The West Virginia sports betting market was up and down during 2020, but it ended the year on a high note. Total sports betting handle in December came in at more than $70 million, which was a huge increase from the November figures.
November sports betting handle was just $48.5 million, and the market saw an increase of more than 44 percent month-to-month. The year-over-year growth is even more impressive for West Virginia, as there was a 78.7 percent jump from the December 2019 handle.
Mobile sports betting accounted for over 60 percent of all of the wagers placed during December, and it also showed a sharp increase from the previous month. Mobile handle last month was $42.8 million, which was an increase of more than 50 percent from November.
West Virginia’s online betting numbers do not fall in line with the rest of the US industry, as some states see more than 90 percent of online wagers each month.
December sports betting revenue was $6.5 million, which also represented an increase from November. Revenue also represented a 178 percent increase from the figures reported in December 2019.
Entire iGaming Industry Progressing
West Virginia not only has online sports betting, but online casino gambling is an option as well. In December, iGaming handle was $109 million, which represented a 50 percent increase from November.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force closures of some casino properties in the state, bettors are turning to online options. West Virginia is just one of four states in the US that offer online casino games, but that number will increase in 2021.
Peer-to-peer poker is included in online casino gambling in West Virginia, as well as some of the other top casino games.
New Options Coming
The online casino industry in West Virginia is set to add another option in 2021, but it likely won’t happen until the second quarter. Rush Street Interactive is awaiting licensing approval from the West Virginia Lottery before it can make the final plans.
Rush Street has partnered with Century Casinos, and it will be rolling out its BetRivers platform later in the year. This will be the fourth online casino option in West Virginia when it receives official approval.
DraftKings, BetMGM, and NetEnt are the three current online casino options, with DraftKings leading the way.
Competition From Virginia Coming
West Virginia is set to face some serious sports betting competition soon, which could happen as early as this month. The state of Virginia legalized sports betting on July 1, 2020, but it has taken the state a long time to get things in place for launch.
Sports betting operators have been approved, and they are waiting for the green light before they launch. Virginia will feature online-only sports betting for the first few months as the construction of retail casinos and sportsbooks is currently underway.
Virginia is expected to become a bigger sports betting market than West Virginia, but it will likely take months for that to happen.
