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Online Poker Officially Legal in West Virginia

West Virginia is officially the fifth state in the United States to fully regulate online poker and the fourth to regulate online casino gambling. Governor Jim Justice has officially signed H 2934 into law, allowing West Virginia to join the ranks of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware in the regulated online gambling market.

While this is certainly great news for anyone that supports online gambling in the Mountaineer State, it may still be a little while before you can actually gamble online there.

West Virginia Surprises With Fast-Tracking of Bill

As you may already know, H 2934, aka the West Virginia Interactive Wagering Act easily passed the State House back in February. The State Senate then passed the bill earlier this month with some small adjustments. The House approved the changes and sent the bill to Gov. Jim Justice’s desk.

Gov. Justice received the bill on Monday and quickly signed the measure to regulate online poker and online casino gambling. The bill will allow online casino gambling in West Virginia’s borders for anyone 21 or older. The five state casinos will be allowed to offer online poker and online gambling products.

Any casino wishing to offer online gambling or iPoker must pay a $250,000 licensing fee. They will then pay a tax of 15 percent on Gross Gaming Revenue.

As I’ve stated before, this bill did not seem a certainty due to the legal climate surrounding the Federal Wire Act. However, it appears that lawmakers are not too concerned about the measure and were willing to push forward regardless.

This Is Just the Beginning of the Process

The big question now remains when online gambling and online poker will launch in the Mountaineer State. While the activities are officially legal, this is just the start of the process of getting games online. Regulation still needs to be drafted, partnerships need to be forged, and licenses need to be applied for an approved.

While we would love to say that online poker is just around the corner, the reality is that you’re probably looking at about a year before you realistically expect games to be launched. Give six months or so for regulations to be drawn and licenses to be issued. Then you have the process of creating, testing, and implementing online gambling and online poker.

Our best estimates would put a launch of online poker at the Spring of 2020. Even then, all casinos may not launch at the same time.

What Poker Rooms to Expect in West Virginia

Based on other states presently in operation and the casinos that operate in West Virginia, we can make an educated guess on which platforms you will find in the state. The first being PokerStars. With PokerStars already in New Jersey and coming to Pennsylvania, there’s no reason to believe that they won’t expand to West Virginia. If the Wire Act opinion is overturned in the courts, then I’d guarantee a PokerStars entry with the three PokerStars states forming their own online poker network.

The next likely candidate is partypoker. Already in New Jersey and coming to Pennsylvania, this is another obvious choice for the state. Is a partypoker network in the works for the future? Time will tell.

If I were to guarantee an online poker provider in West Virginia, it would be 888. They are the only company in all states presently offering online poker. However, it may be 888poker US rather than WSOP.com. Since Caesars does not own any WV casinos, it is unlikely the WSOP brand will launch.

Other potential partners for online poker in WV include IGT, GAN, and Rush Street Interactive, but I would put these potential partnerships for online poker as low-odds possibilities. These companies are much more likely to focus on casino gambling and let the larger companies dominate the smaller West Virginia iPoker market.

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