West Virginia Gambling Market Sees Great October Harvest

Written By Adam Hensley on November 10, 2022 – Last Updated on March 29, 2023

October gambling in West Virginia showed great marks

October’s numbers are in, and overall, it was a solid month for West Virginia gambling.

Football is king, and with it reaching midseason form, the state’s sports betting market jumped month-to-month from September. Additionally, West Virginia online casino totals showed a positive increase in handle.

Here’s a deep dive into October numbers for the West Virginia gambling market.

West Virginia sports betting handle rises in October

With college and professional football in full swing, the MLB postseason in action, and the start of the NBA season, it’s no surprise West Virginia had an active sports betting month in October. And the state once again showed a rise in month-to-month handle.

West Virginia totaled $51,118,726 in October handle, which equates to a 9% increase from September. That month, bettors gambled roughly $46.9 million. September’s figure was a $13 million jump from August’s handle.

As a whole, though, October’s handle showed a dip year-to-year for the same month. In October 2021, bettors gambled $61.7 million. October 2022’s 17.1% decline could be attributed to a variety of things.

The market is more mature, meaning that over time, it will start to balance itself out. States across the country have seen cooling-off periods from sportsbook promotions, too.

Regardless, yet another jump in sports betting handle month-to-month is a welcome sign.

Sports betting revenue jumps Y-O-Y but is down from September

Month-to-month, October’s sports betting revenue dropped compared to September. October revenue totaled $5.06 million — a 27.3% dip from September’s $6.97 million.

Regardless of the monthly decrease, October’s figure stands as an 89.9% increase from October 2021’s $2,667,222 number.

West Virginia online bets jump from September

Much as West Virginia’s sports betting handle increased month-to-month, its online gambling industry did the same. West Virginia bettors gambled a total of $317,057,861 in October.

That number represents a 12.4% increase from September’s $282.17 million handle.

Online casinos made $9.4 million in October, which equates to an 8.3% drop compared to September ($10.26 million).

Much like its sports betting industry, West Virginia’s online gambling market is relatively fresh. The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act legalized the industry in 2019.

Sports fans prefer online sports betting

West Virginia has plenty of retail sportsbooks — five, to be exact. Residents can place retail bets at:

Hollywood Casino
Mountaineer Sportsbook
FanDuel at The Greenbrier
Wheeling Island
Mardi Gras

But bettors remain committed to betting online from the comfort of their homes. In October, $42,084,700 in handle came from online bets.

That’s roughly 82.3% of the month’s total handle. Retail sports bets totaled $9,034,025, or 17.7% of October’s sports handle.

West Virginia generated $3,520,651.57 in online sports betting revenue for the month.

With so many WV sportsbook apps available, West Virginia remains a prime showcase of the trend nationally.

In West Virginia table game totals, blackjack is king

In total, West Virginia secured $7,397,951.25 in casino game revenue in October.

The most popular game was blackjack, which totaled a little more than $2.5 million in revenue. Here’s how the rest of the table games stacked up in October: