West Virginia gives mobile sports betting the go ahead

State legislators in West Virginia have given the green light to offer mobile sports betting across the state, making it the third state this week behind New Jersey and Pennsylvania to allow customers to wager bets via their mobiles.
In what is a huge step forward in the development of online gambling and affiliate marketing in the US, Governor Jim Justice allowed bill H 2934 to sit on his desk without signature or veto for 15 days, enabling it to go through into law automatically.
The state’s five casinos, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races; Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort; The Casino Club at The Greenbrier; Mardi Gras Casino & Resort; and Wheeling Island Hotel, will now be able to apply for one of five available licenses to offer mobile wagering.
West Virginia’s mobile regulations follow along similar lines to those deployed by New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Individuals aged 21 years and over will be permitted to place a bet via mobile as long as they do so within state boundaries and there is no requirement for them to be located in a terrestrial casino to play.
The new legislation has confirmed that the West Virginia Lottery will operate interactive wagering in the state and added that making mobile legal would benefit consumers.
It said: “The Legislature finds that it is in the best interests of the State of West Virginia for the state to operate a lottery in the form of interactive wagering and that it is the intent of the Legislature to authorize interactive wagering within the state and through compacts with other approved jurisdictions.
“The Legislature finds that illegal interactive wagering channels operating throughout the United States pose a critical threat to the safety and welfare of the citizens of West Virginia and that creating civil and criminal penalties to prosecute illegal operators, while transferring this black market demand into a secure and highly regulated environment, will protect the public and positively benefit state revenues and the state’s economy.”