West Virginia iGaming Rules Approved, Eying Summer Launch
- State officials have approved rules regarding iGaming in West Virginia.
- The rules will allow for land-based casinos to be able to host iGaming platforms.
- Regulators are looking towards a summer launch date for West Virginia’s iGaming industry.
Charleston, W.va. — Online casino gaming is making its way to West Virginia as the state’s Lottery Commission approved emergency rules last week. The rules will allow for land-based casinos to be able to host iGaming platforms through their services.
The emergency status of the rules has also expedited the timeline for when online casino gambling in West Virginia could possibly launch. Regulators are now looking as early as July for iGaming platforms to go live.
West Virginia iGaming
The initial expectation was that July would be the deadline for the rules which would lead to a launch date later on in 2020 or early in 2021. With all land-based casinos closed, however, it pushed for an expedited process. Those rules will be filed later on in May.
“Once approved, West Virginia casinos can begin offering igaming under the emergency rules and minimum internal controls,” said John Myers, the Lottery Director for the state of West Virginia.
“Those rules will be good for 15 months until the permanent legislative rule is adopted by the legislature. All that remains is approval of the emergency rule by the Secretary of State and the approval of our minimum internal controls by the Lottery Commission. It is conceivable, that some of our iGaming operators could be up and running as early as June or July under the emergency rules.”
As these rules are filed, the Secretary of State will have a little over a month to review them and either approve them fully or deny them. These emergency rules are just temporary in an effort to speed up the process. The recent coronavirus pandemic is believed to have forced them to hurry up the process.
The online gambling bill that was passed which makes all of this possible was HB 2934. This bill allows for iGaming platforms to be hosted by land-based casinos in the state.
In order for these land-based casinos to be able to host iGaming platforms, they would need to acquire a five-year license from the state that costs $250,000 and if they wish to renew that license after the five years, it would cost $100,000.
The West Virginia Interactive Gaming Fund was also created by HB 2934. This fund will collect 15% of the total 15% tax that comes from online gaming. That money will be returned to the States Lottery Commission to cover administrative expenses as well as pension plans for employees.
Included in the passing of the bill would be live dealer games. In order for legal gambling operators to be able to host these live dealer games, they would need to gain permission from the Lottery Commission once more.