West Virginia iGaming Handle Up Slightly, Sports Betting Sets Records
@jdtomlin68
West Virginia’s real money online casino handle saw a slight uptick in November but the revenue was down slightly.
As for sports betting, the state broke records for both total handle and mobile wagering.
The November handle for iGaming in West Virginia over the four-week period from Oct. 31 to Nov. 27 was $198,162,303. That was up 0.2% from October ($197,830,454). The West Virginia Lottery reports revenue and handle figures weekly rather than monthly.
As far as revenue for November at online casinos, it was $5,926,361, a 7.9% decrease from October’s $6,437,247.
Here are 3 takeaways from West Virginia’s gaming scene in November.
West Virginia Sports Betting Sets Records
The mobile and total sports betting handle records were shattered in the Mountain State last month, continuing a trend that West Virginia had missed out on previously.
In October, several states broke their records for handle in sports wagering thanks to football season being in full swing and the NHL and NBA seasons starting. But not in West Virginia, where the sports betting handle record of $76.95 million had stood since September 2020.
That is, until November.
WV Sports Betting Handle & Revenue, November vs. October
| Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | $83.098M | $68.178M | $6.285M |
| October | $61.680M | $47.770M | $2.667M |
| Change | Up 34.7% | Up 42.7% | Up 135.6% |
Note: West Virginia reports numbers weekly rather than by calendar month. November represents Oct.31-Nov. 27; October represents Oct. 3-30.
Last month’s handle of $83.1 million reset that record, and so did the mobile sports betting number of nearly $68.2 million. The online sports wagering record of $59.2 million had also stood since September 2020. In the week ending Nov. 27, the state saw more than $30 million in sports betting handle -- that was not only a first, but it was the first time that wagers had exceeded even $20 million in a seven-day span.
November’s sports betting total handle was up 34.7% from October ($61.7 million) and 71.2% higher than November 2020 ($48.5 million). The mobile handle was a 42.7% increase compared to October ($47.8 million) and a whopping 140% leap in a year-over-year comparison to 12 months earlier ($28.4 million).
The November sports betting revenue of nearly $6.3 million was 135.6% higher than October ($2.7M) and a 42.6% increase from November 2020 ($4.4M).
Breakdown of iGaming revenue
Getting back to iGaming in West Virginia, The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs led the way with $104.9 million in online casino wagering and $3.2 million in revenue for November. The Greenbrier has an agreement with BetMGM Casino for its online wagering products.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town – which partners with DraftKings Casino -- had nearly $71 million in iGaming handle and $2 million in revenue last month.
Mountaineer Casino in New Cumberland (BetRivers Casino) took in $22.3 million in wagers and drew $723,185 for November revenue.
New competitors on West Virginia Scene
The iGaming numbers in West Virginia should see a spike from two new entrants in the state.
In early November, WynnBET Casino announced that it was partnering with Delaware North to offer its online gaming products. Delaware North has two gaming venues in the state, the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Nitro and the Wheeling Island Casino and Racetrack.
And in late November, Wazdan received approval from the West Virginia Lottery to offer its online casino products in the state.
Contributors
Jim Tomlin has more than 30 years of experience in sports journalism as an editor and writer. He has covered pro and college sports from football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, motorsports and more for publications such as the Tampa Bay Times, SaturdayDownSouth.com, SaturdayTradition.com and FanRag Sports. He now lends his expertise to TopUSCasinos.com, among other duties.
