DraftKings was one of the sportsbooks that reintroduced online sports betting to West Virginia in August 2019. It went live in the state through a partnership with the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

The DraftKings betting carousel presents you with a custom wheel of personalized betting options based on your preferences and betting history. DraftKings is also a speedy app, which is important for all bettors but especially those who wish to conduct live betting.

The biggest complaint about DraftKings  Sportsbook is its relatively low number of promotions. In particular, DraftKings could stand to improve its bonuses for existing players, as most of the promos are for new players.

If you want more information about DraftKings WV Sportsbook, check out our review. If you want to sign up, click this link.

BetMGM Sportsbook represents MGM Resorts, one of the world’s most prominent gambling companies. It is available in West Virginia via a partnership with The Greenbrier.

BetMGM has one of the finest selections of sports you’ll find at a US book. Along with all the typical options, you’ll also be able to bet on more esoteric sports like rugby union, snooker and lacrosse. BetMGM also offers flexibility, particularly with regard to open wagers. You can add to open bets, change the parties on the ticket or increase your bet.

What BetMGM needs to work on is its promotions. Though there are several promos active on the site, none of them are particularly enticing.

For more information you can check out our BetMGM WV Sportsbook review page. If you are ready to give the app a look, click here.

BetRivers Sportsbook is active in West Virginia in partnership with Mountaineer Casino. The book offers a plethora of live betting options, and you can keep track of the games you’re betting on with live streaming.

Unfortunately, it might be a bit of a struggle to arrive at this section — or other ones. BetRivers’ app is still a bit clunky, especially with its news feed, which you cannot minimize.

Additionally, BetRivers has a distinct West Virginia iOS app. You’ll need to download it specifically, rather than the generic BetRivers app, if you wish to bet at the sportsbook in WV.

If you’d like to learn more about BetRivers, check out our review. Otherwise, you can sign up here.

FanDuel was likely already a familiar name to many in West Virginia, thanks to its DFS site. It has a longstanding partnership with The Greenbrier, and, in addition to online betting, it runs the sportsbook at the resort.

FanDuel Sportsbook stands out as one of the easiest apps to use in sports betting. Its layout is user-friendly and works well for sports bettors of all skill levels. FanDuel bettors can also make use of a large contingent of same-game parlay options.

Where FanDuel stumbles a bit is with its somewhat conservative approach to booking wagers. At times, the app may limit those who wish to make larger bets, those who seem to be winning, or promotions that it deems to be too favorable for bettors to use.

For more information, you can check out our FanDuel Sportsbook review page. Alternatively, click this link to sign up.

Caesars Sportsbook is the product of one of the world’s largest casino companies. It appears in West Virginia via a deal with the Mountaineer Casino.

Caesars is notable for its promotional program, first and foremost. Its introductory offer has one of the largest maximums available, and there are a host of odds boosts and other perks.

There are plenty of sports and options for betting at Caesars. However, from a company with such an illustrious history and resources, we just expected…a little more. The listings seem a bit perfunctory for such a well-heeled brand, particularly with regard to the live betting options.

For more information about Caesars Sportsbook, read our review. If you’re ready to create an account, click here.

PointsBet Sportsbook is an Australian betting provider that crossed the Pacific almost simultaneously with the 2018 decision overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. It is available in West Virginia through a partnership with Hollywood Casino.

The most notable feature about PointsBet is its signature product, PointsBetting. This can allow you to multiply certain wins dramatically, depending on how much you are correct by. However, it also carries the potential for incredibly large losses. PointsBet also maintains the Karma Kommittee, a group of top employees who can choose to refund wagers or honor certain bets if a game ends unexpectedly.

PointsBet also is not the place to go for terrific odds — the numbers for the game you want to bet on may be better elsewhere.

If you want to find out more about how the site works, read our PointsBet WV Sportsbook review here. Otherwise, you can sign up here.

Other online sportsbooks in WV

West Virginia law permits up to 15 online sportsbooks. Each of the five casinos in the state can host up to three online skins. Only one property—The Greenbrier—has done so, forming partnerships with FanDuel, BetMGM, and Golden Nugget. However, it’s unclear if the action in WV can even support 15 sportsbooks. Regardless, here are the other app(s) in the state:

• Betly (via Mardi Gras Casino/Wheeling Island)
• Golden Nugget (via the Greenbrier)

WynnBET announced a West Virginia market access deal in November 2021. The company partnered with Delaware North, which owns Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino. No word yet on when WynnBET could launch a WV sports betting site.

Types of online sportsbook wagers in WV

Here are the most common wagers you’ll find in West Virginia:

• Point spreads: The sportsbook estimates the margin of victory, and bettors decide if the estimate is too high or too low.
• Moneylines: Bet on which side will win the game.
• Totals: The sportsbook sets a line for the total combined score of the game, and you wager whether the actual total will be over or under that line. Also called over/under bets.
• Futures: Wager on the outcome of discrete events, like which team will win a league championship or tournament or which player will win a season-long award.
• Proposition bets: Wager on smaller aspects within a game.
• Live: Bet on a game as it’s taking place.

Parlays

Parlays deserve their own section because they are more complex than the common wagers we listed above. A parlay is a combination wager consisting of several smaller wagers.

Usually, the constituent wagers in a parlay are some of the above bets. There is also one type of parlay that folds together other parlays. Regardless, each bet in a parlay is known as a leg.

Parlays are high-risk, high-reward wagers because of one single rule: you must be perfect in your predictions to win anything. You could pick nine winners but lose the bet because of a missed extra point or layup on your 10th leg. The odds escalate rapidly with each individual leg you add, and big wins are rare enough to warrant news coverage most of the time.

There are also some parlay variants you might encounter at West Virginia sportsbooks. The teaser allows you to move the line for each leg in your favor, making it easier to win but paying less if you do. The pleaser allows an adjustment in the sportsbook’s favor, upping the difficulty factor but also the potential payout.

The other main variant is the round robin. Round robins are parlays that consist of multiple smaller parlays. This means it is possible to lose one of your legs and still win some money.

Popular teams to bet on in WV

West Virginia doesn’t have any professional sports teams. That doesn’t stop bettors in the state from cheering for their favorite nearby teams, however. West Virginia sports bettors may enjoy wagering on the following pro teams, usually located in states neighboring WV.

• NBA Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards
• MLB Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians,  Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals
• NHL Teams: Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals
• NFL Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns

Because West Virginia is nestled between many sports-heavy states, the local teams are varied. Ohio, Pennsylvania, MAryland, and Washington, D.C. are all near enough to be part of the West Virginia sports fandom.

WV College Teams

Unlike some states, West Virginia allows betting on college sports with very few restrictions. Fans of local universities can place wagers on their teams, including moneylines, point spreads, totals, and prop bets. The two biggest college sports programs in WV are the Marshall Thundering Herd and the WVU Mountaineers.

Advantages of online sports betting in WV

The general notion of sports betting is the same in West Virginia, regardless of whether you do it on your mobile device or in person. You wager on an outcome in an eligible sporting event, and either win or lose based upon whether your prediction comes to pass. However, online sports betting bears several notable advantages over the live version of the activity:

1. Live wagering: Betting on a game as it is taking place is almost entirely the province of online sportsbook apps. The speed at which these wagers appear and disappear means that it is largely untenable for retail sportsbooks to offer them. If you want the option to bet after a game is underway, you are likely going to have to bet online.
2. No teller lines: When you bet online, you can place your wagers in seconds and not have to wait for any sort of manual process, making it less likely you’ll miss out on a chance to wager.
3. Convenience: Live sportsbooks are dynamic environments with plenty of sensory stimuli and social interactivity. However, there’s no denying how much faster and more convenient it is to place a wager through your phone or laptop. Even if we concede the intrinsic aesthetic values at an in-person sportsbook, it’s still going to take longer to drive to such a venue than it is to reach into your pocket for your phone.
4. Bonuses: Because you have access to all of West Virginia’s sportsbook apps at all times, you can claim their bonus offers. The books know that they must compete for your business every time you are looking to bet, so they are willing to offer perks to try to secure your loyalty. Live sportsbooks have less of a need to do so, since going to the competition would likely mean having to drive elsewhere.
5. Responsible gambling: Gambling problems are incredibly difficult to spot because they rarely leave any physical symptoms and they are easy to hide, due to the use of cash in most live sportsbook situations. Online sportsbooks, by contrast, maintain a suite of control options to limit the amount you bet, the amount you deposit and the amount of time you play. Setting up these restrictions can go a long way toward keeping you from going overboard.

WV responsible gambling resources

The unfortunate reality of gambling is that some people will take things too far. Sports betting is often a fun activity, but it becomes less so when you use rent money, grocery money or funds that you need for other necessities.

Legal sportsbook apps will offer control features that you can enact on your account. You can instruct the book to limit your deposit amounts, the amount that you can wager and how much time you spend on the app.

If those controls aren’t enough, there are also several resources available to problem gamblers or their families in West Virginia:

• 1-800-GAMBLER — The Problem Gambling Help Network of West Virginia.
• Gamblers Anonymous — A peer support group for problem gamblers.
• Gam-Anon — A peer support group for families and friends of problem gamblers.
• Gamtalk — An online discussion forum for problem gamblers.

WV sports betting history

Even though sports betting remained illegal in most of the US until mid-2018, West Virginia legislators were already submitting bills to legalize it in the years prior to the US Supreme Court’s dismissal of PASPA. In fact, the measure that eventually became the governing instrument for West Virginia sports betting became law in March 2018, two months before the court issued its final ruling.

West Virginia is technically the third state (behind New Jersey and Nevada) to allow online sports betting, with the first legal app, BetLucky, appearing in December 2018. However, a disagreement between BetLucky’s parent company, Delaware North, and its technology provider caused wagering to come to an abrupt halt in March 2019.

Online sports betting remained unavailable in West Virginia for several months as state regulators worked to ensure that any new launches would remain permanent fixtures. Retail sports betting remained available, but no new apps appeared on the scene until DraftKings and FanDuel launched in August 2019.

Since then, sports betting has continued to expand steadily in the Mountain State. There are now eight sportsbook apps available in West Virginia, and all five of the state’s casino locations offer retail books.