In July, the sports betting market in West Virginia experienced yet another sluggish month, marking the poorest performance by WV sportsbooks in precisely twelve months.
In July 2020, the majority of sporting events were still restricted due to health regulations resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. This led to their failure to achieve an overall handle of $20 million, marking the last instance of such occurrence.
Although the July handle showed a slight improvement compared to the same period last year, it was still a disappointing performance with a decrease of approximately $8 million in betting figures from June.
In July, WV sportsbooks fell short of their previous performance, accepting less than $6 million in wagers for the majority of the month. The highest amount wagered was around $5.4 million during the week of July 10.
However, that week was the only time they managed to surpass the $5 million mark.
WV online sportsbooks were responsible for a significant chunk of the total, with over $14 million in handle. While this was a decrease of approximately $4 million from June, it still accounts for 73% of the overall figure.
The figure has risen by 5% compared to the previous month, marking the highest number since April.
The monthly revenue was also unimpressive, amounting to approximately $2.1 million due to the absence of betting.
Since last February, revenue figures have remained stable, with April’s figures showing similarity and no decrease.
We will analyze the sports betting statistics for July and delve into the performance of each individual sportsbook.
WV Sports Betting Handle, July 2021
Once again, betting in July experienced a sluggish performance, declining by 29% compared to the previous month.
While this significant decrease may not be promising overall, there is certainly optimism on the horizon.
In a matter of weeks, both college football and NFL betting will make a comeback in WV, potentially injecting a significant boost into the market. The NFL holds immense popularity nationwide, and WVU football enjoys great attention from the people of the Mountain State.
During this unimpressive month of July, Hollywood Casino emerged as the frontrunner, once again surpassing The Greenbrier to claim the top spot in terms of handle.
Bets on Hollywood and its DraftKings Sportsbook WV reached a staggering $8.1 million.
The Greenbrier, along with its FanDuel WV and BetMGM WV Sportsbook, fell slightly short, concluding the month with a handle of approximately $7.9 million.
The recent launch of PointsBet Sportsbook WV is a positive development for Hollywood, as it is expected to significantly contribute to its leading position.
As of July, DraftKings accounted for a production worth more than $5.3 million.
Due to The Greenbrier’s private nature, the majority of its operations are conducted online. The combined revenue generated from its two platforms amounted to approximately $7.6 million in wagers.
Mountaineer, the sole remaining active sportsbook, secured third place by surpassing $1 million for the month. However, it fell short of expectations by reaching only $1.8 million, a disappointment compared to its previous achievement of nearly $3 million in June.
After witnessing over $900,000 in bets during the previous month, the William Hill Sportsbook (now known as Caesars WV) came close to reaching $550,000 in bets this July.
Mardi Gras narrowly surpassed Wheeling Island, its sister property, with a total of slightly over $800,000, while Wheeling Island’s handle amounted to approximately $465,000.
The Betly app was used in both locations, generating close to $300,000 for Mardi Gras and $130,000 for Wheeling.
WV Sports Betting Revenue, July 2021
July’s revenue was significantly affected by the exceptionally sluggish month of betting, resulting in a decrease of 27% from the previous month’s revenue of $2.1 million.
The month of July kicked off on a positive note, generating over $800,000 in earnings during the first week. However, revenue steadily declined throughout the remaining weeks, reaching a disappointing low of only $290,000 in the final week. This marked the poorest revenue performance in the past seven weeks.
In July, The Greenbrier, although not receiving the highest number of bets, managed to generate an impressive revenue of nearly $1.2 million, surpassing all others by a significant margin.
It experienced a remarkable month, achieving a weekly revenue of no less than $280,000 on three occasions.
In June, BetMGM and FanDuel, the two online options, collectively generated more than $1.1 million in revenue, surpassing their previous seven-figure performance.
For the first time since March, they achieved a record-breaking amount of over $400,000 in the opening week of the month.
Hollywood and DraftKings earned a little over $600,000 in revenue, securing the second position. However, their revenue decreased by approximately $300,000 compared to June.
One of the problems encountered last month was that there was a week when Hollywood’s earnings were actually in the negative. During the week of July 24, Hollywood experienced a loss of approximately $30,000.
DraftKings recorded a monthly profit of $415,000, signifying a decrease of approximately $85,000 compared to the previous month.
To everyone’s surprise, Mardi Gras secured the third position in revenue for the month of July, accumulating a staggering amount of nearly $140,000. This impressive figure surpassed the earnings of June by more than double.
Mountaineer, with its former William Hill app, exceeded $300,000 in revenue a month ago, propelling it to the fourth position. It had started with a modest sum of about $100,000.
The Betly platform of Mardi Gras generated approximately $35,000 in revenue, surpassing William Hill’s earnings of $29,000.
Despite Wheeling Island’s overall revenue of approximately $65,000, it showed significant improvement as its profits more than tripled compared to June. Although there is still room for growth, the casino has made notable progress.
The Betly app generated more than $16,000 in revenue.