West Virginia is in the top 5 for most friendly gambling states in the country. The Mountain State offers a state lottery, horse and dog racing tracks, and charitable bingo games.
Residents in WV can also legally sign up for an online casino and play casino games for real money. There are five land-based casinos that operate in the state and are each eligible to applyfor an online license.
Sports bettors have a reason to head to West Virginia too, as retail and online sportsbooks have both been legalized and very popular.
Penn National Gaming Inc. Is planning to build a $111 million casino in Morgantown near the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The 'mini casino' would have 750 slot machines and 30 table games.
Since there are so many ways to go about gambling in WV, residents or visitors could find the different laws and what's really available a bit confusing.
Below, we'll go into detail about the different forms of gaming available in the state, current laws, and then take you back in time to how gambling all started in WV.
Let's start with online casinos.
There are only a few states that have legalized online casinos, each generating millions a month in revenue. It's only had a positive effect on the economy in eachstate.
Online casinos went live in WV this past summer (2020) in July, joining online sportsbooks. The first operator to go live was DraftKings which launched through its brick and mortar partner in the state, Hollywood Casino.
BetMGM, one of the biggest operators in New Jersey, followed shortly after DraftKings launching its ownonline casino in WV.
For now, there are only a couple of options to play casino games online, but iGaming is just beginning in the state.
Potential casinos include PokerStars and Betfair. Each casino already operates in the NJ online gambling market, so it would have a lot to offer players in West Virginia.
There is nothing wrong with swinging by the local casino every once in a while. But, wouldn't it be easier to pull out your phone and have a casino game available to you in minutes, rather thanmaking the (hours long) trip to the land-based venue?
Here are just a few reasons why online gaming is better than the brick and mortar:
Playing at a casino online is convenient and allows you to access a lot of games while on the go.
You're saving money by not spending cash on travel and amenities at the brick and mortar, and can enjoy playing from anywhere you want in the state.
Online gamers also have access to multiple bonuses, which includes free money the minute you sign up.
All West Virginia casinos feature video lottery terminals (VLT's). The VLT’s are the same as regular video gaming devices but are called lottery terminals because they are regulated by thestate’s lottery commission which receives a share of each machine’s revenue.
Gaming regulations require that VLT’s at all casinos in West Virginia return a minimum of 80% to a maximum of 95%. VLT games include slots, blackjack, keno, and numerous versions ofpoker.
The average payback percentages on electronic gaming machines at all West Virginia casinos are released as a matter of public record. Just click here to see a list of slot machine payback statistics for all West Virginia casinos.
West Virginia law also allows bars, as well as restaurants that serve alcohol, to have up to five VLT’s. Fraternal organizations are also allowed to have up to 10 VLT’s. All of these machinesare identical to the machines found at the racetracks, except they only print out tickets and do not pay out in cash.
All West Virginia casinos offer the following table games: blackjack, craps, roulette, and three-card poker. Optional games offered include poker, pai gow poker, four card poker, Caribbean studpoker, mini-baccarat, Spanish 21, Mississippi stud, and big-6 wheel.
There are five casinos in West Virginia: four pari-mutuel facilities and one resort hotel.
The resort hotel is called The Greenbrier and it is only open only to overnight resort guests, members of the hotel's sporting clubs, or to attendees of an event or convention stayingoff-property when more than 400 rooms are occupied.
There is also a dress code with jackets required for men after 7 p.m.
Click on the casino name below you want to learn more about.
The final Pennsylvania satellite casino found a home. The second of two mini-casino properties secured by Penn National will call Morgantown, PA home. The Central Pennsylvania township splits the difference between Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
More technically, the casino will be in Caernarvon Township in Berks County. It is located near the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), I-176, and the Morgantown Expressway (Rt. 10).
Hollywood Casino Morgantown is a $111 million project with slot machines, tables games, and, hopefully, a race and sportsbook.
The license for Hollywood Casino Morgantown was the last one auctioned off this past spring. Penn National spent $50 million on Hollywood Casino York, creating a southern buffer from its flagship Hollywood Casino and other mini-casinos.
The West Cocalico selection on April 4 created an Eastern PA buffer for the property. The new Morgantown property will accomplish the same effect.
Compared to Hollywood Casino York, Hollywood Casino Morgantown’s license was a steal at just a hair over the minimum price of $7.5 million.
While Hollywood Casino York will go into an old Sears in York Galleria, Hollywood Casino Morgantown will be in a free-standing structure on a 36-acre plot.
Penn National Gaming CEO Timothy J. Wilmott shed some light on selecting a location:
“While we explored numerous locations for our Category 4 casino in and around Berks County, the site we selected is unparalleled in terms of ease of access to three major arteries. Hollywood Casino Morgantown is ideally situated to generate new revenues from the more densely populated suburbs to the west of Philadelphia, while further protecting our existing market share at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.”
The last of the mini-casino plans contained a first for the Category 4 casinos. During the announcement for Hollywood Casino York, PGCB Director of Communication Doug Harbach confirmed mini-casinos could eventually offer PA sports betting.
In order to do so, mini-casinos will need to follow a similar procedure as South Philadelphia Turf Club did with Parx Casino. There does not need to be any more money on top of Penn National’s $10 million license. However, the satellite will need to be vetted by PGCB.
If Parx is any indication, Morgantown and York cannot take wagers until Hollywood Casino proves it can run sports betting to the PGCB’s liking. Given the timeline, that should not be an issue. Penn National is hoping to take bets starting next month. Meanwhile, neither mini-casino project is really off the ground.
In fact, Hollywood Casino York still has a big hurdle to clear. Thursday, the PGCB will host a public hearing on the project.
To put it bluntly, many citizens near the York location are less than thrilled with the location. The township had opted out of a mini-casino before Penn National convinced the town leadership to opt back in.
This will be an opportunity to publicly oppose the project before final details are set in stone.