West Virginia is accepting lawful sports gambling wagers after becoming the fifth state to legalize sports gambling in the wake of PASPA’s repeal.
Bettors can place bets at any one of the state’s five casinos, such as the DraftKings Sportsbook in Hollywood Casino, FanDuel sportsbook at The Greenbrier and William Hill Sportsbook at Mountaineer Casino.
Mobile and online gambling is set to go live some time in the summer of 2019.
Whether you’re a veteran wiseguy or simply getting into sports gambling, The Action Network gives the complete guide to legal sports betting in West Virginia.
It didn’t take long for West Virginia sports bettors to be taken home following the landmark Supreme Court decision to strike down PASPA. Last August — less than three and a half a year following the federal sports betting ban was lifted — West Virginia started accepting legal wagers at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town Races.
In doing so, the Mountaineer country, which lacks any professional teams but is a hotbed for college sports, particularly basketball and football, became the fifth country to offer legal sports gambling following Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey and Mississippi.
It hasn’t been a smooth initial year for West Virginia legal gambling, as many hiccups have occurred along the way. Two Mountaineer sportsbooks and a single mobile program suspended operations in early March of 2018 because of legal disputes. Because of this, West Virginia betting took a big hit by dropping out on March Madness earnings.
Nevertheless, the future remains is bright for West Virginian gamblers. The sport betting bill passed by state lawmakers supports betting at all five of the state’s physical casinos, three of which are fully operational, plus it allows for online and mobile app-based gambling, which would be the future of legal betting and are sure to be an economic boon for the state (and convenient for sports bettors) once they’re operating at peak capacity.
West Virginia Sports Betting Locations [June 2019]
West virginia-legal-sports betting-locations-sportsbooks
Bethany Hocker-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Gary Jennings Jr (12) celebrates with wide receiver Marcus Simms (8).
In order to place a legal sports wager in West Virginia, you have to travel to among the five licensed casinos within the state. West Virginia also allows online and mobile betting, but it has yet to go completely live.
The initial 3 casinos listed below are 100% functional and now accepting bets. However, Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island are currently not accepting bets. The two sportsbooks suspended operations in early March of 2019. There is an ongoing legal battle between Delaware North, which conducts equally casinos, and Miomni Gambing, which offers the technology for those sports betting operations.
West Virginian gamblers will not have the ability to place a legal bet in Mardi Gras or even Wheeling Island before the lawsuit is settled.
Hollywood Casino in Charles Town (DraftKings)
Address: 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV 25414
Telephone: 800-795-7001
Web site
The Casino Club in the Greenbrier (FanDuel)
Address: 1010 Casino Center Dr, Robinsonville, MS 38664
Phone: 662-357-1111
Web site
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort (William Hill)
Address: 1420 Mountaineer Circle, New Cumberland, WV 26047
Phone: 800-804-0468
Internet site
Mardi Gras Casino and Resort
Address: 1 Greyhound Drive, Cross Lanes, WV, 25313
Telephone: 304-776-1000 or 800-224-9683
Web site
Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino and Racetrack
Address: 1 South Stone Street, Wheeling, WV 26003
Telephone: 304-232-5050
Internet site
Can I Bet Sports Online at West Virginia? [June 2019]
Not yet. Mobile gambling was provided temporarily in ancient 2019 via the Bet Lucky Sportsbook app, but has been suspended due to legal troubles.
Sports bettors will not need to wait for cellular to return. Publish Kings, FanDuel and William Hill are all expected to go live with their long-anticipated West Virginia gaming programs as soon as summer of 2019.
West virginia-online-sports gambling The West Virginia sports gambling bill isn’t just limited to cellular betting via programs. In addition, it supports conventional online gambling via websites on a desktop, laptop and tablet .
Unlike other states that feature mobile or online gambling, West Virginians will have the ability to bet anywhere within the country as long as they are within state borders. They don’t need to be found on a casino assumption. You also don’t need to become a resident of the Mountaineer State so as to place a bet. As long as you are geo-located within the country, you are in a position to set an mobile bet.
West Virginia Legal Sports Betting Timeline
Unlike the majority of states that now offer legal sports betting, West Virginia didn’t wait for the Supreme Court ruling and scramble to proceed live after the overturning of PAPSA in May of 2018.
Rather, West Virginia was busy laying the preparation of legal betting for many decades. In 2016, West Virginia joined 19 other states in support of New Jersey’s legal gambling efforts in Christie vs. NCAA, the case that eventually overturned PASPA at the Supreme Court level.
While everyone was awaiting the nation’s higher court to create a decision, West Virginia spent 2016 and 2017 researching and then crafting their very own sports betting bill which would be ready to go after PAPSA was overturned.
On March 9, 2018, over two months prior to the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports gambling, lawmakers proactively passed the West Virginia Lottery Sports Wagering Act.
West virginia legal online sports betting Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY. Pictured: West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins
Interestingly, Governor Jim Justice did not support or veto the bill, but allowed it to proceed.
The West Virginia wagering bill, known as S 415, gave the State Lottery Commission the power to establish rules and regulations and supply licenses to the five casinos over the country. The bill also supplied framework for online and mobile gaming and enabled casinos to associate with gambling operators.
On Aug. 30, 2018, the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town started accepting the very first legal wagers in state history.
On Sept. 13, 2018, The Greenbrier became the next sportsbook to go live in West Virginia, followed closely by Mountaineer Casino on Nov. 21, 2018.
Who Regulates Legal Sports Betting in West Virginia?
The West Virginia Lottery Commission (WVLC) regulates and manages legal sports gambling within the state.
To learn more, visit the official state web site for legal betting wvlottery.com
How Old Do I Have to Be to Bet on Sports in West Virginia?
In order to put a legal sports bet in West Virginia you must be 21 years old.
What Rules Should I Know?
West Virginians can wager on all professional and college sports, however it is not possible for them to bet on high school sports.
Sports Betting Terms + Glossary
Now that we’ve gotten all of the fine print out of the way, it is time to talk about some gambling principles. What conditions do you need to understand? What common mistakes should you avoid?
For a full glossary of sports gambling terms click here.
1. Favorites vs. Underdogs
When generating odds for a game, books first determine who is your favorite and who’s the underdog predicated on energy rankings, statistics, head-to-head matchups, home field advantage and several other factors like accidents as well as weather. The preferred is the more powerful team expected to win the match, while the underdog is expected to lose.
Nonetheless, to be able to level the playing field, sportsbooks provide dangers and rewards for each, otherwise everyone would just bet favorites all the time. Underdogs receive things and bigger payouts, while favorites give (or lay) points and also have more costly prices.
Underdogs will have a plus sign (+) facing the chances while favorites will have a minus sign (-).
2. Point Spread
The great equalizer. The point spread is a margin of success projection delegated by oddsmakers to promote balanced gambling action on both teams. Say the West Virginia Mountaineers are a 6-point popular (also called -6) against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Should you bet on WVU, it ought to win the game by 7 points or more that you win your bet. If WVU wins by 7 points or more, you”cover” If WVU wins by exactly 6 points, that’s called a”push,” which means you get back the money you initially bet. If WVU wins 5 points or fewer (or loses the game all together), you lose your wager.
Point spreads are common in high-scoring sports line soccer and basketball.
West virginia-how to wager on sports-legally
Charge: USA TODAY Sports
3. Moneyline
Having a moneyline, you are only betting on who’ll win the match — no point spread — but it’s corrected for team strength. Moneylines are offered for all sports, but most frequent in baseball and hockey.
For example, the Pittsburgh Pirates might be -150 favorites against the Cincinnati Reds, that are +140 underdogs. In case you wanted to bet the Pirates, then you would have to gamble $150 so as to win $100. If the Pirates win, then you win $100, and you receive the $150 you initially bet back. When the Pirates lose, you drop the $150 you risked.
In turn, if you bet $100 on the Reds and they were able to pull off the upset victory, you would win $140, and get your initial $100 wager back. If the Reds lose, you lose $100.
4. Over/Under
Also called a total, it is a wagering option between the combined points scored by both teams in a match. Bettors can wager on whether the game will go under or over the total. Points scored in overtime will rely on the total.
Totals are created by the oddsmakers and corrected with things like pace of play, offensive and defensive efficiency, specific matchups and much more in your mind.
For instance, a school basketball game between West Virginia and Texas could have a total of 145. Should you bet the below, the teams would need to mix for 144 points or fewer in order for you to win your over/under wager. If you bet the over, both teams would have to score 146 points or longer for you to cash.
5. What does -110 mean?
Oddsmakers place a”tax” on every wager, which is typically called the”juice” or”vig”. The juice is your commission you need to cover to the sportsbook to allow them to accept your wager.
Usually, standard juice is considered -110 — which commonly known as”10 cent juice”
This three-digit amount is listed to the right of the chances on each team. You may see the Pittsburgh Steelers listed as a 3-point favored, which appears as Steelers -3 (-110). That means you would need to risk $110 so as to win $100 in case you wanted to wager on Pittsburgh.
If Pittsburgh doesn’t cover the spread, you eliminate the $110 you risked. But if they do pay, you win $100, plus you receive the $110 you risked back.
Juice is constantly being adjusted according to how the game is being bet. If lots of bettors are carrying the Steelers in -3, you might see the juice rise in -110 to -120. Basically, books are forcing one to may a higher cost to be able to bet the favorite team. When the Steelers continue be bet greatly, the lineup will next move from Steelers -3 to -3.5.
Juice can also be built into moneylines, over/unders and futures odds.
Sports Betting Mistakes to Avoid
Sports betting isn’t straightforward. If it were, sportsbooks would go bankrupt and Typical Joe bettors would all quit their day jobs and live as millionaires. Experienced wiseguys understand that there’ll always be ups and downs.
The key is staying the program, staying disciplined and steadily building your bankroll over the span of the long haul.
If you are new to betting, here are nine common mistakes to avoid.
How to Place a Bet in Person
Alright. We have learned the betting fundamentals, which errors to avoid and outlined our bankroll management plan. Now it’s time to place a wager at Hollywood, Greenbrier or Mountaineer Casino.
For the uninitiated, walking right into a sportsbook or casino for the first time can be overwhelming and intimidating. The lights are bright and it is loud and busy, with countless bettors viewing countless matches on wall-to-wall big screen televisions.
There is also a huge LED scoreboard demonstrating teams and odds across all different sports. A massive line of players are waiting to place their bets at the cashier, which is popularly referred to as the”ticket window” or the”window.” The last thing you need to do is be the idiot who is holding up everyone with no idea what to do.
1. Find a seat
This looks trivial and obvious, but it’s vital. Depending upon the day and what sports are in season, it might be packed and difficult to discover a seat. Finding a fantastic chair will permit you a place to place up and observe your bets. But what’s more, it gives you your own”office” or even”work station” where you are able to write down notesbreak games down and make your picks.
2. Grab betting sheets
This is often overlooked, but it is critically important. Once you locate your seat, go up front to the ticket window and grab as many gambling sheets as you can. Betting sheets are bits of paper that every sportsbook hands out for free detailing all the games and lines offered.
If you can’t find themask one of the workers at the ticket window. Sheets are printed outside in the morning and the traces will proceed throughout the day. By comparing the opening numbers on the sheet to the current lines on the LED scoreboard, you can get insight into the way the lines have moved. Circle the games you’re interested in and jot down notes at the margins.
3. Know the game Information of your wager Once you’ve chosen a bet, you have to know a few housekeeping details before walking up to the window and actually betting it. First, Start Looking to find the ID number of this match. This is going to be a 3-digit number to the left of the game. Also make certain to know the bet type you are picking: spread, moneyline, over/under (complete ), win total, future, etc..
Do not forget to get your cash ready (most sportsbooks only accept cash) along with the particular amount you are going to wager. Make it easy on yourself and just bring the betting sheet with you to the ticket window, along with the game circled that you’re betting.
4. Be friendly and courteous to the ticket writer Find the shortest line and wait for your turn up . Once it is go time, grin and say hello to the cashier. Tell them what you are betting on: give them the match ID, bet type, amount you are betting and then hand them the cash. By way of example, if you would like to bet $50 on the Patriots as a 6.5-point preferred, tell the cashier:”50 dollars on 137 spread” (or whatever the right game ID is to get the Patriots).
5. Hold on to a own ticket As soon as you tell the cashier your bet and give their your cash, they will print out a ticket, also called betting slip or receipt. Before you depart the ticket counter, instantly double check the ticket to make sure it is the correct match number, wager type, amount and team.
If it’s wrong, return to the cashier so they can repair it. Once you walk away, you eliminate all power. You cannot come back later and ask to alter the ticket after the fact. All sales are final. If it’s right, you are able to walk away from the window and go back to your chair to watch the game. Ensure that you hang on to your ticket.
6. Cash your winning wager Hopefully you have won your bet and need to cash your ticket. To do so, return to the same area where you placed your bet and get in line. Hand the hive your betting slip. They will scan the ticket and hand you your winnings in cash. If you are not sure if your wager won or lost, there is no harm in handing them your ticket to scan. If you need to leave town , don’t worry. You can always flip the ticket above and mail it in to the address on the back and they’ll send you your winnings.
7. Tip your ticket writer If you won your bet, it is a good idea to trick your ticket author, just as you’d tip the poker dealer if you won a huge hand or the delivery driver who handed you your own pizza. Not only is it the ideal thing to do, but you’ll feel great about yourself, impress your friends or significant other and it will put you up with some fantastic karma down the road.
After you’ve put a few wagers in person, you will be an expert very quickly.
Bear in mind, smartphones are allowed at the sportsbook. So make sure you bring The Action Network program with you so you are able to dive deep into the traces, read our analysis and monitor all your bets.
Shopping For the Very Best Line
One thing new bettors tend to forget is that not all of sportsbooks have the specific same odds. Some novels are more square (catering to casual bettors), although others are more sharp (catering to specialist bettors). Some have higher limits (accepting large figure wagers), while some have reduced limits.
The key is not restricting yourself to betting at just 1 sportsbook. Instead, you would like to shop around and place your wager at the publication that gives you the very best number. For example, if you want to wager on Marshall, assess the marketplace to learn what odds are being posted. Most novels may be showing Marshall in -6 (six point favorite), but perhaps you find another book posting Marshall -5.5.
By taking the time to shop the current market, you have a better number and increased your odds of winning. It may not look like a big deal, but it may make a massive impact over the long haul, but turning losses to pushes and pushes to wins.
Legal sports gambling will make line shopping easier, as you can open an account in a new sportsbook hassle-free.
Read more: footballleagueworld.com