Unexpected news has landed in our inbox, challenging our previous belief that betting in West Virginia would decelerate in the coming times.
FanDuel Sportsbook sent an email to its customers on Tuesday, informing them that the West Virginia Lottery has given its approval for betting on the 2020 Presidential Election.
The betting options were only accessible for a brief period on Tuesday. However, soon after being published, the odds became unavailable. The options that were initially available included:
- In the 2020 Presidential Election, the betting odds were -110 for Donald Trump and +125 for Joe Biden.
- The Democratic nominees, in order of their betting odds, are Biden as the frontrunner at -714, followed by Cuomo at +1400, and then Sanders at +1600.
- Kamala Harris is the favored Democratic Vice Presidential nominee with odds of +188, followed by Amy Klobuchar with odds of +400.
- The winning party of the US Presidential Election 2020 is predicted to be the Republican party with odds of -125, while the Democratic party is close behind with odds of -110.
- Winning Party in Each State
According to the email statement, only wagers placed on the national presidential election were authorized.
At present, FanDuel exclusively allows online betting as all five casinos in WV, including The Greenbrier, are temporarily shut down.
This statement was released by Mike Raffensperger, the Chief Marketing Officer of FanDuel Group.
FanDuel, the top American sportsbook, is thrilled to announce our pioneering venture into legal political betting. This further demonstrates our commitment to providing diverse opportunities for our users to achieve victory.
We take pride in our collaboration with the West Virginia Lottery to establish a legally regulated sportsbook, ensuring bettors have the necessary safeguards and assurances.
Is presidential election betting legal?
In the US, FanDuel would hold the distinction of being the initial legal sportsbook capable of accepting bets on the presidential election.
Nevertheless, concerns have been raised regarding the legality of achieving this milestone.
John Holden, a legal writer for Legal Sports Report, is among those who are questioning the legality of this action.
Holden stated that several states have explicitly prohibited wagering on political markets based on statutory regulations, and in various other locations, it has been deemed incompatible with public policy by most states.
The election law section of the West Virginia Code stipulates:
Betting or wagering money or any valuable item on any election conducted within this state is prohibited by law.
After contacting the West Virginia Lottery for a comment, Randy Burnside from the WV Lottery has provided a response.
To my understanding, the sportsbooks have requested permission to accept bets on the presidential election, which is currently under review. It seems that someone may have acted prematurely without obtaining proper approval.
This is the reason why the odds were suddenly removed.
Soon after, FanDuel released a statement pertaining to the political betting market.
The West Virginia Lottery has granted approval for the markets, but they have requested FanDuel to hold off on offering them until they can thoroughly analyze the implications of this new market offering.
The West Virginia Lottery subsequently released an updated statement:
Although the markets were initially given approval, the West Virginia Lottery has requested FanDuel to hold off on offering them until we can thoroughly analyze and research the implications.
The fallout from prematurely posting presidential betting odds
After the premature posting of presidential betting odds on Tuesday night, Secretary of State Mac Warner from West Virginia addressed the issue in an interview with WV MetroNews. He affirmed that election betting is prohibited within the state.
While I may not possess the precise details, I can confidently assert that engaging in presidential election betting, whether in West Virginia or elsewhere, is unlawful. It appears that someone has prematurely taken action in this matter, and it is important to note that such actions should be avoided altogether.
The matter is currently under investigation by Warner’s office.
Initially dismissing the matter, Gov. Jim Justice subsequently offered his perspective and even shared some betting advice on which presidential candidate to place bets on.
During his morning COVID-19 press conference, Justice had a change of heart. He admitted that he hadn’t been aware earlier that the plan had received approval from someone in the Lottery.
As soon as I became aware of it, I immediately objected because it goes against our plans. It’s completely absurd. It may be amusing, but it’s completely ridiculous.
He guaranteed that the matter would be handled firmly.
The WV Lottery provided Play WV with a statement on Wednesday afternoon, approximately 24 hours after news broke about the availability of election betting in WV.
On Wednesday, John Myers, the Director of the West Virginia Lottery, admitted that the Office of Governor Jim Justice was not informed about the launch of FanDuel’s sports betting app for wagering on the 2020 Presidential election. Myers acknowledged that this decision was indeed a mistake.
On Tuesday evening, FanDuel Sportsbook launched betting on the 2020 Presidential election from its West Virginia platform. FanDuel acknowledged that it had obtained authorization from the West Virginia Lottery. However, shortly after, we promptly recognized our error and removed the offering within around two hours.
“I failed to notify the Governor,” Myers admitted. “Initially, I believed it would be acceptable, but upon further examination, it became evident that it was a mistake. We made a grave error. I lacked the necessary authority to proceed, and this incident should have never occurred. I extend my sincere apologies to all those affected.”
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
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