West Virginia Casinos Online

Located near Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the mountain state of West Virginia has embraced their liberal mentality and is nowadays one of the most gambling friendly places in America. While most types of gambling have been legal and easily accessible for over a decade, sports betting joined the troops in 2018, which was quickly followed by the legalization of online casinos in 2019. There’s now nothing left to wish for, but West Virginia is quite a gambler’s paradise.

While internet gambling is our true passion here at casinowebsites, the following page will not only cover online casinos in West Virginia, but all in all it includes:

• A guide to the best online casinos in West Virginia
• Information about the basics of internet gambling
• The many advantages that online gambling has
• Fascinating facts about gambling in West Virginia
• A brief look at West Virginia’s gambling history
• A list of all the land based casinos in the state
• The legality of online casinos in West Virginia
• Frequently asked questions about gambling

Best online casinos in West Virginia listed and reviewed

Having thoroughly scrutinized all gambling sites that residents of the mountain state are allowed to play at, our gambling experts have gathered the overall best online casinos in West Virginia. These have been rated on several important factors such as safety standards; bonus offers; game selection; customer support; withdrawal times; banking options and user friendliness.

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How do I gamble at online casinos in West Virginia?

It’s child’s play! If you’ve ever gambled at any of the land based casinos in West Virginia many things are similar. But even if you haven’t it’s incredibly easy to get started with internet gambling and just as easy to end a lucky session by cashing out your profits. To dumb it down for you we have created a brief step-by-step guide below, which includes more or less everything that you need to know.

Choose a casino that you would like to play at

The ones that we have listed above are all fantastic options. They offer fast withdrawal times (processed within 48 hours); a service-minded support available 24/7 on live chat, e-mail and phone; and several banking options such as debit cards and bitcoins.

They also offer plenty of bonuses and a huge game selection. This is, however, where they differ the most from one another. Some of the best online casinos in West Virginia do for instance only offer casino games while some are also offering sports betting and a huge poker room. 

Open up a gambling account at the casino

This is quickly done by filling out a sign up form where you’re asked to enter your name, date of birth, home address, e-mail and phone number. Some sites may also require you to confirm the account creation by entering a code that is being sent to your e-mail or phone.

Check out the casino’s promotional offers

Before making a deposit it’s a good idea to pay a visit to the campaign section at the casino to see what bonuses they have in store for you. At the very least you’re able to grab a welcome bonus. The way the offers are activated can vary from casino to another – sometimes it has to be done before funding your account; sometimes after and sometimes as part of the deposit process.

In addition to finding out what bonuses are available and how you take part of them, be sure to read through the terms and conditions that the offers come with. These contain valuable information such as minimum deposits required; time limits and wagering requirements.

Fund your account by making a deposit

It shouldn’t be very difficult finding the cashier at the gambling site. It’s somewhere in the menu. From here you can fund your account with money using a range of different payment methods. These can vary slightly from one operator to another, but all in all you’ll be able to find the following ones among our listed online casinos in West Virginia:

Do note that transaction times vary between these methods. With debit cards your account will be instantly funded while bitcoins can take up to 2 hours and wire transfers up to 5 days.

Choose whatever game you want to play

Once you have money on your account the thrilling fun can begin. Choose among hundreds of unique slot machines, popular table games such as blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat, and many other products to gamble on. Don’t be afraid trying out something new. Not only are there detailed rules and pay tables in all games, but you can also enjoy the vast majority of them for free should you like to. You’ll get the option of doing this when clicking on them.

Make a withdrawal of your winnings

Hopefully you’re not just having a great time playing casino but getting a nice boost to your bankroll as well. If this is the case it’s a good idea to secure some of your winnings by cashing out. This is easily done by heading to the same cashier that you used to fund your account with. Just like deposit methods can vary from one gambling site to another withdrawal methods can too. All in all you will, however, find the following ones (transaction times are written in parenthesis):

While withdrawals are processed within 48 hours at all of the best West Virginia casinos listed by us, it’s important to know that they aren’t handled at all until you have verified your identity. This is done by uploading a photo copy of a passport, driver’s license or other valid ID under your account profile. It’s a common security process that exists to tackle fraudulent behavior and underage gambling. Once uploaded your ID will usually be reviewed and approved within 24 hours.

Fascinating facts about gambling in West Virginia

Gambling taxes are high but definitely not for the people

The annual revenue from the state run lottery program, as well as the racetracks and casinos in West Virginia is approximately $1.1 billion. From this roughly $385 million or 34% is charged as tax, which the state mainly re-invests into the gambling industry in one way or another.

Compared to other American states the tax rate is quite high – however – only for the organizations that are offering the gambling. West Virginians pay nothing at all on their sports betting and casino winnings. The only type of gamble profits that residents in the state are taxed on is those that originate from the state lottery. On these winnings there’s a modest 6.5% tax that has to be paid.

When it comes to the taxes that gamble venues have to pay the net profits from their games are taxed the following ways:

Land based slots aren’t allowed to have a higher RTP than 95%

While some are unaware about it, many gamblers are well familiar with the fact that online casinos have much higher payout rates on slot machines than land based gambling establishments do. What’s shocking though is that the racetracks and land based casinos in West Virginia actually aren’t allowed by law to have a higher payout rate than 95%. This is limited by the West Virginia Lottery Commission that also says that it’s ok for slot machines to pay as little as 80%.

If these numbers mean nothing to you, a slot machine’s payout percentage (known as RTP) shows you how much of your stakes you’re expected to receive back as winnings in the long run. So for every $100 staked on a slot with an RTP of 80% you’re expected to get $80 back. Gambling over the internet almost all slot machines have an RTP of 95 – 97%, which is way higher. This is one of many reasons to be playing at any of the best online casinos in West Virginia that we have recommended.

West Virginia is one of five states where greyhounds still race

Greyhound racing is banned in almost all of America and in those states where it isn’t racetracks rarely exist for the racing to take place. Along with Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa and Texas,West Virginia is, however, an exception to this. The mountain state is home to two greyhound tracks that also offer a huge amount of casino games; Wheeling Island Casino & Racetrack and Mardi Grass Casino Resort.

Is it legal to play casino online in West Virginia?

It totally depends on the gambling site that you choose to gamble with. While those that are located within the borders of West Virginia are 100% legal to play at, it may not be legal to gamble at those that are situated outside of America. The state laws aren’t directly addressing this matter so it’s a bit complicated.

To know for sure if it’s legal to play at any online casino in West Virginia you need to speak with a lawyer. You shouldn’t have to go through this trouble though. No one has ever been faced with any legal action for gambling online so even if the book says that it is illegal to play at some sites the law enforcement of West Virginia clearly couldn’t care less if you do it. You’re totally safe either way.  

A brief look at the history of gambling in West Virginia

1863: This is the year that West Virginia received its statehood and with it all types of gambling got banned.

1870s: Pari-mutuel betting on racing activities got exempt from the ban; probably because horse racing was a very popular sport in the state.

1931: An organization is formed to regulate racetracks and the betting taking place at them – the West Virginia Racing Commission.

1986: A state lottery is introduced.

1994: A law passes that allows racetracks and bars to offer video lottery games (basically slot machines).

2001: The number of video lottery games allowed in the state gets limited to 9,000.

2007: Table games are legalized and can now be offered by racetracks and casinos in West Virginia.

2017: A bill is introduced to legalize online gambling – the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act.

2018: Sports betting is legalized.

2019: The online gambling bill introduced in 2017 is signed into law. This allows for the five land based casinos in West Virginia to apply for licenses to launch gambling sites. No other organizations can apply for a license at the time being.

Advantages of playing casino online

Since you’re here with us you probably already have your mind set on gambling over the internet and is just looking for the best casino in West Virginia that you can do this at. But do you actually know about all of the benefits that gambling over the internet comes with? Let’s break it down for you!

Convenience

This is an obvious one. Instead of having to dress-up and bring yourself to a land based venue, online gambling allows you to play at anytime from anywhere in any condition. You can do it while enjoying the state’s wonderful nature or comfortably sitting half-naked in your sofa munching on chips.

Higher payout rates

We’ve already covered this earlier on the page and as mentioned the average payout percentage of slot machines is much higher online, making it much easier to win. Land based casinos in West Virginia aren’t allowed to have their slots programmed to a higher RTP than 95% and the worst thing is that the payout percentage can go as low as 80%. When you gamble online it’s almost impossible to come across a slot with an RTP lower than 94%. The vast majority of machines have a payback percentage of 96% while some of them go as high as 98%.

More bonus offers

Within the state of West Virginia there are five gambling venues operating, while online casinos allowing West Virginians to play with them are hundreds. This means that the competition online is much tougher, which has naturally resulted in gambling sites offering more bonuses. Simply as a way to attract players who tend to love promotional offers.

A part from playing games with high RTPs, there’s no better way of boosting your long term chances of winning than taking part of bonuses. These offers can give you extra money on your deposits; cashbacks on net losses; chances to win various prizes and much more. If you’re all about maximizing your chances of winning a huge amount of bonuses is one of the best things about playing online.

Poker action is better

While all of the land based casinos in West Virginia offer pretty great poker rooms they are nowhere near the size of those that you find online. It’s a whole different world. Gambling over the internet there are constantly tournaments with hundreds if not thousands of players going down. Not to mention that several new ones with varying buy-ins and structures kick off every hour. It’s also much easier to find cash game action that is perfectly suited to your bankroll.

You can use bitcoins

If you’re into cryptocurrencies and appreciate using them a big plus about gambling over the internet is that almost every online casino in West Virginia allow you to deposit and withdraw with bitcoins. No land based gambling venue is currently supporting this and it will probably take a long time before they do.

Land based casinos in West Virginia

If you’re looking to mix up your online gambling with some authentic casino action you’ll find five different venues to do this at in West Virginia. Four of these are racetracks that offer a huge amount of slot machines and table games, as well as a poker room and the option of betting on several sports. For your convenience we have listed all of the venues below.

The Casino Club at The Greenbrier

Address: 300 W Main St, White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986
Slot machines: 320
Table games: Blackjack, Roulette, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold’em, Mini-Baccarat, Craps
Poker tables: 16
Racetrack: No

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races

Address: 750 Hollywood Dr, Charles Town, WV 25414
Slot machines: 2,200+
Table games: Blackjack, Four Card Poker, Let it Ride, Mini Baccarat, Poker, Pai Gow, Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, Craps, Roulette, Big Six Wheel
Poker tables: 16
Racetrack: Yes

Mardi Gras Casino Resort

Address: 1 Greyhound Dr, Cross Lanes, WV 25313
Slot machines: 1,000
Table games: Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Wheel of Fortune, Mississippi Stud, Four Card Poker, Big Wheel Six, Double Draw Poker, Double Up Blackjack
Poker tables: 24
Racetrack: Yes

Mountaineer Casino

Address: 1420 Mountaineer Circle, New Cumberland, WV 26047
Slot machines: 1,100+
Table games: Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold’em, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, Four Card Poker, Spanish 21
Poker tables: 12
Racetrack: Yes

Wheeling Island Casino & Racetrack

Address: 1 S Stone St, Wheeling, WV 26003
Slot machines: 1,100+
Table games: Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three Card Poker, Pai Gow, Let it Ride, Mississippi Stud
Poker tables: 9
Racetrack: Yes

FAQ about gambling and casinos in West Virginia

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