The latest state to begin offering sports betting services in the U.S. is West Virginia. Since mid-May, states across the nation have been able to offer sports betting if legislation is in place allowing for the activity. The new industry came to pass after the US Supreme Court ruled in May that a federal ban involving the activity was no longer valid. New Jersey and Delaware were the first to offer sports betting, followed by Mississippi and now West Virginia. In WV, the first facility to provide live sports betting was the Hollywood Casino of Charles Town Races.
The sportsbook was open by the first full weekend of college football season, allowing the facility to take full advantage of the most popular sport in America. The Hollywood Casino is owned by Penn National, who teamed up with William Hill to operate their West Virginia sportsbook. The new sportsbook is home to nine betting stations and has plenty of wide screen TVs, so fans can watch games as they place their bets.
Coming Soon
Not long after the Hollywood Casino launched sports betting, it was announced that The Greenbrier would be offering the same activity via a FanDuel Sportsbook. This marks two venues in West Virginia that offer the activity and more options are expected to be offered in the future.
To be able to offer sports betting services in the region, operators must pay a $100,000 licensing fee, with 10% of sports betting revenues going to the state. Because West Virginia is a rural state, it would make sense for mobile sports betting to be an option, as players are not always located near a gaming venue.
Temporary regulations are in place to allow each gaming license to have up to three online licenses. These regulations could spur mobile betting sometime soon which would put the state in competition with such neighbors as New Jersey, who already offer plenty of mobile online sports betting options. With the option, geolocation technology would be used to ensure that players are located physically in the state before being able to place a bet.
Across the US
For sports bettors in West Virginia as well as across the United States, there are other options for sports betting. Such sites as BetOnline and Sportsbetting.ag are open to players in the US, offering sports betting services in categories like football, baseball, basketball and more.
Sports bettors can use these sites to be able to place wagers on their favorite teams any time. Sports betting services can be accessed at both Sportsbetting.ag and BetOnline via desktop or mobile devices.
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