All five casinos in West Virginia are set to offer sports betting, as confirmed by John Cavacini, President of the West Virginia Racing Association. The Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort has officially applied for its sports betting license.
Cavacini, who communicated with Play WV via email, mentioned that the property’s objective is to go live by November 15. It is worth noting that Mountaineer might simultaneously launch both retail and mobile sports betting operations.
The plans of the last WV casino
In contrast to the other four casinos in West Virginia, which have been actively embracing sports betting in the past two months, the New Cumberland casino resort has finally put an end to its somewhat peculiar hesitation by submitting an application.
In September 2018, two sportsbooks, Hollywood Casino Charles Town and The Casino Club at Greenbrier, commenced their operations, marking a significant positive development.
Both Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island have held their licenses for more than a month, indicating that they should not be overlooked.
Up until recently, the only step taken by the Mountaineer or its parent company, Eldorado Resorts, in the realm of sports betting was establishing a partnership with William Hill.
The Mountaineer’s application aligns with the reports from the West Virginia Lottery, the governing body for sports betting in the state. For a considerable period, lottery officials have projected that all five casinos would introduce sportsbooks in 2018.
Meanwhile, there is a race for mobile sports betting
Cavacini has confirmed that William Hill will be partnering with Mountaineer to launch its operations. Currently, there is a competition among five casinos in the state to become the first one with a mobile sports betting app.
Both Eldorado Resorts and Penn National have partnered with William Hill. As Penn National is the owner of Hollywood Casino, the mobile apps of both Mountaineer and Hollywood will include a William Hill platform.
Delaware North, the parent company of Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island, recently announced a collaboration with software provider Miomni. As a result, the possibility of launching one or two apps for these casinos has arisen.
FanDuel, the prominent daily fantasy sports and sports betting giant, will now oversee the sportsbook at Greenbrier’s Casino Club. Additionally, it is expected that the company will also manage the resort’s mobile app.
Nevertheless, Cavacini claims that all five properties are currently facing technical difficulties to some extent. It remains uncertain which of them will successfully overcome these challenges first.
The geography and limited population of West Virginia make mobile sports betting essential for the state. The five casinos are situated in somewhat remote areas, especially the Greenbrier and Mardi Gras Casino.
Visitors will now have the opportunity to conveniently cross the border and place bets, which will be particularly appealing to those residing in nearby states. The introduction of a mobile app is expected to greatly benefit the casinos that successfully implement it before others.
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