On Thursday, 30th August 2018, West Virginia became the fifth US state to legalize sports betting and the fourth state to launch since May 2018, following the implementation of the enabling legislation, with the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races taking the first wagers.
The inaugural bet was placed before noon on Thursday after regulators began testing systems at the casino last Monday, 27th August, 2018. The process probably went better than expected as Hollywood bumped its scheduled Saturday launch forward by two full days, making it the first West Virginia casino to book a legal wager.
Hollywood Casino’s sportsbook is part of the Penn National Gaming group and is powered by the US division of UK bookmaker William Hill.
Hollywood Casino has not yet launched online and mobile operations, despite the fact that West Virginia licensing permits the launch of these facilities. Hollywood has, however, revealed that they are planning to launch a mobile app in the near future.
FanDuel Sportsbook is thought to be the next to launch in West Virginia and will provide retail sports betting at The Greenbrier. Its online/mobile application is already in the final stages of development and will probably launch round the middle of September 2018.
Two further land casino operators – Pearl River Resort and Island View Casino Resort in the state of Mississippi, also launched sportsbooks on Thursday, 30th August 2018. They follow the launches in the state by Churchill Downs’ Riverwalk Casino and two land casinos in the Caesars Entertainment group.