Two more West Virginia casinos will be offering sports betting, according to John Myers, director of the state lottery. Pretty fast work considering that at the beginning of 2018 sports betting was a federal crime.
Myers told the Lottery Commission last week that two more casinos would be taking sports book wagers, since the Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island casinos recently were tested to offer the mobile app.
All five casinos in the state have paid the annual $100,000 licensing fee to offer sports betting. The final casino to do so was Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort. No others have completed the testing for mobile apps yet, he said.
The lottery is also working with the legislature on regulations for sports betting, which it has asked lawmakers to approve. Legislators have been anxious to make sure that Lottery officials wouldn’t include the so-called “integrity fees” that sports leagues have been lobbying for since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the ban on the activity.
The commission did not give the leagues what they desired and the Legislative Rules Committee approved its rules with minor changes.
Soon the lottery plans to release a mobile convenience app, which will help customers find places where they can buy lottery tickets.
