Online Casinos for players from West Virginia in 2024

Introduction

The Mountain State is one of the first states to legalize online casinos. This makes it a popular destination for terrific gaming experiences. Currently, there are nine legal online casinos in West Virginia. Slots, table games, and even live dealer options are among the diverse gaming alternatives offered on these platforms. Online sports betting and a few other forms of online gambling are also legal, but we’ll expound on that in later sections. 

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Is Online Gambling Legal in West Virginia?

A big yes! Most forms of online gambling are legal in West Virginia. The state has been at the forefront of the expansion of legal gambling options since 2019. The law authorizes licensed operators to offer a full spectrum of online gambling services, which include slot games, table games, and poker.

All online gambling platforms within the state are controlled by the West Virginia Lottery Commission. This body ensures high standards of fair games, security, and responsible gaming. This gives players a safe environment.

Apart from online casinos, the state also legalized online sports betting in 2018, before most US states. This allowed their citizens to place bets on their favorite sports teams and events on different sportsbooks. In addition, online poker and online lottery ticket sales are also allowed under state law. This has placed West Virginia among very few states where online gambling is not just legal but also fully regulated.

But you must be 21 years or older to legally gamble in the Mountain State.

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Types of online gambling legal in West Virginia

West Virginia is one of those states with a comprehensive list of legal online gambling opportunities. There are no gray areas here, at least not yet. Here are the forms of online gambling legal in the state:

• Online casinos: The 2019 WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act allows licensed operators to run various versions of different casino games on their websites. There are 9 of them currently, popular ones being BetMGM, BetRivers and FanDuel.
• Online sports betting: Sports betting online was made legal in West Virginia in 2018. There are already several online sportsbooks licensed by the state’s regulatory board.
• Online horse race betting: Like sports betting, betting on horse races is perfectly legal in the Mountain State.
• Online poker: Legal since 2019, though no operators provide these options currently. West Virginia also joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), meaning online poker players in the state can compete against players based in other states, such as Michigan, Delaware, and New Jersey.
• Online lottery: The West Virginia online lottery site is also open to residents. It provides various ways for players to play online through ticket sales on lots of lottery games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, and instant-based games.

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Online Casino Restrictions in West Virginia

Though online casinos are perfectly legal in West Virginia, the state has put in place some restrictions and regulations to ensure that online gambling is done responsibly. The first one is age. To engage in any form of gambling online, you must be at least 21 years old in the state of West Virginia.

Next is geolocation. You must be within the borders of West Virginia to participate in any legal online gaming in the state-licensed gambling platforms. Licensed operators feature geolocation technology, which requires player location verification before making any bets or playing casino games.

Onto licensing and regulation…

… Only companies licensed by the West Virginia Lottery Commission (WVLC) are legally permitted to offer online gambling services to the citizens of that state. There are a variety of strict stipulations for operators to protect players from fraud or other forms of cheating. These measures include regular audits and responsible gambling practices. The body also oversees the entire industry to make sure no unlicensed gambling company serves residents. In line with this, the WVLC issued a cease-and-desist letter to Bovada in 2024. The company no longer accepts players from West Virginia.

Offshore casinos; the elephant in the room. Players can indeed succumb to the temptations of an offshore online casino. However, these types of gambling sites don't operate under the watchful eyes of West Virginia authorities. This means that there's virtually no recourse for players in case online casinos break down in terms of not paying them.

And as a particular forum post shows, some of these gambling sites may purposely fail to accept a US ID as a validity proof of identity.

Land-Based Casinos in West Virginia

West Virginia has 5 legal land-based casinos that bring back the authentic touch to casino gaming. These venues bring an assortment of games in the form of slot games and table games. But one thing is common: they all are racinos, meaning they provide racetrack betting services.

Physical casinos in West Virginia include

• Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
• Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort
• Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
• The Casino Club at The Greenbrier
• Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack

Responsible Gambling in the Mountain State

West Virginia regards the issue of responsible gambling with a lot of seriousness. A licensed gambling company is expected to have, within its disposal, a mechanism that can be applied to limit a player’s gambling activities.

Such mechanisms include providing deposit limits, time limits, and self-exclusion. Further, it provides for responsible gambling through various means, with support to those who may need assistance with gambling problems. One is the National Problem Gambling Helpline, reachable through:

• Call: 1-800-GAMBLER
• Text: 800GAM
• Website: 1800gamblerchat.org

Other international safer gambling organizations, such as Gamblers Anonymous are also at your disposal.

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Depositing and Withdrawing when in WV

Please see below for a table of the withdrawal/deposit and banking term rankings. Click on the casino name for a detailed look at the withdrawal and deposit score of each casino and how we determined each. More information about deposit and withdrawal terms for US players can be found here.

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Final Thoughts

Online and land-based gambling are legal in West Virginia. Online poker, casino games, lottery, horse race betting, and sports betting are all permitted. There are 9 online casinos and 5 land-based gambling establishments in the state. The entire operation is overseen by the West Virginia Lottery Commission. The regulator forbids offshore gambling and is so strict that it offers cease-and-desist letters to operators caught.

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Written by: Michael Shackleford