- West Virginia sportsbooks had a handle of $3.4 million in last week of March.
- A $1 million decrease compared to previous weeks.
- Locals want to have more accessible mobile sports betting.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The total amount of sports betting handle generated in West Virginia since sportsbooks opened up is approaching $1 billion.
Last Week Of March Sees A Dip
Not every single week is going to be a winner for sports betting in West Virginia. During the week that ended on March 30, it was reported by the West Virginia Lottery that $3.4 million was generated through sports betting.
Although that seems like an impressive number, that is an entire $1 million down from the previous week. There are a couple of factors that contributed to this. March Madness was continuing forward and there were fewer games being played. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight did not see as much action as the opening week did in March.
NBA season was wrapping up as well. Teams were pretty much locked in already for the playoffs and that made people uninterested in betting on the games. There is also the fact that there is no mobile option available. The Mardi Gras Casino and Wheeling Island sportsbooks are still closed due to a contract dispute. This also caused their online sports betting app to shut down as well.
Upswing For The Future
Sportsbooks in West Virginia are hopeful that the spring and summer sports will help bring in more sports betting revenue. The Masters has just completed which means that golf season is in full swing. With Tiger Woods winning the Masters, sportsbooks are hoping that betting on golf will be more popular than ever.
The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs have also begun as well. There are plenty of hockey games to be played throughout the tournament so fans have plenty of opportunities to place their bets. The Stanley Cup isn’t the only tournament going on right either. The NBA playoffs are underway and there are plenty of bets expected to be made during this tournament.
With all of these different tournaments going on, West Virginia is expecting to make it to the $1 billion sports betting handle very soon. Bettors in the state are also hoping that a mobile betting app will be properly implemented as well. That would also highly increase the handle for sports betting in West Virginia.