States / West Virginia / Sports betting
Is sports betting legal in West Virginia?
Yes. In West Virginia, online and in-person sports betting are legal (as of Oct 12, 2026). Online betting launched Aug 26, 2019; in-person betting Aug 30, 2018. Operators pay 10% AGR in tax.
| Channel | Status | Launched | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports (online) | Live | Aug 26, 2019 | Competitive | Each licensed racetrack/resort casino may offer an affiliated online sportsbook. Mobile betting history runs in two stages -- Delaware North's "BetLucky" app (powered by Miomni Gaming, via third-party tech vendor Entergaming) launched December 27, 2018 serving the Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras sportsbooks, but went offline February 5, 2019 and was confirmed dead March 6, 2019 after a contract/technology dispute between Miomni and Entergaming (Delaware North later sued Miomni in Delaware Chancery Court). Full mobile relaunch followed in August 2019 with FanDuel going live August 26, 2019 (tied to a retail sportsbook, sources differ on whether The Greenbrier or Mardi Gras) and DraftKings (an online-only skin tied to Hollywood Casino at Charles Town) on August 28, 2019. The August 26, 2019 FanDuel date is used here as "launched" for continuous statewide mobile availability; a narrower definition could instead point to the Dec. 27, 2018 BetLucky date. W. Va. Code § 29-22D-1 et seq. [1],[2],[3] |
| Sports (retail) | Live | Aug 30, 2018 | Competitive | Signed into law pending the Murphy v. NCAA decision; the Act authorized licensing of the 5 existing racetrack/resort casinos as sportsbook operators. The first legal wager in West Virginia was accepted August 30, 2018 at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races (sportsbook operated by William Hill US), a soft opening a few days ahead of the originally planned Sept. 1 start. W. Va. Code § 29-22D-1 et seq. (West Virginia Lottery Sports Wagering Act) [1],[4] |
Tax rate
Rules
- Minimum age to place a sports wager
- 21 · W. Va. Code § 29-22D-15(a) requires in-person and electronic/mobile bettors to be at least 21, and § 29-22D-21(a)(6) makes it a misdemeanor for a licensee to knowingly permit anyone under 21 to enter a gaming area or wager at a licensed facility.[6],[7]
- Wagering on college sports allowed at all
- Yes · The Sports Wagering Act's definition of "sports event" expressly includes "any collegiate sport or athletic event."[8]
- Wagering on in-state college teams allowed
- Yes · The statutory definition of a collegiate sporting event does not exclude West Virginia institutions or teams.[8]?
- Esports wagering allowed
- Yes · 2022's HB 4826 added "e-sports event" to the Sports Wagering Act's definition of a sporting event, alongside professional, collegiate, and motor-race events.[8],[9]
- New online accounts must be created in person
- No · The statute lets an operator accept mobile wagers from anyone physically located in the state through the patron's sports wagering account, with no requirement that the account first be opened in person.[6]?
- Statutory cap on number of online sportsbook licenses/skins (omit if uncapped)
- 5 · W. Va. Code § 29-22D-6(c) caps the commission at issuing up to 5 sports wagering operator licenses, each tied to a licensed racetrack/gaming facility; no separate numeric cap on mobile platforms per licensee was found.[10]
- Online sports wagering available statewide (not tethered to premises)
- Yes · W. Va. Code § 29-22D-15(b) lets a licensed operator accept wagers from any individual physically located in West Virginia through an approved mobile or digital platform.[6]
- Operators must use official league data for some bets
- No · The Lottery Commission's sports wagering system rule requires controls over data feeds used to settle wagers but does not mandate the use of "official league data" specifically.[11]?
Licensed sportsbooks
| Operator | Brand | Channel | Status | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bet365 | bet365 | Sports (online) | active | Aug 27, 2026[12] |
| BetMGM | BetMGM Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Jan 29, 2020[13],[14] |
| Caesars Entertainment | Caesars Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Aug 5, 2021[15],[16] |
| DraftKings | DraftKings Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Aug 28, 2019[17] |
| Fanatics Betting and Gaming | Fanatics Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Aug 12, 2021[18],[19] |
| FanDuel | FanDuel Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Aug 26, 2019[17],[13] |
| PENN Entertainment | Hollywood Casino Sportsbook | Sports (retail) | active | Aug 30, 2018[20] |
All gambling laws in West Virginia → · Sports betting in every state →
Sources
- West Virginia Code, Chapter 29, Article 22D: Sports Wagering · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- Delaware North splits with West Virginia sports betting partner · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Direct fetch returned HTTP 403. Launch (Dec. 27, 2018), outage start (Feb. 5, 2019), and confirmed shutdown (Mar. 6, 2019) dates, plus the Miomni/Entergaming dispute and Delaware North's Chancery Court suit, are corroborated via a search-engine synthesis citing this and companion legalsportsreport.com/ggbnews.com articles returned by the same query; not independently re-verified by direct fetch.
- FanDuel debuts mobile sportsbook app in West Virginia · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Article published Aug. 27, 2019, the day after the reported Aug. 26, 2019 FanDuel launch and the day before DraftKings' Aug. 28, 2019 launch (per corroborating gambling.com/rotogrinders.com results); full article text behind a subscription wall.
- Hollywood Casino Takes First Legal Sports Bet In West Virginia · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Direct fetch of this exact URL was not performed in this pass; date and facts (Aug. 30, 2018 first wager, confirmed by WV Lottery counsel Danielle Boyd) are corroborated across multiple outlets (wchstv.com, casinobeats.com, athleticbusiness.com) returned by the same search query.
- West Virginia Code S 29-22D-16 · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- West Virginia Code § 29-22D-15 · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- West Virginia Code § 29-22D-21 · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- W. Va. Code § 29-22D-3 — Definitions (Sports Wagering Act) · retrieved Oct 11, 2026
Collegiate sport/athletic event is defined broadly (any public or private institution offering education beyond the secondary level) with no carve-out for in-state teams.
- 2022 RS HB4826 SUB ENR (signed) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Official enrolled-bill PDF; direct fetch returned the file but its content could not be parsed into a quotable excerpt (binary/compressed stream). Passage date (March 12, 2022) and substance (adds 'e-sports event' to the Sports Wagering Act's definition of 'sporting event') corroborated via publicgaming.com summary below.
- W. Va. Code § 29-22D-6 — Operator license; West Virginia sports wagering licensees · retrieved Oct 11, 2026
Each license requires a current racetrack video lottery or gaming-facility license (i.e. tied to the 5 licensed racetrack/Greenbrier facilities); no separate numeric cap found on mobile platforms/skins per licensee.
- W. Va. Code R. § 179-9-6 — Sports wagering system requirements · retrieved Oct 11, 2026
This rule requires operators to control data feeds used to settle wagers but does not mandate "official league data" specifically, despite pro-league comments requesting that language during the 2018-2019 rulemaking (per publicgaming.com/legalsportsreport.com secondary reporting); used as the basis for sports.official_league_data_required: false.
- bet365 Launches Online Sportsbook and Casino in West Virginia · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- BetMGM live in West Virginia with official launch at The Greenbrier · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Page not independently re-fetched this session; relied on search-result summaries (sbcamericas, casinobeats) confirming the Jan. 29, 2020 BetMGM mobile sportsbook launch through The Greenbrier and the later GNOG/Greenbrier igaming skin, which corroborates FanDuel as a prior Greenbrier sportsbook partner.
- West Virginia sportsbook guide (BetMGM listing) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Direct fetch not performed in this pass; BetMGM's live WV status is drawn from a search-engine result summary of this and companion vegasinsider.com/rg.org pages, not independently re-verified by direct fetch.
- West Virginia Sports Betting (Caesars/Mountaineer tether reference) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Direct fetch not performed in this pass. 'Caesars runs its sportsbook through Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort' and an Aug. 5, 2021 launch date are drawn from a search-engine result summary citing this and companion deucescracked.com/sportsbettingdime.com pages, not independently re-verified by direct fetch.
- West Virginia online casino/sportsbook guide · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Page not independently re-fetched this session; relied on search-result summary. This aggregator guide contains internally inconsistent BetMGM facility claims (Charles Town vs. Wheeling Island in different passages), so it is used only to corroborate the Caesars/Mountaineer tether, not as a primary source for BetMGM's facility.
- FanDuel debuts mobile sportsbook app in West Virginia · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Article published Aug. 27, 2019, the day after the reported Aug. 26, 2019 FanDuel launch and the day before DraftKings' Aug. 28, 2019 launch (per corroborating gambling.com/rotogrinders.com results); full article text behind a subscription wall.
- West Virginia Sports Betting - WV Online Sportsbook Info · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Direct fetch not performed in this pass. PointsBet's Aug. 2021 WV launch and 2023 Fanatics acquisition/rebrand are drawn from a search-engine result summary of this page, not independently re-verified by direct fetch.
- Business By The Books: Fanatics Sports Betting, Casino Live In WV · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Page not independently re-fetched this session; relied on search-result summaries (legalsportsreport, sbcamericas, gamblinginsider) confirming PointsBet's Aug. 12, 2021 WV online-only launch through Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and the Nov. 2023 Fanatics rebrand/migration.
- Hollywood Casino Takes First Legal Sports Bet In West Virginia · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Direct fetch of this exact URL was not performed in this pass; date and facts (Aug. 30, 2018 first wager) are corroborated across multiple outlets returned by the same search query.