Governor Jim Justice has signed bill H 2934 into law, legalising online casino and poker in the state of West Virginia.
The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act progressed through the House of Delegates in February; the Senate then amended and approved the bill to make the state one of the most progressive towards gambling.
West Virginia was also among the first to jump at sports betting opportunities following the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act last May.
There are five land-based casinos in the Mountain State and they will be able to apply for one of the five available casino and poker permits. West Virginia is the fifth US state to legalise online casino and poker.
The cost of these licenses is $250,000 and can be renewed for $100,000 every five years. In addition, $100,000 will be charged for platform and service management licenses and $10,000 for supplier licenses.
The five casinos all have sports betting partners in place and it is likely those deals will expand to include online casino and poker.
The Greenbrier works with FanDuel, Hollywood Casino is partnered with William Hill US and DraftKings, Mountaineer Casino is with William Hill US. Both Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island are partnered with Miomni but are currently involved in a dispute, limiting their sports betting operations.
There is no timeline yet in place for the launch of online casino and poker operations.
