West Virginia had a few consecutive slow months in their sports betting industry this Spring, but the state is starting to produce solid numbers once again. Sports betting almost doubled in September, as the state once again set another monthly record.
The sports betting handle in September totaled $76.9 million, which was a 90 percent increase over the $40.4 million brought in during August. The return of professional and collegiate football, as well as William Hill launching its mobile app, was the biggest reason for the growth.
The mobile sports betting handle once again dominated the market, accounting for $59.2 million of the total in September. Mobile sports betting intake grew by more than 90 percent in September.
Sports betting revenue increased by more than 133 percent in September as the state brought in $4.6 million. This is also a new state record for the sports betting industry in West Virginia.
William Hill was able to join the competitive sports betting market on September 4, and the operator is offering both retail and mobile betting. William Hill entered the state through a partnership with Mountaineer Casino and Racetrack in New Cumberland.
Surprisingly, William Hill actually saw the most action even though it was a slow start for the mobile app. The operator saw close to $200,000 in mobile handle over the last two weeks of the month.
Still Falling Short of Other States
Even though West Virginia has seen tremendous growth over the last two months, the state is still falling well behind the rest of the industry throughout the United States. West Virginia was one of the first states to launch sports betting after the federal ban was lifted, but things have not taken off compared to the industry norm.
New Jersey has quickly emerged as the top sports betting market in the United States, and it posted a record haul in August. Sports betting handle in New Jersey totaled more than $668 million, for that month which easily shattered the previous country-wide record set by Nevada.
Midwest U.S.A. has seen the most growth in the industry over the last couple months. Indiana and Iowa have announced their record September numbers while Illinois and Michigan are expected to report an unprecedented month as well.
Indiana had a sports betting handle of more than $207.4 million for September, which was an increase of more than 22 percent from August. Iowa sports betting handle grew by almost 44 percent up to $72.4 million during the month of September.
iGaming Numbers Also Up
West Virginia launched its iGaming industry in July 2020, and DraftKings was the only operator available at that time. Since July, BetMGM has also started offering online casino games to West Virginia residents.
In just the second full month of iGaming in West Virginia, the handle was $74.8 million. This was an 89 percent increase from the numbers reported in August, and the total revenue brought in was up more than 242 percent.
DraftKings has an agreement with the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, and that company was able to get a huge jump on the industry. BetMGM has partnered with Greenbrier Resort, and that company was able to launch iGaming on August 26.
There are just five states in the US that currently offer online casino games and poker sites. The other four states that have joined the industry are Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
