The casino online world is huge and beautiful, stretching from spectacular Las Vegas and Macau to the internet’s vast realm. And while the stunning lights in every “Mecca” of the game worldwide manage to entice most players, online casinos with the wide range of games and special offers make the time and money spent on gambling worthwhile. Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional ('brick and mortar') casinos.Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet.It is a prolific form of online gambling. Online casinos generally offer odds and payback percentages that are a bit higher than land-based casinos. Sugar Casino belongs to one of the best online casinos in Europe because of its awesome and fun casino experience. The casino is a fairly new one and is doing really good in terms of keeping the new players happy.
Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional ('brick and mortar') casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet. It is a prolific form of online gambling.
Online casinos generally offer odds and payback percentages that are a bit higher than land-based casinos.[citation needed] Some online casinos claim higher payback percentages for slot machine games, and some publish payout percentage audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an appropriately programmed random number generator, table games like blackjack have an established house edge. The payout percentage for these games are established by the rules of the game.
Many online casinos rent or buy their software from companies like CryptoLogic Inc (now Amaya), International Game Technology, Microgaming, Playtech, and Realtime Gaming.
Online casinos are broadly divided into two categories based on the software they use: web-based and download-only casinos. Traditionally, online casinos would include only one of the two platforms. However, with advanced technological changes, an online casino can now accommodate both.
Web-based online casinos (also known as flash or no-download casinos) are websites where users may play casino games without downloading software to their local computer. Games are mainly represented in the browser plugins Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, or Java and require browser support for these plugins. Besides the plugins and browser, a stable internet connection is required to have a seamless gaming experience as all graphics, sounds, and animations are loaded through the web via the plugin. Some online casinos also allow gameplay through a HTML interface.
Apple devices such as iPod, iPad, and iPhone cannot play Flash games as the technology is not supported. To access the no download casinos using the iOS platform, you'll have to download browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, or Opera Mini.
Download-based online casinos require the download of the software client in order to play and wager on the casino games offered. The online casino software connects to the casino service provider and handles contact without browser support. Download-based online casinos generally run faster than web-based online casinos since the graphics and sound programs are cached by the software client, rather than having to be loaded from the Internet. On the other hand, the initial download and installation of the casino's software take time. As with any download from the Internet, the risk of the program containing malware exists, which makes it less popular among skeptical casino players.
Also known as software-based online casino games, the outcome of these games is determined using a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) software. This software ensures that every deal of the card, the outcome of a dice throw, or the results produced by the spinning of a slot machine or roulette wheel is totally random and unpredictable. PRNGs use a set of mathematical instructions known as an algorithm to generate a long stream of numbers that give the impression of true randomness. While this is not the same as true random number generation (computers are incapable of this without an external input source), it provides results that satisfy all but the most stringent requirements for true randomness.
When implemented correctly, a PRNG algorithm such as the Mersenne Twister will ensure that the games are both fair and unpredictable. However, usually, the player has to trust that the software has not been rigged to increase the house edge, as its inner workings are invisible to the user. Properly regulated online casinos are audited externally by independent regulators to ensure that their win percentages are in line with the stated odds, and this can provide a degree of assurance to the player that the games are fair, assuming the player trusts the regulator.
Live dealer casino games are the complete opposite of software-based games. Instead of depending on software to determine the outcome of the roulette spin, dice throw, or deal of a card, these games depend on real-time results. This is possible as the games are streamed in real-time from a land-based casino or a studio recreated to mimic a land-based casino.
To ensure that players have an easy time playing these games and that the land-based environment is fully recreated, software developers include innovative features such as the chat feature. This enables the player to type your message to the dealer and they can respond back verbally. The live chat feature can also be used to communicate with other players seated at the table following a set of rules laid down by the casino.
The results of the physical transactions by the dealer, such as the outcome of the roulette wheel spin or the dealing of cards, are translated into data that can be utilized by the software by means of optical character recognition (OCR) technology. This enables the player to interact with the game in much the same way as they would with a virtual casino game, except for the fact that the results are determined by real-life actions rather than automated processes.
These games are a lot more expensive for websites to host than virtual games, as they involve a heavier investment in technology and staffing. A live casino studio typically employs one or more cameramen, several croupiers running the various games, an information technology manager to ensure that any technical hitches are dealt with swiftly, and a pit boss that acts as an adjudicator in case of disputes between players and croupiers.
In most cases, this requires at least a three-room setup, comprising a live studio, a server/software room, and an analyst’s room. The configuration of these rooms varies from casino to casino, with some having several gaming tables in one room, and some having a single table in each room.
The high running costs involved with operating live dealer games is the reason why online casinos only tend to offer a handful of the most popular games in this format, such as roulette, blackjack, sic bo, and baccarat. In comparison, the running costs associated with virtual games are very low, and it is not uncommon for online casinos to offer hundreds of different virtual casino games to players on their site.
Online casinos vary in their approach to the hosting of live games, with some providing live games via their own television channel, and others offering the games exclusively via their website. In the case of televised games, players can often use their mobile phone or television remote controls to place bets instead of doing so via a computer connected to the internet. The most common live dealer games offered at online casinos are baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.
A typical selection of gambling games offered at an online casino might include:
Many online casinos offer sign-up bonuses to new players making their first deposit, and often on subsequent play as well. These bonuses are a form of marketing that may incur a cost (potentially justifiable in order to attract a new player who may return and deposit many more times), since the casino is essentially giving away money in return for a commitment from the player to wager a certain minimum amount before they are allowed to withdraw. Since all casino games have a house edge, the wagering requirements ensure that the player cannot simply walk away with the casino's money immediately after claiming the bonus. These wagering requirements are commonly set to be sufficiently high that the player has a negative expectation, exactly as if they had deposited and not claimed a bonus.
Casinos may choose to restrict certain games from fulfilling the wagering requirements, either to restrict players from playing low-edge games or to restrict 'risk-free' play (betting for instance both red and black on roulette), thereby completing the wagering requirement with a guaranteed profit after the bonus is taken into account.
The Welcome bonus is a deposit match bonus on the first deposit ever made in the casino or casino group. Welcome bonuses sometimes come in packages and may be given to match the first two or three deposits (First Deposit Welcome Bonus, Second Deposit Welcome Bonus, etc.). They can also be tied to specific games, such as the Welcome Slots Bonus or the Welcome Table Games Bonus. The casino may also offer Welcome bonuses for high rollers who make an initial deposit above the standard amount limit.
There are two types of Referral bonuses: one for the Referee and one for the Referrer. The Referee gets a bonus when he or she registers an account at the casino and mentions the Referrer. The Referrer gets a bonus when the Referee completes all the requirements, such as making the deposit and wagering it a certain number of times.
Cashback or Insurance bonuses are offered as a percentage of all losses in the player’s previous gaming activity. Typically, only deposits that were not matched with bonuses count towards this bonus. You can additionally find websites that offer casino cashback payments based on your losses encountered while playing with one or more online casinos. Those types of cashback deals are usually paid back to players by the casino portal that offers those special cashback offers.
The most popular form of bonus is one that can be claimed without the need to deposit any of the player's own money - known as a no deposit bonus. These bonuses are used as acquisition tools by casinos wishing to attract new players. No deposit bonuses don't always take the form of real cash, as exemplified below.
Non-cashable bonuses may be called 'sticky' or 'phantom' bonuses. In both cases, the bonus forms a part of the player's balance, but cannot be cashed out. The difference between cash-able and phantom bonuses comes at cashout time. A phantom bonus is deducted from the player's balance at the moment he places his withdrawal request. For example: if you deposited $100, received $100, played, and finished the wagering at $150. If the bonus is sticky, the player will be able to withdraw just $50. If the bonus is cash-able, then the whole balance is available for withdrawal.
Comps are commonly available at land-based casinos, but also exist online. Comp points can usually be exchanged for cash, prizes, or other comps. The amount of cash given per wager is usually very small and often varies with game selection. A casino might offer three comp points for each $10 wagered on slots and one comp point for each $10 wagered on blackjack. The casino might give $1 for each 100 comp points. This example is equivalent to returning 0.3% of wagers on slots and 0.1% of wagers on blackjack. In addition, online casinos may offer comps such as free tickets to online tournaments, free slots online, tickets to other special events, extra bonuses, souvenirs, and payback.
Bonus hunting (also known as bonus bagging or bonus whoring) is a type of advantage gambling where turning a profit from casino, sportsbook and poker room bonus situations is mathematically possible. For example, the house edge in blackjack is roughly 0.5%. If a player is offered a $100 cashable bonus requiring $5000 in wagering on blackjack with a house edge of 0.5%, the expected loss is $25. Therefore, the player has an expected gain of $75 after claiming the $100 bonus.
A large portion of online casino disputes relates to bonuses. Casinos may label players who win using bonuses as 'bonus abusers.' Both players and casinos may commit fraud. An example of player fraud is creating multiple accounts and using the accounts to claim a sign-up bonus several times. An example of casino fraud is changing terms of a bonus after a player has completed the wagering requirements, then requiring the player to meet the new bonus terms.[citation needed]
Fraudulent behavior on the part of online casinos has been documented, almost exclusively by player advocacy websites and forums. The most commonly reported behavior is a refusal to pay withdrawals to legitimate winners. An online casino with multiple confirmed cases of fraudulent behavior is often called a rogue casino by the online casino player community.
Many casino gambling portals and player forums maintain blacklists of rogue casinos. While some carry more authority than others, all blacklists constitute individual webmaster and player opinions rather than an official list from any type of regulating body.
Often, casinos use buffer sites that offer free play of their casino games but in reality use different means of deceptive strategies to redirect or lure the visitors into signing up to their services via appealing bonus offers or exclusive reward programs. The majority of these deceptive 'free' sites lead to equally deceptive casinos.
Since almost all existing online casinos offer free play of their casino games, recognizing whether a casino is deceptive based on whether they offer free gameplay is no longer viable.
Online gambling legislation often has loopholes that result from the rapid development of the technology underpinning the development of the industry. Some countries, including Belgium, Canada, Finland, and Sweden have state gambling monopolies and do not grant licenses to foreign casino operators. According to their law, operators licensed on the territory of these countries can only be considered legal. At the same time, they can't prosecute foreign casino operators and only block their sites. Players in these countries can't be punished and can gamble at any site they can access.
The Australian Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA)[1] criminalizes the supply of online casino games by an operator anywhere in the world to persons located in Australia. It only targets operators of online gambling sites, resulting in the curious situation that it is not illegal for a player in Australia to access and gamble at an online casino. No operator has even been charged with an offense under the IGA and many online casinos accept Australian customers.[2] In June 2016, the South Australian Government became the first state or territory in the world to introduce a 15% Place Of Consumption Tax (POCT) modeled on the 2014 UK POCT.[3]
The Belgian Gaming Act[4] went into effect in January 2011 and allows online gambling, but only under very strict conditions and surveillance.[5]
The Canadian criminal code states that only provincial governments and charitable organizations licensed by provincial governments may operate a casino in Canada. It also prohibits residents from participating in any lottery scheme, the game of chance, or gambling activity not licensed or operated by a provincial government.[6] In 2010, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation launched Canada’s first legal online casino, PlayNow, which is available to residents of British Columbia. The province of Quebec also operates a legal online casino through Loto-Québec.
Despite this legislation, the Kahnawake First Nation in Quebec has taken the position that it is a sovereign nation, able to enact its own gambling legislation, and has licensed and hosted nearly 350 gambling websites, without ever being prosecuted.[7]
A German state contract about gambling (German: Glücksspielstaatsvertrag [de]) between all 16 German states was ratified in 2008 and has been adopted in 2012. It regulates restrictive handling of online-gambling, including a basic state monopoly on public gambling with limited exceptions for a few commercial providers. Online gambling, and other forms of public gambling, against these regulations is illegal in Germany. The state contract, its implementation in contrast to the more lenient EU legislation, and possible further changes have been controversially discussed in the public, politics, and courts.
In the United Kingdom, the Gambling Act 2005 governs all matters of online gambling, permitting online betting sites to have a Remote Gambling Licence in order to offer online betting to UK citizens. In 2014, the UK government put into law the Gambling Act of 2014 which in addition to the original 2005 law, required offshore online gambling operators catering to UK players to obtain a UK license. The new regulation required operators to pay a 15% Place of Consumption Tax (POCT), something that triggered an exodus of sorts of some operators from the UK Isles. However, this exodus did not last long in most cases as the benefits outweighed the stumbling blocks, due to the UK being a major market for online gambling.[citation needed]
In 2019 the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced a series of new measures that apply to online and mobile casinos to reduce underage gambling with the aim of increasing fairness and transparency.[8] The new measures will require casinos to have users verify their identity and age in order to gamble.[9]
In the United States, the legality of online gambling is debated and can vary from state to state. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) limits the ability of banks and payment processors to transact with internet gambling sites that are unlawful under any federal or state law. However, it does not define the legality or otherwise of an internet-based gambling site. It was commonly assumed that the Federal Wire Act prohibited all forms of online gambling. However, in December 2011, the United States Department of Justice released a statement clarifying that the Wire Act applied only to sports betting sites and not to online casinos, poker, or lottery sites,[10][11] leaving the definition of legality up to individual states. Certain states such as Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey have started the process of legalizing and regulating online gambling and it is expected that regulation will continue on a state by state basis.
Online casinos are now live and legal in West Virginia. DraftKings Casino became the first online casino to open its doors to West Virginians in July 2020. The launch of DraftKings is only the first of a handful of casinos that could come to the Mountain State.
Real money casinos come equipped with a number of features including blackjack, table games and, of course, slot machines. One of the defining features, though, is the bonus offers. Almost all legal casinos offer a no deposit bonus in addition to a deposit offer. This can add hundreds of dollars to your casino account if you know where to go and what code to use.
Thankfully, you’re in the right place to find that information, too. We have all the latest deals with online casinos in West Virginia. Read on for all the latest news, updates, and those bonus codes for online casinos in the Mountain State.
The first West Virginia online casino launched in July 2020. DraftKings Casino began accepting wagers as part of its partnership with Hollywood Casino Charles Town.
With the launch, West Virginia became the fourth state in the US to offer online casino play to its residents and visitors. The Mountain State joins Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as locations for casino play through laptops and mobile devices.
As it happens, West Virginians can now access their favorite casino games through Android or Apple (iOS) devices. The app allows for both real money and demo play so that players can play at their preferred comfort levels.
BetMGM Online Casino also launched in WV in 2020, offering bettors another popular online gambling option in the state. In late 2020, Golden Nugget Casino announced it would launch its online casino app next.
One of the truths about running an online business of any type is that your competitors are only a click away. No business owners are more acutely aware of this fact than online casino operators.
So, in order to attract and retain players, online casinos will always have some sort of promotions or bonuses running. Since these bonuses often come with an opportunity for you to put hundreds of extra dollars into your casino bankroll, they are worthy of your attention.
Here are some common types of online casino bonuses you can find in West Virginia online casinos.
One of the first types of bonuses that you might find is also one of the sweetest. It is possible to get money or free bets placed into your account without ever having to spend a dime. The no deposit bonus is always a good thing.
No deposit bonuses are pledges from the online casino to infuse a certain dollar amount into your player account. This amount is usually no more than about $20, and it may come in the form of free bets. However, there is rarely a time that you should not take advantage of this kind of bonus offer.
Another excellent type of promotion to grab if you see it is the risk-free bet. With this kind of bonus, the online casino will issue you a voucher for a wager of a certain amount that is good for betting on its games.
Now, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first thing is that the online casino may limit the games that you can use the risk-free bet to play. You should still use risk-free bets when they come along, but you might have to go outside your comfort zone to do so.
The second issue is that risk-free bets are usually indivisible and cannot be split to make multiple bets. Any unused portion will become void, so make sure to bet it all with these types of wagers.
However, risk-free bets are great things. There’s a reason that this type of promotion and no-deposit bonuses are the most common types offered to new players. Don’t ever miss out on them when they come around.
Deposit bonuses are quite common offers that you can find at most online casinos. In this type of bonus, the casino will match all or a portion of your deposit amount and put it into your account.
The only catch is that the casino will always require you to play through the amount before you can withdraw it as cash. In some cases, you need only wager through once, but some deposit bonuses require playthrough 50x the bonus amount.
Between the requirement and the time limit placed upon its redemption, you might find yourself in a bit of a bind to redeem a deposit bonus. However, not all deposit bonuses are impossible, so you should consider each offer carefully.
These bonuses are also called match bonuses from time to time. A casino might also offer a reload bonus to existing customers, but they are essentially identical to deposit bonuses.
Free spin bonuses are quite similar to free bet bonuses, in that you are granted the ability to take part in a gambling game without paying anything. In a free spin bonus, the casino will present you with a certain number of slot machine spins that you can redeem at any time.
However, the casino will usually designate the slot machines eligible for the promotion, and they tend not to be the progressive machines with the highest jackpots. In some cases, a casino might have a special slot machine specifically set aside for the promotion.
There’s really no reason not to use this promo, though. At worst, your only loss is the time you spend spinning.
Whenever you gamble, there’s always a chance that things won’t work out. So, online casinos will sometimes offer to make things right if you lose. Cashback bonuses do exactly that. A cashback bonus will compensate all or a portion of your net losses during a certain period of time or on a certain game. The bonus will either be in the form of site credit, or it will be straight cash.
Either way, you’ll have another bite at the apple. For the most part, these are a no-brainer.
In order to reward players who keep returning to their site, online casinos will often create a loyalty program or rewards scheme. These programs allow players to accrue points as they play normally.
Those points are redeemable for various prizes, perks, or benefits on the site. Those benefits can include free bets, cash, restaurant vouchers, or reservations at the casino’s land-based partner. The more you play, the bigger your award.
Loyalty programs are almost always free to join. Since they exist in the background, make sure to sign up so that you can get extra spiffs when you’re onsite.
West Virginia online casinos offer a wide range of different games.
The state lottery commission approves all games run by online casinos in WV. A quick path to that approval for online casinos is to offer electronic versions of the same games already approved at land-based casinos across the state.
That includes a small variety of online table games and online poker variants, and plenty of variety in online slots.
Here’s a look at the games you can find in West Virginia online casinos:
Slots are popular enough with the gambling public that they take up the majority of the floor space inside West Virginia land-based casinos. They take up a lot of bandwidth at WV online casinos, as well.
Inside WV casinos, some of the classic reel one-armed bandits are still around, although most have been replaced by modern video slots with new gameplay features, bonus games and pop-culture themes.
The most popular of these slots have also made the move to online sites. Designers such as IGT, Bally and WMS have created online versions of their most popular titles at brick and mortar casinos.
That means West Virginia online casinos can feature dozens of these modern video slots, which are based on popular television, movie and musical themes with wild and scatter symbols and bonus games. Plus, there are online versions of classic reel slots.
Other types include multi-denomination slots, penny slots, and high-roller slots. Some have fixedjackpots, and others have progressive jackpots.
As online gambling expands in the state, casinos will continue to roll out new versions of these, leading to hundreds of online slots for you to choose from.
Blackjack is the most popular table game at WV casinos, and the game’s popularity translates well online. You can find the same blackjack games you encounter at WV land-based casinos employed online.
The good news is that blackjack is played under player-friendly rules in WV with a return-to-player rate of 96.6%. In other words, the house advantage is only 3.4%.
The low-house edge is due to the following rules:
American roulette has a single and double zero slot, which almost doubles the house edge of European roulette and its single zero slot. In other words, if you want to play roulette online in West Virginia, we suggest you look around for European roulette.
Video poker has made the transition online in every state with online casinos.
The popular standards you play at brick and mortar casinos make it online in WV as well. That means multi-denominational and multi-hand versions of jacks or better, deuces wild and bonus poker are available at WV online casinos.
Since you can find the following table games at WV land-based casinos, WV casino sites host online versions of the same games. The only real difference between the two is that computerized random number generators determine the outcome of the games online, instead of dealers and playing cards.
The following games may one day be played at online casinos in West Virginia, but aren’t available just yet.
Craps is the most social game at WV casinos, but the social side of the game doesn’t translate all that well online.
Simply put, online craps isn’t as much fun as its live counterpart. The loss of the social aspect hurts the appeal of the game, and the speed at which the online game plays can make the tumbling dice difficult to follow.
Live dealer games combine live casino games with online wagering. The games are run by real people inside live gaming studios. Real dealers run the action, online casinos put up a simulcast of it and you can bet on it through an online betting interface.
You can even interact with the dealers and other players as it happens. Online casinos offer the following live dealer games across the US:
However, WV online casinos don’t yet offer live dealer casino games, mostly due to the cost of setting up a studio.
Casinos will more likely want to see what the market is like without live dealer games before determining if there is a big demand for these games.
The top land-based slot and casino game developers in the world also build games for online casinos in the US. They include:
International Gaming Technology is one of the biggest gambling companies in the world. Iconic IGT slot titles include Megabucks and Wheel of Fortune.
IGT is also a leader in pop-culture-themed slots and linked jackpot slots like its MegaJackpots series. Some of IGT’s most popular slots include:
WMS Industries has designed and built iconic slot titles like the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and James Bond 007-themed games.
WMS now operates under the Scientific Games umbrella, alongside Shuffle Master and Bally.
Some of its other popular slots include several Monopoly titles, Zeus and Kronos Unleashed. WMS is also responsible for themed slots such as:
Bally is an iconic American casino and gaming brand. Its most popular slots include the Quick Hit series, Triple Cash Wheel and Asian-themed slots like Lucky Tree and Fu Dao Le.
American Gaming Systems is a Nevada-based live casino and online slot designer responsible for titles like:
AGS’ Xtreme Jackpots linked-progressive series is also growing in popularity. It includes:
Konami is a video-game-turned-worldwide-slot-machine developer. It now creates original slots and games based on its popular video game licenses.
Some of Konami’s hottest slots include:
Every West Virginia online casino operator wants to make it easy for you to get money into your online casino account. So, there are a wide variety of deposit and withdrawal options available to you.
Deposit options include:
For the most part, online casinos in West Virginia allow you to withdraw money the same way you deposited it. If that doesn’t work, they issue you a check through the mail. Withdrawals may take a day or two on average.
Five casinos in West Virginia are eligible to offer online slots, blackjack and video poker.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort
Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack
The Greenbrier Casino Club
Online Sportsbook | Land-Based Partner | Date Launched | |
---|---|---|---|
DraftKings | Hollywood Casino | Aug. 28, 2019 | Play Now |
FanDuel | FanDuel at The Greenbrier | Sept. 13, 2019 | Play Now |
BetMGM | The Greenbrier | Jan. 29, 2020 | Play Now |
N/A | Hollywood Casino | N/A | N/A |
N/A | Mountaineer Sportsbook | N/A | N/A |
N/A | Wheeling Island | N/A | N/A |
N/A | Mardi Gras | N/A | N/A |
The launch of online gambling completed a journey that West Virginia has been traveling since lawmakers passed the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act in early 2019. The bill became law on March 27, 2019, when Gov. Jim Justice let his legislative veto window pass without signing it.
More than a year later, on April 29, 2020, the West Virginia Lottery Commission, tasked with overseeing all types of gambling in the state, approved a set of emergency rules related to the launch of online casinos.
The licenses granted by the law gives holders the right to launch up to three online gambling sites offering online poker, online slots and online table games for a period of 270 days. Each operator is charged a $100,000 license fee; software providers must pay a $10,000 fee, and West Virginia will implement a 15% tax on gross online gambling revenue.
The West Virginia Legislature will have the opportunity to make the regulations permanent when they reconvene for the 2021 legislative session. However, with the interim rules in place, online casinos are already beginning to launch in the state.
Only existing land-based West Virginia casinos can apply for master iGaming licenses. This includes:
However, each casino can operate up to three skins under its master license. That means online casino operators from outside WV are free to partner with West Virginia casinos to launch inside the state.
The West Virginia Lottery Commission regulates the casino industry in West Virginia. It has also been tasked with providing oversight and running the licensing process for online gambling and online casinos in the state.
Land-based casinos in WV can obtain a master license that allows them to operate up to three online casino skins. Each operation must pay a $100,000 license fee. Plus, software providers working with these casinos must pay a $10,000 fee to operate inside the state.
Once an online casino is up and running, they will be required to pay the state a 15% tax on all gross online gambling revenue. Currently in WV, that’s just DraftKings and BetMGM.
West Virginia’s path to legal online gambling started with online and mobile sports betting. The state authorized the launch of retail and online sportsbooks in 2018.
BetLucky, a partnership between Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island casino owner Delaware North and sports betting tech provider Mionmi, launched in December 2018. The pair also partnered on retail sports betting operations at Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island.
Then, a dispute arose between the partners resulting in the online and retail operations both closing abruptly in March 2019. It was around this same time that WV lawmakers passed the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. The bill, which authorized online casino gaming, became law on March 27, 2019, when Gov. Jim Justice let his legislative veto window pass. He did not sign the bill.
West Virginia Lottery officials spent the next year continuing to work mostly on mobile sports betting regulation. FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook received licenses and launched in August 2019. BetMGM has since launched, as well.
Delaware North also partnered with IGT to re-launch retail sports betting at Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island.
Then, on April 29, 2020, the West Virginia Lottery Commission finally approved a set of emergency rules to govern online casinos in the state.
The lottery commission sent these rules over to the West Virginia secretary of state for approval on May 15, 2020. The secretary of state has 42 days from May 15 to approve or reject the rules, which means interim licenses could be granted to West Virginia’s first online casinos anytime from now through the beginning of July.
Horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering have been popular in West Virginia since the 1930s.
In 1987, West Virginia allowed for video lottery terminal gaming to launch inside the Mountaineer Park racetrack.
By 1994, the West Virginia Racetrack Video Lottery Act passed, making the operation of video lottery terminals legal at all West Virginia race tracks in an effort to boost the local horse racing industry. The Mountaineer, Wheeling and Mardi Gras tracks all started running video lottery terminal casinos with over 1,200 video lottery machines that year.
In 1997, the Hollywood Races and Slots facility opened at Charles Town Races, running a similar VLT operation.
In 2007, the Mountaineer and Wheeling facilities installed poker tables and eventually began running table games as well, including blackjack, Caribbean stud, craps, roulette, three-card poker and four-card poker.
Mardi Gras installed table games a year later, and by 2008 the Greenbrier launched with video lottery and table games as well.
Hollywood Races and Slots became the Hollywood Casino in 2010, and the Greenbrier got the authorization to run a full-scale casino as well.
Almost a decade later, in early 2019 WV lawmakers passed online gambling legislation allowing WV casino to go online.