You will be pleasantly surprised that most, including online and offline sportsbooks, internet poker, and others are legal in the state. As long as you are 21 years old, you can enjoy many different gaming options. If you are at least 18, you can try your luck on some of the games of the WV lottery. It is one of the states that is more open to that form of entertainment.
What is still lacking inside it is having more B&M gaming venues as there are just 5 locations. They are great, but there is room for more. The more casinos there are, the better the competition will be, and that will be very beneficial for the players. They will get more attractive land-based and online casino bonuses and promotions.
Online casinos –Legal
You will find all kinds of online casino games like live dealer games, poker, blackjack, roulette, slots, and more in the state. Each legal gaming website from the state can decide which of these games to offer and from which software providers.
Currently, the legal gaming websites in the state that hold licenses are Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, The Greenbrier, and the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. What you can enjoy a lot is that you can find many live dealer games. That means you can really feel like you are inside a true gaming facility. See the atmosphere and talk to a real person. It is the hottest trend on online casino sites at the moment.
Online poker –Legal
The WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act of 2019 made online poker legal. But, the sad fact is that currently, there are no online poker rooms available in this state. Don’t be sad about it. It is only a matter of time before some of the big operators in the state, like BetMGM or Bet Rivers, introduce online poker.
Until then, you can play online free poker games without wagering real money. That way, you can become better at it, and when the time comes, you can show what you learned. You can also visit a land-based operator and wager real money in some of the few poker rooms in the state. A popular places for that is the Mardi Gras casino. There, you can compete against real people in person. For some reason, online poker is still not very popular in this state, but at GameZinger, we believe this is about to change in the future.
Land-based casinos –Legal
There are just five brick-and-mortar venues in WV that have official licenses from the state. All of them are located in different cities and have been open for quite a while now.
The Casino Club at The Greenbrier logo
The Casino Club at The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a super luxurious resort in WV. It is a spectacular place for truly rich people. The establishment has more than 100 years of history and has been the hotspot for many important people. A total of 26 presidents have been at The Greenbrier! A spectacular number! The casino has not been the main attraction in this place, but in 2009, it was added as an attraction to the guests. Until today, it is only orientated towards the guests of the hotel.
Currently, there are 37 table games, and the guests can enjoy Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Mini-Baccarat, Texas Hold ’em Poker, and Three Card Poker. There are also 320 slots too. And, since it has partnered with BetMGM, it has ventured into the world of internet gambling too.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races logo
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
The Hollywood Casino is probably one of the 3 best WV gambling sites. It is enormous and can easily rival many Las Vegas venues. In some ways, it is even better than them. It offers race wagering too! It was established in 1933, almost 100 years ago! In the beginning, it was all focused on horse racing, but now with the years, it has grown. First with the addition of slot machines and later full-blown casino games in 2010. There are over 1900 slots, live poker, and sports betting.
Mardi Gras Casino and Resort logo
Mardi Gras Casino and Resort
This is another racino, a combination between a racetrack and a casino. People come to Mardi Gras to bet on greyhound races or horse races and to stay in one of the 150 luxurious rooms. Additionally, you can enjoy table games like Blackjack, Roulette games, Craps, Three card poker, Mississippi stud, many slots, and even Crisscross poker.
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort logo
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort
For sure, this facility is in the top 3 of the best WV gambling sites. It is a huge casino with a gaming space of over 78 000 square feet. Quite an impressive number! Inside it, you can expect more than 1000 slot machines and a wide variety of table games like electronic Roulette, traditional Roulette, Let it ride, Mississippi Stud, Spanish 21, Three card poker, Craps, Blackjack, and more. And if you want to have even more fun inside the Mountaineer, you can enjoy betting on auto racing, baseball, football, basketball, soccer, MMA fighting, and many other sports. The venue is definitely worth visiting.
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack logo
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack
Wheeling Island is a great place to watch and bet on greyhound races. There are races from Wednesday to Sunday throughout the whole year. You can enjoy the beautiful animals’ run while you wager on your favorite. The racetrack offers great dining, too, with a buffet, sports bar, and food court.
When it comes to casino games, you can expect more than 1100 slots, poker rooms, and traditional table games like Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, and more. It is a spectacular venue worth visiting. The small number does not mean that they are not great. One is just a gambling facility for the guests of its hotel, and four of them are a combination of racetracks and casinos. The so-called racinos! You can enjoy all types of gambling under the same roof, including placing bets on races! If you want to play poker, you can! If you feel like taking your chance on a horse race or a greyhound race, you can!
Sports betting–Legal
Wagering on sports is legal in the Mountainn State for people above 21 years of age! You can bet on your favorite team and have even more fun while watching the game! It was legalized in 2018 after the West Virginia Sports Lottery Wagering Act. The first legal online sportsbooks started in 2019. They are all linked to land-based operators with a Mountain State license. The best online gambling sites in West Virginia offer betting to their customers.
As you can expect, you can bet on a variety of games. If you like basketball, go ahead and try your luck on the NBA. If you are more into martial arts, there are options for MMA fights too. For lovers of fast cars, NASCAR betting in WV is also available. There are other great sports that you can bet on, like baseball (MLB) and football NFL. In West Virginia, you can even bet on college football games. Something that very few other states offer. That makes betting in VW more diverse and interesting. And let’s not forget international sports events. You can bet on soccer matches, tennis games, hockey and more.
Wagering options: Football | Basketball | Soccer | Hokey | Tennis | And more!
Most of the platforms offer mobile, offline (in Hollywood Casino and Mountaineer Casino), and online sports betting too.
Lottery –Legal
The West Virginia Lottery Commission was created back in 1985. It is the auditor that checks the legality of the lottery games. It guarantees that all the processes are done correctly, and everybody who plays has a fair chance. The first lottery was launched one year later, in 1986. The prizes at that time were small, but now, you can participate in a high-stake lottery and win jackpots worth hundreds of millions. As you can see, it has a long history, and it is a well-established way of wagering in the state. That makes it really popular.
In comparison to other forms of gambling, it has a lower age limit – 18 years. The most popular games it currently offers are the West Virginia Power Ball, Mega Millions, Lotto America, Cash Pop, and more. The Mega Millions is the one with the biggest jackpot, which is often a couple of hundred million, but the chance is 1:302,575,350, so don’t be too optimistic.
Horse racing –Legal
Horse racing has always been very popular in the USA. WV residents are also very keen on this way of wagering. It was allowed by law in 1931. Almost 100 years ago! With the new digital revolution, horse betting has entered the Internet.
Now, there are several WV online casinos you can use to bet real money. Many of them offer you welcome bonuses, too, so you can start with a larger bet. The best WV gambling sites are racinos, and they offer horse racing betting. You can also bet directly in an establishment and watch the whole show of how the horses are running like crazy. Of course, for both online and offline sports wagering, you will need to be at least 21 years old.
Greyhound race betting–Legal
Equally thrilling as placing bets on horse racing and greyhound racing is also legal. You can put your money on the fastest greyhound and watch them run like bolts of lightning! They are one of the fastest dogs on earth! Some can reach 44 mph! It is quite a spectacular show. And you can add extra adrenaline to it by wagering on your favorite dog. You can do it online or on the racetrack directly. You will need to be at least 21 years old. If you are younger, just enjoy the spectacle for now. It is still worth watching.
Bingo–Legal
The West Virginia Lottery commission allows Bingo games in the state. Everybody who is at least 18 years of age can play inside brick-and-mortar casinos. In its offline form, it is a less restricted, and that makes it very popular. But it is not so accessible online. The law does not strictly prohibit Bingo within the state, but it does not allow it either. That creates a grey area where you are allowed to play Bingo, but there are no West Virginia online gambling sites that host Bingo games. That is right, none of the WV online casinos have Bingo.
Keno–Legal
If you are a fan of Keno, you can play the game via WV online casinos. The available ones are Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, The Greenbrier and the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The state lottery also offers Keno, and you can load the game directly on their website and bet real money.
