Clock Strikes Midnight: WV Casinos Suspend Operations To Fight Coronavirus

Written By Bill Gelman on March 20, 2020 – Last Updated on March 21, 2023

West Virginia casinos are closed until further notice.

Call it the latest precautionary step in hopes of slowing down COVID-19.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice made his official announcement Tuesday evening, with the executive order going into effect at midnight.

The order applies to the Mountain State’s five casinos:

West Virginia casino customers itching to play slots or table games have no place to go.

Unlike Pennsylvania or New Jersey, online casinos are not a fall-back option.

West Virginia’s online gambling law is approved, but the targeted launch isn’t until Spring 2021.

How long will WV casinos be closed?

It’s a hard question to answer as everything remains in a holding pattern.

The Greenbrier plans on resuming operations on Friday, April 17, but this could obviously change.

Here is the full statement:

The Mountaineer Casino is taking a “closed until further notice” approach.

Mardi Gras Casino & Resort remained opened until noon March 18 to accommodate hotel guests.

Here is a snippet of the online message from GM Eric Althaus:

“To date, we have worked to protect public health by following CDC guidelines on sanitizing protocols and cleaning throughout our venue. We will remain in close touch with State and County health officials, and we look forward to reopening our property and continuing to provide a clean, safe environment.”

WV sports betting status check

The West Virginia casino closure also temporarily halts retail sports wagering.

And at this point, there are very few industries the COVID-19 pandemic is not impacting.

This includes the world of college and professional sports.

The NBA, NHL, MLB, and other pro sports organizations have suspended operations.

And the West Virginia University Mountaineers basketball teams saw both the Big 12 Conference and NCAA Tournaments completely canceled.

But thanks to online sports betting, West Virginia gamblers are not completely cut off.

The latest odds are available via these apps:

While the sports betting market is extremely limited at the moment, the futures are live.

And it means DraftKings and other operators are taking wagers on the NCAA football Big 12 Conference championship. The odds of the Mountaineers winning are +1800 (along with Baylor).

Here is how West Virginia stacks up against some of the other teams: