West Virginia’s newest legal sports betting operation had an underwhelming October, leaving the state with little revenue to tax.
On Wednesday, the West Virginia Lottery Commission (which oversees the state’s varied gaming operations) reported that the state’s two licensed sports betting operators handled total wagers of nearly $10.2m in October, more than one-third higher than the $7.5m the state reported in September.
Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino, which was the first state gaming operation to open a sportsbook in late August, handled $9.36m in wagers last month, up from $7m in September. Hollywood’s betting revenue totaled just over $630k, of which the state claims 10% as its share.
Over at the members-only Greenbrier Resort, the Fanduel-powered sportsbook’s first full month of operation brought in wagers of $796k, more than twice the sum wagered in the two weeks the book was open in September. However, the Greenbrier’s upper crust bettors collected over $832k in winnings, leaving the book with no revenue and the state with no taxes.
The West Virginia Gazette Mail quoted Lottery director John Myers saying the Greenbrier’s high-rollers also occasionally knock the private casino’s gaming tables for a loss, so whatcha gonna do?
West Virginia welcomed its third sportsbook last week as the Mountaineer Racetrack & Casino launched its betting operations (like Hollywood, powered by William Hill). On Wednesday, Myers said the state’s two remaining casinos, both run by Delaware North, had successfully completed testing of their land-based betting tech but were holding off launching until their new Miomni-powered mobile betting app was ready.
Myers said Delaware North was committed to a simultaneous launch of mobile wagering and retail betting at its Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island casinos. Myers said the launch timelime was the company’s to make, but “when they’re ready to start it up, we’re ready to go.”
While FanDuel has vowed to have its Greenbrier betting app up and running before the year is through, Myers said none of the state’s casino operators had so far completed their required app testing.
