Last updated on: August 25th, 2023
Legal West Virginia Sports Betting
West Virginia sports betting has been running for over a decade, even though the regulated market did not launch until 2018. With five casino and racino venues pretty well spread out, there is a variety of options for players both in person and online. With mobile sports betting apps consisting of major brands, bettors also have access to legal WV betting sites to find even more odds on the Mountaineers and other local teams. Savvy bettors can shop lines with both in-state and online books to ensure they are getting the best odds. With some of the most relaxed gambling laws in the country, sports betting sites that take West Virginia players are not just plentiful, but safe and legal as well.
- Both retail and online sports betting is live in West Virginia.
- Retail launched in 2018 while online/mobile launched shortly after with some initial problems.
- Legal sports betting sites in West Virginia offer more betting options than any WV betting app.
| Rank | Sportsbook | Bonus Offer | Play Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
75% Up To $750 Read Review | Visit Bovada! |
| 2 |  |
50% New Member Bonus!Read Review | Visit BetOnline! |
| 3 |  |
50% Up To $1,000 Read Review | Visit MyBookie! |
| 4 |  |
100% Up To $300Read Review | Visit Xbet! |
| 5 |  |
50% Up To $1,000 Read Review | Visit SportsBetting! |
Is It Legal To Use Bovada In West Virginia?
It is legal to use Bovada in West Virginia, as it is not located within the state and thus is not subject to gaming laws. This allows you to access more bets than otherwise and can help betting fans gain access to various things that local books cannot provide, such as betting odds on politics and awards shows. West Virginia legal sports betting is a growing market, with Bovada being one of the best sports betting sites available.
#1
Bovada Sportsbook
More Banking Methods For Legal West Virginia Sports Betting
Bovada is home to a lot of variety in terms of both legal sports betting as well as how to fund and withdraw from you’re your betting account. While WV does indeed have regulated legal sports betting in its legislation, many players in the Mountain State choose Bovada for the slew of alternate banking methods available. Players can wager using debit/credit cards, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, PayPal, and many other ways. There are also many ways to collect your winnings as well, and these vary in speed of withdrawal times. Some methods are quicker than others. For example, Bitcoin is the fastest way to collect your winnings, while a check would be the slowest.
Rating: 
- Fastest Payout Methods
- More Banking Options
- Bonuses For Bitcoin Users
- Available On Mobile
- No Download Needed
#2
BetOnline Sportsbook
A Top Sportsbook For WV Betting
BetOnline is a great sportsbook with a lot of options you can use to customize it to your liking. You can select different UIs, you can search up bets, you can build wagers in their wager building tool, and more. You can even wager on political events, reality TV, and other wagers not available at traditional WV sportsbooks.
Rating:
- Reliable Banking Methods
- Strong Server Connection
- 10+ Year Track Record
- Huge Assortment Of Odds
- No App Mobile Betting
#3
MyBookie Sportsbook
Sports Betting With Cryptocurrency
MyBookie is a sportsbook that is built on the idea of providing the most wagers on the most things that anyone can think to wager on. This means that you will most likely find more odds at MyBookie than any of the regulated sportsbooks in WV, but also it is likely to have the most odds out of any sportsbook in WV period.
Ratings:
- Huge Player Bonuses
- Consistent Odds
- Easy Interface
- Rapid Live Betting
- Legal In West Virginia
#4
SportsBetting Sportsbook
A Top Choice For West Virginia
SportsBetting is a great online sportsbook that is focused on density and ease of use. Arranged like a giant bookie sheet, their odds are sharp, and they focus on providing sharp odds at the expense of bells-and-whistles that many other sportsbooks offer. They’re definitely worth checking out, even if only to shop lines.
Ratings:
- Efficient Site Layout
- Full Mobile Betting Suite
- Available Customer Service
- Trustworthy Banking Options
- Fast Payout Times
#5
XBet Sportsbook
A Plethora Of Betting Lines
XBet’s online sports betting offerings are generally regarded as among the best in the game, and this is especially true in West Virginia. In addition to being an excellent sportsbook. XBet provides wagering on things that regulated books in the state do not, such as reality TV, politics and certain sports.
Ratings:
- Worry-free Legal Betting
- Exclusive Bonus Offers
- Constantly Updated Odds
- Premier User Experience
- Full Mobile + Live Betting
Where is Sports Betting Legal?
West Virginia Sports Betting And Gambling Laws
Legal West Virginia sports betting was made possible thanks to SB 415. It was the most comprehensive bill introduced to the Senate and was quickly passed by the House. Allowed by Governor Jim Justice to become law without his signature (due to a conflict of interest, as he is the owner of The Greenbrier), residents and tourists have the ability to bet on sports. Unlike other states, West Virginia sports betting regulations do not have a lot of restrictions.
Operators must pay a service fee of $100,000 to the West Virginia Lottery every five years so they can keep their licenses. Another fee that they have to abide by is a 10% “privilege tax” on wagering receipts. This is slightly under the average sports betting tax but still a hefty price nonetheless.
Betting On The Super Bowl In West Virginia
The best West Virginia Super Bowl betting sites are licensed internationally. However, there are still in person destinations for West Virginia legal sports betting, along with mobile apps taking bets on the big game. No matter the route you take for legal Super Bowl betting, you will find a variety of future prop and live odds during the week of the game.
Horse Racing Betting In West Virginia
Of the five casino venues in West Virginia, four of them are racetracks – two for horse racing and two for greyhound racing. The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races as well as the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort are two of the busiest US Thoroughbred racing venues with 220 racing days each, each year. The Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort both offer greyhound racing, and they’re among the last operational dog tracks in the country. All of these venues have pari-mutuel horse racing betting, and they each operate both on-site and online sportsbooks.
Daily Fantasy Sports In West Virginia
As you can imagine, West Virginia DFS is completely legal. Although there are laws regulating sports betting in the state, there are no regulations in regard to DFS. This isn’t a bad thing though, as there are no restrictions to play DFS in WV. Thanks to this, leading DFS sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel are freely operating in West Virginia, and they are the top choices for local DFS enthusiasts.
Land Based Sportsbooks In West Virginia
There are currently five casino locations that are hosting land based sportsbooks in West Virginia. These books take a wide range of bets from all players passing through or living in WV. Each casino is parented up with a sportsbook operator, to offer the best odds and lines. The five sportsbook locations in West Virginia are below:
- Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races – Charles Town
- Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack – Wheeling
- Mardi Gras Casino & Resort – Cross Lanes
- Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort – New Cumberland
- The Casino Club at the Greenbrier – White Sulphur Springs
Crypto Sports Betting In West Virginia
Cryptocurrency is a major component of sports betting in WV, as it is the major way to access international sportsbooks that serve players in the state. These sports betting sites that allow West Virginia residents are among the best in the business, and they all deal in crypto to greater or lesser extents. Bovada, for example, takes five different cryptos, while BetOnline takes more than a dozen.
Bitcoin Bonuses In West Virginia
- Bovada – $750 Bitcoin Bonus
- BetOnline – $1,000 Bitcoin Bonus
- MyBookie – No Special Bitcoin Bonus
West Virginia Sports Teams To Bet On
There aren’t any big-5 pro sports teams in WV to bet on. Still, a handful of colleges and the ECHL give legal West Virginia sports betting sites a local edge. Betting on the Mountaineers football or basketball team is the most popular. Likewise, bets on Marshall are common at WV betting sites too. Many look to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, or Virginia for pro sports fandom. Regardless, legal sportsbooks taking WV players can wager on sports teams that are located anywhere in the world.
- Alderson Broaddus Battlers – Mountain East
- Bluefield State Big Blues – Independent
- Charleston Golden Eagles – Mountain East
- Concord Mountain Lions – Mountain East
- Davis & Elkins Senators – Mountain East
- Fairmont State Falcons – Mountain East
- Glenville State Pioneers – Mountain East
- Marshall Thundering Herd – Sun Belt
- Salem Tigers – Independent
- Shepherd Rams – PSAC
- West Liberty Hilltoppers – Mountain East
- West Virginia State Yellow Jackets – Mountain East
- West Virginia Mountaineers – Big 12
- West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats – Mountain East
- Wheeling Cardinals – Mountain East
- Wheeling Nailers – ECHL
Betting On The NFL In West Virginia
West Virginia betting fans can place action on the NFL at one of the five retail sports betting operations in the state or through mobile and online betting. There are odds available all season long. Even though there are no local NFL teams, being close to Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Maryland gives West Virginia a large local NFL fanbase that looks at teams like the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles. You can find odds on all of these teams and all other teams at NFL sports betting sites that accept players in West Virginia.
State Regulated Online Sportsbooks Taking WV Players
There are a handful of commercial sportsbook apps in West Virginia that can be accessed from anywhere in the state. These books are partnered up with the five casinos that offer legal WV sports betting. While all of these mobile sports betting sites are state regulated, they do not have any better odds than the international sportsbooks that have been accepting WV players for over a decade. Because the market is still fresh, the question, Is FanDuel legal in West Virginia, is still commonly asked, along with the other state regulated online sports betting options found below:
- Barstool Sportsbook (Hollywood Casino Charles Town Races)
- BetRivers (Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort)
- BetMGM (Greenbrier)
- Caesars Sportsbook (Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort)
- DraftKings Sportsbook (Hollywood Casino Charles Town Races)
- FanDuel Sportsbook (Greenbrier)
- PointsBet Sportsbook (Hollywood Casino Charles Town Races)
- WynnBet (Delaware North)
History Of West Virginia Sports Betting
West Virginia sports betting was not always as large of a market, as there was some trouble in the past. The first state regulated betting site to open was known as BetLucky, and was operated by Delaware North, which sourced its sports betting operation from a company called Mionmi. Mionmi had an issue with a third party vendor that caused an issue with BetLucky’s service and led to Delaware North splitting off from Mionmi. This split caused BetLucky to close down. The market has since recovered and grown, with many legal WV betting sites and in person options available in 2023.
West Virginia Legal Sports Betting Timeline
- Mar 15, 2022 – West Virginia’s bettors may soon be able to wager on esports as HB 4826 is under debate.
- Sep 9, 2020 – William Hill’s online sportsbook goes live in West Virginia.
- Sep 3, 2020 – Betly Sportsbook, launched by Mardi Gras Casino, goes live in WV.
- Aug 27, 2020 – West Virginia’s sports betting options are expected to expand before the 2020 NFL season.
- May 4, 2020 – West Virginia plans to adopt iGaming rules in a similar vein to their sports betting rules.
- Jan 24, 2020 – Sports betting looks to return to the two Delaware North casinos in West Virginia after a contract dispute disrupted operations.
- Sep 20, 2019 – FanDuel and DraftKings are becoming the most used sportsbooks in WV, after a contract dispute caused the BetLucky app to go down.
- Aug 27, 2019 – FanDuel enters the online gambling market in West Virginia, ending a six-month drought of online sportsbook access caused by the failure of the BetLucky app.
- Jun 26, 2019 – BetLucky is still down, and new sportsbooks are not expected until the NFL season.
- Mar 8, 2019 – Sports betting is suspended at two casinos operated by Delaware North, and on the BetLucky App, the only online sportsbook operating in WV.
- May 14, 2018 – PASPA is repealed, allowing WV’s sports betting laws to take effect, and for sports betting operators to begin operations.
What Is the Sports Betting Age In West Virginia?
The legal sports betting age in West Virginia is 21 years old; however, many online sportsbooks only require users to be 18 years old to register. Regardless, it is best to wait until 21 years of age to register to ensure legality.
West Virginia Real Money Sports Betting
With a variety of legal sports betting sites that accept West Virginia players, it is not difficult to bet real money. You can either use a West Virginia sports betting app or an offshore sportsbook from your mobile browser to place your wagers, Additionally, any of the five land based casino sportsbooks offer real money sports betting in WV.
Banking Options At West Virgins Sports Betting Sites
Banking methods at West Virginia sportsbooks depend on which market you are accessing. If looking for credit card betting sites, you can use both state regulated and offshore options. Bank transfers are another one of the most popular sports betting deposit methods in West Virginia. For those wanting the fastest transactions, legal WV betting sites licensed overseas take crypto deposits. These never have any fees attached and are 100% secure.
Legal West Virginia Online Sports Betting Bonuses
| Sportsbook: | Bonus: | Percent Bonus: | Min Deposit: | Max Bonus: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovada | Bitcoin Welcome Bonus | 75% | $20 | $750 |
| BetOnline | Sports Welcome Bonus | 50% | $55 | $1,000 |
| MyBookie | First Deposit Bonus | 100% | 50 | 1000 |
| BetUS | 200% Crypto Sign Up Bonus | 150% Sports + 50% Casino | $100 | $2,500 |
| SportsBetting | Sports Welcome Bonus | 50% | $55 | $1,000 |
Pro Tip: While there are many different types of sports betting bonuses on the table for WV players, Bitcoin deposits offer the biggest potential promotions.
Legal West Virginia Sports Betting FAQs
Is Online Sports Betting Safe In West Virginia?
Yes, online sports betting is completely safe in West Virginia, if using a West Virginia-regulated online sportsbook or an internationally-based online sportsbook.
Will I Get Arrested For Sports Betting In West Virginia?
No, you will not get arrested for sports betting in West Virginia.
Where Is The Best Place To Bet On Sports In West Virginia?
When Did Sports Betting Become Legal In West Virginia?
Sports betting became regulated in West Virginia in 2019 after opening their first in-state sportsbook at the end of August 2018. Now, both online and land-based sports betting in West Virginia is active. The first year of mobile WV sports betting hit many snags; however, all issue has been resolved.
Is The Legal Sports Betting Industry Of WV Expected To Grow?
Yes, legal sports betting in the state of West Virginia is expected to grow leaps and bounds for both retail and mobile sports wagering platforms in the years ahead. The popularity of gambling on sporting events is growing among residents and options for the various forms of wagering on sports continue to evolve to offer more to sports bettors statewide. With all of this in mind, a surge in activity, as well as revenue and overall profits, is slated for West Virginians and their legal sports betting industry in the future.
Can I Bet On Sports With Friends In West Virginia?
Yes, there are no laws to prohibit betting on sporting events between friends in West Virginia. In fact, that would be an odd thing to ban considering West Virginia has a regulated sports betting industry already.