DraftKings announced its mobile and online sportsbook will expand into West Virginia as part of a licensing deal with Penn National Gaming. Penn National Gaming operates Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races located in Jefferson County, W.Va.
Once DraftKings obtains pending regulatory approvals, West Virginia residents will be able to download the Draftkings mobile app to place wagers on live sports. DraftKings’ West Virginia offering will offer a new “Sportsbook Pools” betting feature for the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL according to a press release announced last week.
“We look forward to serving sports fans in the Mountain State and building on the immense success we have had in leading the New Jersey market,” said Matt Kalich, Chief Revenue Officer at DraftKings, in the press release. “With over 90 percent of sports bettors returning to play after trying DraftKings Sportsbook, we are confident we can deliver on being the best place to play for West Virginia consumers.”
There are currently no active online sportsbooks in West Virginia, meaning DraftKings will be the first. Three retail sportsbooks have begun operating within West Virginia since the state legalized sports betting in August.
SportTechie Takeaway
FanDuel already operates a retail sportsbook at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. That could mean that DraftKings’ No. 1 competitor might also aim to bring an online and mobile sports betting platform to the Mountain State. The new DraftKings online sportsbook could well mirror the company’s New Jersey digital sportsbook in success. New Jersey residents spent $260.7 million spent on sports gambling in October, of which $174.3 million was placed via online sports betting.
