West Virginia Senate Votes in Favor of Lottery Interactive Wagering Act
Friday was an important day for gamblers residing in West Virginia as the Senate allowed Lottery Interactive Wagering Act to pass. As a result, poker and online casino gaming are several steps closer to becoming legal in the state.
In 2018, West Virginia legalized online sports betting, the first time the state ventured into the world of online gambling. BetLucky app allowed Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras casinos to offer these services.
Excellent news for West Virginia
After getting approval from the West Virginia Senate, Republican Governor Jim Justice is the one who has to veto or sign the bill. He has 15 days to decide on whether to veto or sign the legal draft, which will allow online casinos to operate in the state.
It is unlikely that the Governor will vote against the bill, as it would be favorable to him. He owns Greenbrier, a luxury hotel resort which has a casino. If the bill passes, it will allow his business to obtain a new license for online gaming.
Known as House Bill 2934, Delegate Jason Barrett was the one who introduced it on February 12th. According to the bill, land-based casinos in the state will receive five-year licenses which will cost them $250,000. Also, they will have to pay 15% as tax from their gross gaming revenue. If everything goes according to plan, casinos can offer services such as online tables, slots, and poker games.
Since that time, West Virginia’s legislatures passed the legal draft, with 26 and seven votes in favor and against it respectively.
The upper chamber made minor tweaks to the bill, before returning it to the house for approval. If the Governor gives the green signal, West Virginia will join the ranks of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada, to offer regulated online gaming.
Not everything is going well in West Virginia
BetLucky Sportsbook, a mobile sports betting app available to the residents of West Virginia stopped its services recently. According to the owner of Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras, this is the result of a contractual dispute. Miomni Gaming, the sports betting platform provider, disagreed with the third-party technology supplier. As a result, BetLucky Sportsbook decided to cease their online and land-based sports betting.
At present, BetLucky is the only operator to offer these services to the West Virginia market. The decision can come at a cost, as March Madness is about to start, a popular sporting event in the country. Currently, Delaware North is looking at establishing a time frame to restore its services in the state.
