West Virginians were certainly in the mood to gamble this July.
According to data from the West Virginia Lottery Commission (WVLC), residents of the Mountain State placed a record $284.9 million in online sports wagers in July. Players also flocked to WV online casinos, driving the vertical to its second-best month on record.
Both figures are surprising, considering the NFL season doesn’t start until September 8, and inflation continues to bedevil players and operators alike. But the data also illustrate that both markets are healthy and growing.
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Hollywood Takes the Lead in Handle
Online casino gaming and sports betting in West Virginia is a three-way contest between the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, the Mountaineer Casino, and the private Greenbrier Resort — and the operators that each is partnered with.
In terms of the handle from online sports betting, Greenbrier and its three partners — BetMGM Sportsbook WV, FanDuel Sportsbook WV, and Golden Nugget Sportsbook WV — have led its rivals every month since July 2021.
But that streak ended at 11 months. Hollywood and its trio of partners — Barstool Sportsbook WV, DraftKings Sportsbook WV, and PointsBet Sportsbook WV — took a record $130.6 million in wagers in July, up 53% from June ($85.4 million) and up nearly 84% year-over-year ($71.1 million).
Greenbrier was second in handle with $119.1 million, up 2.4% month-over-month ($116.4 million) and up 68.6% from July 2021 ($70.7 million).
Mountaineer and its two partners — BetRivers Sportsbook WV and Caesars Sportsbook WV — also saw a record handle in July at $35.2 million, up 7% sequentially ($32.9 million) and more than triple from the year-ago month ($10.1 million). BetRivers launched its online sportsbook in the state in June.
The entire vertical was up 21.4% from June ($234.7 million) and nearly 88% year-over-year ($151.8 million).
Mountaineer Hits Record Online Casino Revenue
Revenue from WV online casinos hit $8.7 million in July, up 14.4% month-over-month ($7.6 million) and up 63% year-over-year ($5.3 million). It was the second-highest month for the vertical in revenue, trailing only March 2022 ($9.2 million).
Greenbrier continued to dominate the space. Its three partners grossed $4.6 million in July, up 7.4% sequentially ($4.3 million) and up 65.6% from the year-ago month ($2.8 million). July was Greenbrier’s fourth-highest month for revenue overall and was its best month since March 2022 ($5.2 million).
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The Hollywood trio held second place with $2.8 million in revenue, up 18.7% from June ($2.4 million) and up 34.3% from July 2021 ($2.1 million). Like Greenbrier, July was Hollywood’s fourth-highest month for revenue overall. It was also its best month in the vertical since February 2022 ($2.9 million).
Mountaineer had a record revenue of $1.3 million in July. The resort set its previous $1.3 million record in March 2022. The casino and its two partners saw revenue climb 34.2% ($982k) month-to-month. Revenue nearly tripled year-to-year ($489k).
West Virginia’s gaming laws allow the state’s five casinos and horse racetracks to each have three skins for online casino gaming and sports betting. Greenbrier and Hollywood use three skins, while Mountaineer still has one skin available for a future expansion.
