Sports betting revenue in West Virginia amounted to $13.8m in the first six months of the state’s fiscal year, with retail the primary source of income for licensed operators.
Consumers spent a total of $144.5m and won $128.7m during the period, which included the six days to the start of the fiscal year on July 1. The reporting period ran for six months through to December 28, 2019.
Retail was responsible for $9.1m of overall sports wagering revenue during the period, with players spending $87.8m and winning $76.8m.
Mobile revenue stood at $5.0m for the six months, which returned to West Virginia in August 2019, when FanDuel rolled out a new app in partnership with The Greenbrier, closely followed by DraftKings.
The mobile market had remained dormant as a result of the dispute between Delaware North and Miomni Gaming. Delaware North’s BetLucky app, powered by Miomni, went offline less than two months after launching in December 2018.
However, despite this five-month gap, players still wagered $56.7m via mobile and won a collective $51.9m in 2019.
Comparable figures with the previous year are not completely possible as West Virginia did not open its legal sports betting market until September 2018.
However, for the period from September 1, 2018 through to December 29, 2018, overall sports betting revenue stood at $6.5m, meaning revenue was up 112.3% on a year-on-year basis. Retail revenue climbed by 139.5% from $3.8m, while mobile betting only began in late December 2018, generating $25,630 in revenue in its only active week in the period.
Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races was, by some margin, the leading operator in West Virginia, posting $9.3m in revenue for the first half of the fiscal year and processing $96.8m in bets.
Hollywood Casino, which runs its sportsbook via a partnership with DraftKings, saw retail revenue amount to $6.3m, while mobile revenue came in at $3.0m for the period.
The Greenbrier private resort ranked second with revenue of $2.2m for the six months, processing $28.8m in wagers. Mobile revenue was its main source if income, amounting to $1.7m, while retail revenue hit $583,299.
The William Hill Sports Book at Mountaineer Casino was marginally behind with total revenue of $2.18m, with players spending $18.8m. Revenue was derived entirely from retail, as the venue does not yet offer mobile wagering.
Delaware North’s Mardi Gras and Wheeling venues have been inactive since March due to the dispute with Miomni Gaming. Wheeling paid out $5,531 in winning bets placed prior to the dispute, while Mardi Gras settled wagers worth $9,538.
Image: Nicolas Raymond