1. DraftKings Sportsbook is now open for business in West Virginia. That makes it two mobile sportsbooks to launch this week in the Mountain State. FanDuel got there just a little earlier having opened on Monday, but now is joined by its chief rival DraftKings.
2. 6-4 5th in the Big 12. The West Virginia Mountaineers' odds to win the 2022 College Football Championship are +20000 0.

West Virginia sports betting finally has some good news. After another difficult week for WV sportsbooks in terms of generating handle, help is officially on the way.

Apr 21, 2020 FanDuel Sportsbook is live with its sports betting app in West Virginia as of August 2019. DraftKings Sportsbook joined FanDuel a few days later and is live as well, giving West Virginians access to two of the most popular sportsbooks outside of Nevada. Most recently, BetMGM joined the market.

DraftKings WV Sportsbook to the rescue

It’s been reported that DraftKings Sportsbook may soft launch in the WV betting market sometime this week. This information couldn’t have come at a better time for the Mountain State.

Two other online sportsbooks have been approved to operate, as well. It looks like both FanDuel Sportsbookand William Hill Sportsbook will be releasing mobile apps in WV in the near future.

Ever since WV lost access to the BetLucky Sportsbook, WV’s only online sports betting platform, sports gambling figures have been consistently falling. DraftKings Sportsbook should help revitalize the entire market and allow WV residents to wager on sports from the convenience of their homes very soon.

The newest online sportsbook in the state will service what is already the most successful retail sportsbook in WV, the Hollywood Casino. Penn National Gaming, Hollywood’s operator, agreed to a deal with DraftKings in Dec. 2018.

Hollywood consistently posts the best numbers for both handle and revenue every week – and it is not even close. With the assistance of DraftKings, one of the best betting apps in the country, Hollywood Sportsbook could be reaching new heights soon.

As for the sportsbooks currently active in the state, they didn’t fare particularly well for the week ending May 18. Total handle dipped slightly again as it sits just above $2.1 million.

Revenue figures did enjoy a nice recovery, though. The state made more than $150,000 after losing around $10,000 a week ago.

Although the sports-betting industry in WV seemed to have become stagnant, a new online sportsbook could be the perfect remedy for this rural state.

This week’s report includes activity from May 12-18 for all five WV sportsbooks:

WV Sports Betting Summary

Here are the latest figures released by the WV Lottery since WV sports betting revenue tracking began in August 2018:

• Handle: $116,335,923.18
• Revenue: $11,165,195.73
• Taxes: $1,116,519.67

The week of May 18 was slow for sports betting in WV. Overall handle dropped down to $2,176,969.32, a 2% decrease from the previous week.

Revenue figures, however, had a strong showing. After spending a week in the reed, it posted a healthy $156,985.95.

WV sports betting revenue for the week ending May 18, 2019

A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Handle

The handle figures from the last two weeks look similar. Each active retail sportsbook lost around $10,000 in handle compared to the report from a week ago.

Hollywood Casino is at the top with just over $1.6 million in bets.

The Mountaineer Casino once again finished in second for handle. It pulled in just over $525,000 in wagers this week.

The Greenbrier finished in third with around $30,000.

It’s not surprising that the handle for the state continues to fall without an online option. Hopefully, that will all be changing soon.

1. Hollywood Casino ($1,621,498.40)
2. Mountaineer Casino ($525,156.67)
3. The Greenbrier ($30,314.25)
4. Mardi Gras Casino ($0)
5. Wheeling Island ($0)

A Closer Look At WV Sports Betting Revenue

All three active land-based sportsbooks were profitable this week. Hollywood led the way with almost $125,000. This is a nice rebound from a week ago when it only generated around $25,000 in revenue.

The Mountaineer Casino also recovered nicely. It made nearly $25,000 after losing more than $35,000 last week.

The Greenbrier was in the black as well. This is now the fourth-straight week it’s posted positive revenue.

Wheeling Island didn’t have any payouts, while Mardi Gras Casino settled $90 worth of wagers.

Here’s how the WV sportsbooks rank for weekly revenue:

1. Hollywood Casino ($123,323.15)
2. Mountaineer Casino ($23,851.05)
3. The Greenbrier ($9,901.75)
4. Wheeling Island ($0)
5. Mardi Gras Casino ($-90.00)

Impact of DraftKings Sportsbook in West Virginia

The new DraftKings Sportsbook will truly change the landscape of sports betting in WV. Bettors in the state proved that only having retail sportsbooks available is not enough to sustain a successful gambling market.

People simply do not have the time, money or energy to constantly make the long-distance trips to the casino to place bets. Acquiring an online platform like DraftKings is a big deal for both residents and the industry.

As mentioned, the DraftKings online sportsbook will be a huge improvement over the previous online betting app in WV. It provides a long list of sports, betting types and promotional incentives that the state hasn’t had before.

These features have made DraftKings one of the top NJ online sportsbooks for revenue since its launch.

The release of DraftKings should create more urgency for the other online options to go live, too. The other casinos in the state will not enjoy sitting out as DraftKings works to grow its customer list.

On the board for WV Sportsbooks

NBA Finals

The NBA Finals begin on Thursday night as the Golden State Warriors look to win their third consecutive title. Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors stand in their way after taking down the top-seeded Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Draftkings Wv Sportsbook

The DraftKings Sportsbook in NJ has the following odds to win the 2019 NBA Finals:

• Golden State Warriors -286
• Toronto Raptors +225

Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals got underway on Monday night when the Boston Bruins protected home ice and beat the Blues in Game 1. Sportsbooks are now making them a sizable favorite to take home the Cup.

DraftKings NJ lists the following odds to win the Stanley Cup Finals:

• Boston Bruins -305
• Louis Blues +240

BOSTON, Jan. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) today announced the launch of DraftKings Sportsbook in Virginia, marking the 12^th state in which the top rated mobile and online sportsbook is available. Customers in Virginia will now be able to place bets on a number of markets across professional and collegiate sports using the DraftKings made-in-America digital sportsbook app.

“Just in time for Super Bowl LV, we are thrilled to bring the DraftKings sports betting experience to Virginia with an abundance of betting options for fans,” said Jason Robins, co-founder and CEO, DraftKings. “With our customer-first approach, we hope to be the sportsbook of choice for Virginians who enjoy having skin in the game.”

Ahead of Super Bowl LV, DraftKings is offering all customers a Double Your Money opportunity on any team to score a touchdown. Beyond Super Bowl LV, the cutting-edge mobile technology of DraftKings Sportsbook will provide sports bettors in the Commonwealth of Virginia the opportunity to bet on more than 250 unique leagues including popular professional sports: baseball, football, golf, hockey, boxing, soccer, tennis, motorsports and basketball. Collegiate sports are also available, with the exception of in-state college teams and college prop bets. DraftKings Sportsbook technology keeps consumer information safe and secure and provides built-in responsible gaming measures like time and deposit limits.

A consumer research study by DraftKings indicated that Virginia sports fans are most likely to bet on the NFL, followed by the NBA and college football. That same study found the Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys are the two most favored NFL teams in Virginia, while the LA Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards are the most popular NBA teams. Prior to Sunday’s NFL Conference Championship games, DraftKings is offering all customers an additional Double Your Money opportunity by betting on any of the four teams playing to score a touchdown.

DraftKings’ sportsbook and daily fantasy products are available via iOS and Android here.

About DraftKings

DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirit of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for 50+ operators in 17 countries. DraftKings’ Sportsbook is live with mobile and/or retail betting operations in the United States pursuant to regulations in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 8 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is the official daily fantasy partner of the NFL, MLB, NASCAR and the PGA TOUR as well as an authorized gaming operator of the NBA and MLB and an official betting operator of the PGA TOUR.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contact:
media@draftkings.com

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