Retail Sports Betting Handle In WV Back On Top, But For How Long?

The three active land-based books in West Virginia reclaimed the lead, challenging the notion that online sports betting would permanently surpass retail sportsbooks.

Retail locations were the frontrunners in sports wagering for the week of Nov. 23, with just over $4 million in handle. Nonetheless, it was a comparatively slower week overall.

During the week, the Mountain State received approximately $7.4 million in sports bets, marking the lowest total handle seen in the past five weeks.

In terms of mobile betting in WV, the online sportsbooks operating in the state also experienced a decline in performance. Notably, DraftKings and FanDuel witnessed a decrease in bets, generating approximately $3.4 million, marking their lowest activity in the past five weeks.

The handle for online sportsbooks has actually experienced a decline in the past two weeks.

The fluctuations of sports betting in WV during the winter months will be intriguing to observe. As the WVU football season has come to an end, it remains uncertain if the market will maintain its previous level of betting activity.

The report for this week encompasses the activities of WV sportsbooks from November 17th to November 23rd.

• The Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino and the WV Sportsbook by DraftKings.
• The Greenbrier and FanDuel Sportsbook have partnered up.
• Mountaineer Sportsbook

WV sports betting revenue highlights

Here are the main points to take away from the Nov. 23 data:

• Retail handles are on top once again.
• Overall handle down again
• Retail’s revenue was affected by the WVU game.

After a span of three weeks, retail sports betting handle has finally exceeded the online handle.

Retail regained the lead this week, collecting more than $4 million in wagers. However, this amount aligns closely with retail’s recent performance.

The decline in activity on online apps paved the way for retail betting. For some unknown reason, online gambling has experienced a decrease in the past two weeks, resulting in a total of only $3.4 million this week.

At the start of the month, the handle exceeded $8 million for two consecutive weeks. However, it has now begun to decline, with a decrease of nearly $1 million.

It will be intriguing to observe how WV’s handle responds as football season draws to a close. The absence of WVU and Marshall football on WV sportsbooks may result in a decline in handle.

The ending of the NFL season will undoubtedly be captivating. Considering the immense betting activity surrounding football games, sportsbooks might have to provide bettors with additional promotions to maintain their engagement post-season.

While sportsbooks experienced a profitable week overall, the retail locations, unfortunately, incurred losses of approximately $175,000. The WVU football game might serve as a plausible explanation for this outcome.

Football games played by the Mountaineers tend to attract a significant number of bettors in the state. Although those who prefer online sportsbooks also enjoy betting on WVU football, it is reasonable to assume that a larger number of wagers are placed on WVU games at physical retail books.

The availability of online betting has shifted the focus of retail locations towards providing an enhanced gameday experience.

The fact that WVU only suffered a seven-point loss against Oklahoma State indicates that bettors who chose the Mountaineers +7.5 emerged as winners. This could potentially explain the significant losses experienced by physical sportsbooks, while online platforms managed to remain profitable.

WV Sports Betting Summary

Since August 2018, the WV Lottery Commission has released the most recent statistics on WV sports betting revenue tracking.

• Handle: $232,632,482.71
• Revenue: $22,848,872.99
• Taxes: $2,284,887.30

The sports betting activity in the Mountain State experienced a decline in pace during the past week. The total handle amounted to $7,435,282.30, reflecting a 4% decrease compared to the previous week.

The revenue was subpar as well. Sportsbooks only made $68,495.03, experiencing a significant 91% decline compared to the previous week.

WV sports betting revenue for the week ending Nov. 23, 2019

A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Handle

By a significant margin, Hollywood Casino maintains its position as the top WV sportsbook in terms of handle, even after the introduction of online apps. Hollywood, along with its DraftKings platform, remains at the forefront.

Hollywood accumulated slightly less than $5 million in handle for the week, marking the first time in three weeks that it fell short of reaching the $5 million milestone. Despite this, it was still a commendable performance overall.

The retail sportsbook accumulated approximately $1 million higher in wagers than the DraftKings sports betting app.

The Greenbrier fell just short of $1.7 million, securing a second-place position. Although its sportsbook performance was decent, the handle has been underwhelming in recent weeks.

The handle for the week of Nov. 9 was initially $2.5 million, but it has consistently decreased since then. The FanDuel app at The Greenbrier continued to dominate, accepting wagers totalling almost $1.5 million.

Despite having an average week, the Mountaineer secured a third-place position. The sportsbook it operated generated slightly over $800,000 in revenue.

Despite experiencing an increase in its handle compared to the previous week, Mountaineer has been unable to exceed $900,000 in handle for three consecutive weeks. Without an online sportsbook, it continues to lag behind in the West Virginia market.

These are the rankings of WV sportsbooks based on their weekly handle.

The Hollywood Casino has a total amount of $4,949,449.74. The Greenbrier has a total of $1,655,778.34. The Mountaineer Casino has a total of $830,054.22. The Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island have no funds available.

A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Revenue

The Greenbrier emerged as the top revenue earner for the week, outperforming other competitors in the market. Notably, its sportsbook raked in over $210,000, making it the sole book to achieve a positive outcome.

The Greenbrier managed to generate profits from both its retail and online sportsbook operations. Notably, its FanDuel platform contributed to over 67% of the overall revenue. Despite the relatively low amount of bets accepted, totaling only $175,000, the retail book at The Greenbrier still impressively generated around $68,000 in revenue.

The remaining two active sportsbooks in WV did not experience the same level of success.

The Mountaineer suffered a significant loss of approximately $17,000 over the course of the week, marking its poorest performance in terms of sportsbook revenue in the past 19 weeks.

Hollywood Casino ended up at the bottom, incurring a loss of more than $125,000. While its DraftKings Sportsbook generated nearly $100,000 in revenue, its physical retail establishment suffered a loss of approximately $225,000.

Hollywood’s loss of over $1.2 million resulted in the lowest revenue for both retail and online sectors in three weeks.

Despite the fact that Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino remain closed, they incurred a loss of approximately $150 in settled wagers for the week.

These are the rankings for weekly revenue among the WV sportsbooks.

1. The Greenbrier ($210,868.09)
2. Mardi Gras Casino ($0)
3. Wheeling Island (-$152.50)
4. Mountaineer Casino (-$17,051.40)
5. Hollywood Casino (-$125,169.16)

On the board for WV Sportsbooks

WV Basketball

With the conclusion of the college football regular season, we now shift our focus towards the exciting local college basketball games taking place in the state. WVU and Marshall have displayed potential in the initial stages of this year’s competition.

Under the guidance of coach Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers have kick-started their season with an astonishing 7-0 record. They showcased their dominance by securing a 12-point triumph against Wichita State, triumphantly claiming the Cancun Classic title. This was closely followed by a hard-fought, five-point win at home over URI, further solidifying their impressive start.

The Big 12 Conference only has one undefeated team at the moment, which is WVU.

Marshall has had a slow start in the 2019 season, with a record of 2-5. However, despite their poor record, the Thundering Herd have put up a strong fight in many games. In a recent game against Florida, who were favored by 19 points, Marshall only lost by six points.

On Saturday, WVU will bring their flawless 7-0 record to Madison Square Garden for a face-off against St. John’s. The Mountaineers will encounter a formidable challenge from the Red Storm, who hold a 7-2 overall record.

Marshall will face off against The Herd on Sunday afternoon in Toledo. With a flawless 4-0 home record this season, the Rockets are expected to be strong favorites in the matchup.

NFL Week 14

As the regular season of the NFL enters its final month, the playoff scenarios for both conferences are gradually unfolding. With only a handful of teams still in contention, the path to the postseason is becoming clearer.

The odds for Week 14, as provided by the online sports betting apps DraftKings and FanDuel in WV, are as follows: