Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia

When it comes to the legal gambling age, you should know that in West Virginia, a player must be at least 18 years old to play the lottery, bingo, and racing; while players must have a minimum gambling age of 21 years old for video lottery and casino gambling.

Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia Beach

• In West Virginia people as young as 18 years old are able to bet on bingo, lottery and horse racing. But in order to enter a casino the minimum age is 21. This variation in the law depending on what type of gambling is being conducted is not unique to this state, and you’ll find a similar legal framework in Pennsylvania gambling law.
• Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia The legal age that a person must be in order to gamble in the state of West Virginia is 21 in most cases. Any attempt at underage gambling, or collecting winnings from gambling is a violation of the law, and can land you in a lot of legal trouble.
• The legal gambling age varies from one state to another. Generally speaking, you have to be at least 18 before you can spend your money at a casino. However, in some states, you have to wait until you’re 21. The most reliable way to find out what the legal age limit is in any particular state is to ask the casino personnel.

West Virginia offers several forms of state-sanctioned gambling. Pari-mutuel horse race betting was introduced to the state in 1933. In 1984, the Mountain State established its lottery after following a statewide referendum, and in 1994 another referendum authorized Video Lottery Terminals at the local racetracks.

In 2001, VLTs were also introduced to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, as well as for fraternal organizations, and in 2007, West Virginia racetracks were allowed to begin offering table games.

West Virginia was also one of the first states that legalized sports betting once the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on this form of gambling in May 2018. The WV Sports Lottery Wagering Act was passed that same month. The first betting license was awarded to Penn National, the company that operates Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The new sportsbook started taking bets on August 18, 2018, and by the end of the year, four out of five of the local casinos were offering legal sports betting.

West Virginia Gambling Law Summary

Gambling in West Virginia is covered by West Virginia Code, Section 61-10. The current regulations prohibit West Virginia residents from taking part in many unlicensed games with real money involved, but the list doesn’t mention games that are played over the internet. As a result, it’s impossible to tell whether this list should be applied to online gambling scenarios. So far, no players have been prosecuted, so no court interpretation could help us shed some light on this issue.

Other gambling-related offenses are covered by West Virginia Code, Chapter 61, Article 10: Crimes Against Public Policy. The minimum gambling age in West Virginia is 18 for lottery games, bingo, and racing, and 21 for sports betting and casino-style games.

Online Gambling in West Virginia

On March 27, 2019, West Virginia legislators passed the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act, which will introduce legal online casino and poker options to the state via the local land-based casinos. This bill will go into effect on June 7, and the regulatory framework for these new forms of gambling is expected to be ready by early 2020.

It’s worth remembering that the new bill does not legalize playing on offshore sites. West Virginia defines gambling as “betting or wagering money or another thing of value on any game of chance or knowingly giving money or something of value for another to bet on any game of chance.” This definition is broad enough to cover all unauthorized internet games. Placing any unlawful bets constitutes a misdemeanor and is punishable by a $5-$100 fine. The offender may also be required to give security for his good behavior for one year.

West Virginia Casinos

West Virginia has five large gambling facilities that offer Video Lottery Terminals and classic table games, such as craps, roulette, blackjack, and casino poker. These facilities are located in White Sulphur Springs (The Casino Club at The Greenbrier), Ranson (Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races), New Cumberland (Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort), Cross Lanes (Mardi Gras West Virginia Casino Resort), and Wheeling (Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack). As mentioned above, VLTs can also be operated by bars (up to five terminals) and fraternity organizations (up to ten terminals). All terminals are required to have an 80%-95% return-to-player games. West Virginia casinos aren’t required to enforce any bet size limits.

West Virginia recently passed an online gambling bill, and the first sites are expected to go online in 2020. Playing on offshore sites will remain illegal and will still be classified as a misdemeanor.

West Virginia Poker

All West Virginia gambling establishments operate live poker rooms, but they do differ in size:

– Mardi Gras Casino West Virginia – 24 tables

– Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races – 16 tables

– Mountaineer Casino – 14 tables

– Wheeling Island Casino – 9 tables

– The Greenbrier – 2 tables

Cash game action is very Hold’ em-centric, with most tables running $1/$2 or $2/$5 No-Limit Hold ’em or $3/$6 Limit Hold ’em. The largest poker rooms host multiple Hold ’em tournaments every week, with the buy-ins ranging from $55 to $135.

West Virginia recently passed an online gambling bill, and the first internet poker rooms are expected to become available in the first half of 2020. Playing on offshore sites is prohibited and is considered a misdemeanor.

West Virginia Sports Betting

Sports betting was legalized in West Virginia in May 2018. Since then, all the local sportsbooks have launched land-based sportsbooks in cooperation with well-established betting companies.

As mentioned above, the first license went to Penn National, the owners of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The online version of this sportsbook was launched in cooperation with William Hill and is known as Hollywood Sportsbook.

The second license went to FanDuel and The Greenbrier. This sportsbook is available online as FanDuel Sportsbook at The Greenbrier.

The two Delaware North Casinos, Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, also launched land-based sportsbooks by the end of the year. Still, they were forced to stop taking bets due to a dispute with their service provider. BetLucky, the online platform tied to these gambling establishments, is still online, but its customers won’t be able to deposit or place any bets until the legal problems are resolved.

The Mountaineer Casino Resort was the last West Virginia gambling establishment to launch a land-based sportsbook. Its customers can place bets online via the Mountaineer Sportsbook, which is operated in cooperation with William Hill.

Also, West Virginia residents are free to engage in on-track and off-track horse race betting. This form of gambling is also available online via popular US-facing platforms, such as TVG, XpressBet, and TwinSpires.

Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia Primary

West Virginia Daily Fantasy Sports

DFS contests are considered legal in West Virginia. In 2016, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey declared that such games do not meet the state’s threshold of gambling because of the amount of skill required from the players. In 2017, West Virginia lawmakers also introduced a bill designed to clarify the legal status of DFS contests further. The bill designated HB 2751, ended up being passed to the House Judiciary Committee, but no further action was taken.

As it stands, all the popular DFS platforms, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Sports, are available to West Virginia residents.

West Virginia Lotteries

West Virginia lottery offers the following draw games: Powerball, Lotto America, Mega Millions, Daily 3, Daily 4, Cash 25, and Keno. It also provides scratch games and operates the VLTs which are available across the entire state. All lottery tickets have to be purchased from land-based retailers, as the lottery isn’t authorized to sell tickets online. The official lottery website is for information purposes only.

West Virginia Bingo

Charities and public organizations can host bingo games in West Virginia. Also, commercial bingo is available at the local gambling establishments. Legal internet bingo is currently unavailable, and it’s questionable whether any of the casinos will launch dedicated bingo sites once iGaming goes online in West Virginia. Playing on offshore bingo sites is illegal and constitutes a misdemeanor.

West Virginia Online Gambling FAQ

What types of gambling are available in WV?

West Virginia is a gambling-friendly state with plenty of options for the local real money gaming enthusiasts. The Mountain State has commercial casinos, and if that wasn’t enough, the local racetracks are allowed to offer casino-style games as well. West Virginia also allows pari-mutuel betting, charitable gambling, and bingo. The state also operates its own lottery and is planning to start selling lottery tickets online in 2015.

What laws cover online gambling in West Virginia?

Playing games of chance for money in land-based gambling establishments is covered rather extensively by Section 61 of the West Virginia code. However, none of the West Virginia regulations apply specifically to online play, which means that there are no laws that could prevent local gambling enthusiasts from using quality offshore gambling platforms, such as Bovada.

Is real money online gambling legal in West Virginia?

Most probably, yes. West Virginia Code doesn’t explicitly prohibit online gambling, and the authorities simply don’t bother with investigating individual players.

Which offshore gambling sites accept West Virginia residents?

West Virginia-based players are free to enjoy all the high-traffic offshore sites, including Bovada poker, casino, and sportsbook.

What are the most popular banking options supported by West Virginia -facing sites?

Unlike the European and Asian sites, most US-facing casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks don’t give you all that many banking options to choose from. In most cases, Visa and MasterCard work best when it comes to making a deposit, while wire transfers are the cheapest way of cashing out.

Does West Virginia offer any intrastate online gambling?

No. There is no legal framework that’d allow the local businesses to launch West Virginia-facing sites. Any site that claims to be licensed and regulated in West Virginia should be treated with caution, as there’s no reason to play on sketchy sites with so many quality services like Bovada around.

Is it likely for West Virginia to regulate online gambling?

West Virginia is currently in the process of introducing new regulations that’d allow online lottery sales. However, it’s impossible to predict whether this will lead to any new iGaming legislation or not.

Online gambling is still quite new to West Virginia, but by far the fastest-growing gaming sector in the United States. The improvements made in internet technology in recent years have made the top online gambling sites a complete gambling experience and, in many ways, superior and more convenient to gambling in a bricks-and-mortar casino or sportsbook.

Here at Play-westvirginia.com we you provide you with all the latest information on all the preferred online gambling sites including;

Betting on sports online – Fully legal and licensed for West Virginia sports bettors since the last week of December 2018, West Virginia sports betting become potentially available after the U.S. Supreme Court found on the side of the States in spring of 2018 and handed back control of sports betting to all U.S. States for self-determination. West Virginia was prepared having passed laws allowing for sports betting ahead of the Supreme Court decision.

Online Casino Gambling – For the time being, the legalization of online casino gambling is held up in West Virginia and gambling online is due for further consideration soon.

Gambling age in West Virginia

The legal online gambling age in WV is 21 for sports betting and 18 for online horse racing betting.

Is Gambling Online Legal in WV?

For most people when discussing West Virginia’s gambling laws, the first question they want to ask “is online gambling legal in WV?”.

The answer is yes and no.

Different types of online gambling exist in West Virginia and each type has its own set of rules and regulations as set out below.

Online Casino Legalization in WV

As at March 2019, Online Casinos are still not legal in the state of West Virginia.

The good news is however, that the topic is scheduled to be up for debate soon is the State Legislature with bill H 2178. This bill, or a version of it has appeared on the docket for debate in each of the last three legislative sessions, and is approaching final version status.

The topic is on the radar of the state’s lawmakers and given the early success of online WV sports betting, it appears to be heading towards finalization.

WV Online Blackjack

Online bettors in West Virginia have plenty to look forward to in the future with legal online blackjack. A simple game with simple rules, online blackjack appeals to online bettors the world over for its great winning odds against the house, having the lowest house edge of all the Online Casino games (as little as 0.5%).

WV Online Roulette

Online Roulette’s simplicity establishes it as one of the most popular online casino games that has successfully made the transition from the land-based casino world and should be available soon in West Virginia. Once you become more experienced, playing with one of the established Roulette strategies should increase your chances to win.

WV Online Slots

Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia

Once online casinos eventually become available for West Virginia’s online players, the majority of available games should be Online Slots. From 3D slots (for a generation of players brought up with video games) through to licensed movie and TV show tie ins, classic video slots and online progressive slots, there really is something for everyone with online slots.

Online Sports Betting

Online Sports Betting Legalization in WV

Legal Sports Betting is a relatively recent introduction to West Virginia, and like the majority of states that now have taken up a legal sports betting industry, 2018 has been the landmark year;

Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia County

• March 2018 – West Virginia Governor Jim Justice passed sports betting legalization bill SB 415 into law. The bill legalized sports betting (both online and land-based) in West Virginia on the condition that the US Supreme Court found in favor of New Jersey and overturned the PASPA Act.
• May 14 2018 – U.S. Supreme Court finds in favor of New Jersey on legal sports betting and hands each state the right to make their own sports betting choices without Federal impediment.
• August – December 2018 – Five land-based sports successfully launched in West Virginia.
• December 27 2018 – West Virginia’s first launched online sports book is protected by geolocation technology for use in West Virginia only.
• West Virginian law now allows for online WV sportsbooks to offer a wide range of betting types across a diverse range of sports, including NFL, gambling on eSports, MLB, NBA, NCAA football and NCAA Basketball plus many more.

Football Betting

NFL gambling, college football betting and wagering on Canada’s CFL are readily available to West Virginia’s online players. West Virginia is football heartland, so it is great to that West Virginia’s residents and visitors have such a wide range of football leagues and betting types to choose from.

Baseball Betting

Legal Gambling Age In West Virginia State

Online betting on Major League Baseball (MLB) is readily available in West Virginia. While West Virginia is football heartland, the recent successes of the nearby Washington Nationals franchise is turning many of the state’s residents into big baseball betting fans too.

Basketball Betting

NCAA College Basketball options are enormously popular among the West Virginia sports bettors given the number of nationally ranked college teams like Kentucky, Virginia, Cincinnati and Duke, all on the state’s doorstep. NBA is also widely followed and betting markets are available, however, college basketball is king in West Virginia.

Horse Racing Betting

If you’re above the age of 18, residing in West Virginia and you can’t find the time to get to the track or a simulcast facility to bet on big events like the Kentucky Derby, online racebooks are available in the Mountain State.

Online racebooks provide West Virginians the convenience of betting anywhere-anytime on a PC or mobile device, offering wagering on all the big races across the U.S.A and around-the-world.

Online Poker

Online Poker betting is still not legal in West Virginia.

It is anticipated that the topic is scheduled to be up for debate soon is the State Legislature with bill H 2178, West Virginia’s pending online casino legislation.

Who Regulates Online Gambling in WV?

The West Virginia Lottery Commission is the sole body that regulates online (and land-based) gambling in the Mountain State.

The day-to-day operation, licensing, and regulation of gaming companies is overseen by the West Virginia Lottery Commission.

How Much Does West Virginia Tax gambling Winnings?

A flat-rate gambling tax of 6.5 per cent on all winnings applies in West Virginia for most regular size gambling winnings.

Larger wins may also incur a much heftier Federal Tax and exact tax rates applicable for larger wins will depend upon your state of residence in the United States. Check with your tax attorney to determine your tax liability if you have a win of $600 or more in West Virginia.

Advantages of Playing at WV’s Legal Online Casinos and Sportsbooks

The advantages of online sportsbooks are already being enjoyed by West Virginians, as to will be the many advantages that West Virginians will find in online casinos (once legalized) include;

• Convenience
• Comfort
• Small Betting Limits
• Value for Money
• Special Promotions
• Vast Game selections
• Free Games
• Mobile Friendly Responsive Websites (Play Anywhere – Anytime)
• 128-bit/256-bit Security
• Flexible Banking Options
• Security

How to get started

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