DraftKings Returns Online Betting to West Virginia

After losing online sports betting due to a dispute between the distributors and suppliers, West Virginia is ready to reintroduce mobile wagering to the state with the help of DraftKings.

According to the West Virginia MetroNews, the state’s lottery commission, that oversees betting, began testing the DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app last week.

It appears that the mobile app has passed its first stage of testing and should be ready for public consumption soon.

Lottery officials in West Virginia noted the successful test of the DraftKings app.

“We were making sure we can get the reports out of it that we need,” said Lottery Director John Myers.

“Making sure that we can verify the player that has the account is the one playing and to make sure the geolocation system works and those people are actually located inside the state of West Virginia.”

What Will the DraftKings App Offer to Bettors?

Much like their successful mobile app in New Jersey, the DraftKings app in West Virginia will allow customers to bet an extensive list of sports and provide in-game wagering.

The app also will allow for sports betting pool and assure the bettor gets access to easy depositing and withdrawals when cashing in the winning tickets.

Lottery Director Myers suggested that the app in New Jersey would be the model for West Virginia’s.

“They’re all going to operate in a similar manner,” Myers said.

“They’ll have different promotional activities and things they all do a little differently than the other.”

“But, in a nutshell, you’re using your cellphone to see the odds and then placing the wager on that phone,” he concluded.

Why Did the State Lose Online Betting in the First Place?

The state’s first mobile app came from BetLucky. There was a dispute that BetLucky was misrepresented by their company, Miomni Gaming.

A lawsuit against Miomni by software company Entergaming, claimed that Miomni has fraudulently claimed that they owned the proprietary software in the betting application.

After finding out that Miomni did not own the intellectual property rights to the platform, casinos in the state began drop the BetLucky app, leaving West Virginia without mobile betting.

Loss of mobile betting created a sluggish market in West Virginia, forcing bettors to go to sportsbooks in casinos to place wagers.

Who Will Follow DraftKings Into West Virginia?

DraftKings will reintroduce mobile betting to the state, but it is not expected that the company will have a monopoly in the market for very long.

Companies such as FanDuel and William Hill are already running sportsbook inside the state at casinos.

William Hill runs the retail operation at the Mountaineer Sportsbook and Hollywood Casino Sportsbook.

And FanDuel is the creative force behind their branded sportsbook at the Greenbriar Hotel and Casino.

Both companies have created applications used in several states and should not have a difficult time integrating their software to the regulations of West Virginia.

DraftKings, FanDuel and William Hill are all operating online in New Jersey, but Draftkings is the lone holdout in Pennsylvania.

FanDuel and William Hill are both preparing mobile apps for Pennsylvania’s online market which should open soon.

With the successful test of the DraftKings app, West Virginia bettors should be able to make bets from anywhere inside the state within a few weeks.