In West Virginia, officials hope to have sports betting rules and regulations in place before football season starts. West Virginia Gaming and Racing Association President John Cavacini said, “Thirty days down the road, hopefully we’ll have the rules in place. By that time the tracks will have started getting construction of the capital improvements they need to get done and they’ll be well on their way.”
Cavacini added, “The NFL and college football and college basketball are the sports. So I would expect at least in the early going if we get started that we would have some significant numbers as it relates to football, both pro and college.”
Sports betting will be available on-site at the state’s five casinos and also through the casinos’ mobile apps. Whether both ways to place bets will be up at the same time still is up in the air, Cavacini said. “I think it’s questionable, and the reason I say that is the mobile part of this is a significant part of the business on sports betting. I was in a meeting this week, and it is entirely a different world as it relates to mobile apps, having those at the track, people calling in and opening accounts. If one of those platforms or one of those forms is ahead of the other, I would not be surprised to see, hypothetically, that the bricks and mortar and the retail side gets up first. That is not what the Lottery wants and it’s basically not what we want.”
Cavacini noted West Virginia casinos are getting ready for sports betting in several ways.
“All of the properties are in the midst of preparing to develop, at their properties, sports books. They have been looking at designated areas within their properties and within the buildings they have. They have had conversations with architects to identify the best areas for the sports book area.”
Regarding staffing, Cavacini stated, “I know the tracks have been looking at the numbers of employees they’re going to have to hire as it relates to the beginning of the operation of sports book. They’re looking at the teller lines and where they’re going to place those so people can bet and the odds boards like you see in Las Vegas that will have the odds for every game that is on the line.”
Cavacini said besides new physical structures, new rules are being created to ensure integrity for bettors. Also, he said each of the state’s casinos received a questionnaire from the Lottery about their plans.
“We’ve had some conversation with the lottery about some of our needs. They’ve had conversations about some of their wants,” Cavacini said.
West Virginia Lottery General Counsel Danielle Boyd said she’s optimistic sports betting could be ready for football season.
“We have surrounded ourselves with industry expertise throughout this entire process, and, while football season may be an ambitious goal, we have had the best and brightest working in West Virginia and they continue to be part of that process,” she said.
William Hill Race and Sports Book Chief Executive Officer Joe Asher noted his company, which operates 108 of the sports books in Las Vegas, could be involved in the West Virginia market if it is chosen as a provider by any of the state’s casinos. He noted residents have been placing sports bets off the books.
“Given the right regulatory environment, the right tax structure, I think there’s a pretty good chance of moving people into the legal market. That’s great because it’s going to lead to more tax revenue for the state, it’s going to involve much greater consumer protections. You aren’t going to have to worry about your bookie getting busted. So I’m pretty optimistic,” Asher said.
A sports betting bill passed the West Virginia legislature in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court lifting the federal ban, which happened in May. Casinos will pay the state a $100,000 licensing fee and 10 percent tax on adjusted gross receipts. Sports betting is estimated to generate $5.5 million in revenue for West Virginia in its first year.
