Handle Plunges To Lowest Level In Six Months Without WV Mobile Sports Betting
West Virginia sports betting had its worst week in regards to overall handle in quite some time. The total handle for the Mountain State only reached just over $2.3 million for the week ending April 6.
It is WV’s lowest recorded handle since mid-October when sports betting within the state was still relatively new.
With major sporting events like March Madness now complete, it appears that the sports betting figures will continue to decline as there is still no online betting platform available.
There has been no major movement on a new mobile option since Delaware North cut ties with its BetLucky app.
On a positive note, the two of the three active WV sportsbooks were able to turn a profit once again. This is now the seventh consecutive week the sports betting market has generated positive revenue.
This week’s report includes activity from March 31- April 6 for all five WV sportsbooks:
- Hollywood Casino Sportsbook
- Mountaineer Sportsbook
- The FanDuel Sportsbook at The Greenbrier
- Mardi Gras Sportsbook
- Wheeling Island Sportsbook
While Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island are still suspended, they are still paying out winning bets.
WV Sports Betting Summary
Here are the latest figures released by the WV Lottery since WV sports betting revenue tracking began in August 2018:
- Handle: $101,703,023.59
- Revenue: $10,256,579.73
- Taxes: $1,025,658.06
The week of April 6 was one of the slowest WV has seen since it started accepting sports wagers. The handle of $2,385,379.21 is the state’s lowest in 25 weeks and is a 31% decrease from last week.
Revenue also saw a significant fall. The $193,729.15 earned is a 45% decrease from the week prior.
WV sports betting revenue for the week ending April 6, 2019
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Handle
This report is not a pretty one when examining the sports betting handle for the week. As one might expect with overall figures so low, the individual break down is not good for WV sportsbooks, either.
As usual, the sportsbook at the Hollywood Casino is carrying the majority of the state’s handle. Even though it came in a clear first this week with just over $1.7 million, this is not an encouraging sign.
This is the lowest Hollywood’s handle has been in five weeks and just the fifth time it’s fallen under the $2 million mark in 27 weeks.
Mountaineer also saw a dip in action. Its handle continued to decrease and fell below $600,000 for the first time in a month.
The Greenbrier witnessed a significant drop in handle as well. After two quality weeks in a row, its handle sunk below $100,000.
It may be obvious, but the WV sports betting market is starting to be exposed during weeks in which there are no major sporting events. Without a betting app in WV, residents are clearly less likely to wager unless there is something worthy of traveling to a land-based sportsbook.
Next week’s report could see a jump because of the Masters, however, there’s no reason to believe the handle figures will improve in general going forward without an online betting platform in the state.
Unfortunately, it looks like the West Virginia Lottery is putting license approvals on hold while it seeks clarification on the newly-revised Wire Act.
Perhaps if handle and revenue continue to decrease, legislators will feel added pressure to sort out their thoughts on the new Wire Act opinion and approve the release of more mobile sportsbooks.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for the weekly handle:
- Hollywood Casino ($1,721,386.86)
- Mountaineer Casino ($572,816.85)
- The Greenbrier ($91,175.50)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($0)
- Wheeling Island ($0)
A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Revenue
Hollywood Casino led the way in revenue as well, even though these figures were not impressive either. The sportsbook made more than $150,000, but this is Hollywood’s lowest revenue total in six weeks.
The only other sportsbook to end the week in the black is the Mountaineer Casino. It pulled in nearly $60,000 in profits in what is actually a good bounce back from the negative reported a week ago.
The Greenbrier saw its three-week run with positive revenue end with almost $15,000 in the red.
Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino paid out around a combined $2,500 to settled wagers, despite not accepting any new bets.
With the betting handle seeming like it will continue to drop, the revenue figures will most likely follow suit.
The sportsbooks are going to have to draw more bettors in with promotions in order to get the volume they’re looking for during weeks without huge sporting events.
Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly revenue:
- Hollywood Casino ($151,465.70)
- Mountaineer Casino ($59,783.20)
- Wheeling Island ($-910.90)
- Mardi Gras Casino ($-1,648.85)
- The Greenbrier ($-14,960.00)
On the board for WV Sportsbooks
NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs started this past weekend as the Golden State Warriors are looking to capture their third-straight championship. Even though the Warriors are massive favorites to win The Finals again, the Eastern Conference is now wide open with the departure of Lebron James.
The FanDuel Sportsbook in New Jersey lists the following odds to win the Eastern Conference this year:
- Milwaukee Bucks +120
- Toronto Raptors +280
- Boston Celtics +390
- Philadelphia 76ers +500
NHL playoffs
The NHL playoffs are currently in the first round. Last year’s playoffs were super-charged with the Vegas Golden Knights making a run for the Stanley Cup in its first year. Futures at FanDuel list the following odds to win the Stanley Cup:
- Washington Capitals +550
- NewYork Islanders +700
- Nashville Predators +900
- Vegas Golden Knights +950
WV horse racing
As the spring weather heats up, so does thoroughbred horse racing season in WV. Be sure to catch some live racing action at the tracks at both the Hollywood and Mountaineer casinos.
This weekend, get down to Hollywood to take in the Charles Town Classic on Saturday, April 20.
The event is one of the richest horse races on dirt in the US for older horses and will feature 13 races. Post time is 12:30 p.m.
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