The first four weeks of legal online casino in West Virginia saw players wager $37.2m on DraftKings’ casino products, resulting in revenue of $824,639, the latest figures from the West Virginia Lottery Commission reveal.
The state became the third in which DraftKings rolled out its standalone casino app on 15 July, following launches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in partnership with Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.
This remains the sole legal online casino in the state, with no other operator having followed DraftKings in launching an offering.
Players staked $6.9m over the first four days post-launch, on the week to July 17, rising to $9.4m for the seven days to July 25. The best week of the period, for the seven days to August 1, followed with players staking $12.2m, with players then wagering $8.6m in the week ended August 8.
That last week, despite a dip in amounts wagered, was the most successful in terms of revenue, with $271,494, the highest seven-day total of the period.
The state received taxes of $123,696 from the 15% gross revenue tax, of which $18,554 was used to cover administrative costs, and $1,051.44 went to pension contributions, leaving the state of West Virginia with a $104,090 share of revenue.
While regulations covering online gaming passed the West Virginia legislature in March 2019 – and passed into law without Governor Jim Justice’s signature – the state delayed its roll-out as it came so soon after the launch of sports betting.
That vertical has generated stakes of $22.8m for the state’s 2021 fiscal year to date, from 1 July, and revenue of $2.0m. Mobile has accounted for $15.5m of stakes – compared to $7.3m for retail – and $1.1m of revenue.
The state’s 2020 fiscal year, covering the 12 months to 30 June, saw players stake $257.3m, generating revenue of $19.1m.