as company licenses if they suspect that customers have been mislead on purpose.

The introduction of a license would give business accountability and thus bolster player security. H 2934 is not the only bill presently trying to alter the spots betting climate in the state for the better.

H 2178 was another initiative put forth by Rep. Shawn Fluharty and Joe Canestraro in January. In its outline, the bill tries to change the 1931 Code of West Virginia to allow online gaming and casinos in the state.

Aran Malik

“Magic Malik”—as we like to call him—is not only a tech whiz but a wizard when it comes to getting obscure news hot off the press so we know exactly what’s happening and can explore and report it back to our growing and loyal readerbase.