Casinos in West Viginia
West Virginia may not be the most gambling-friendly state in the entire country, but it allows multiple forms of land-based gambling and is considering going online with its state-run lottery. Gambling enthusiasts in West Virginia are free to play games like online slots, online roulette, and baccarat at one of the numerous brick and mortar casinos or racetrack casino. Pari-mutuel horse race betting is also quite popular among West Virginia residents. However, the state hasn’t legalized and regulated online gambling yet.
West Virginia Gambling Laws
Gambling in West Virginia is covered by West Virginia Code, Article: Crimes Against Public Policy in Section 61. Getting involved in illegal gambling activities isn’t a good idea in West Virginia, as the state is fairly strict when it comes to punishing gambling offenses. Most offenders are fined, but it is possible for the most severe offenders to get a prison term. Fortunately, those regulations don’t really apply to offshore casino sites, as there are no laws pertaining specifically to online gambling.
As is often the case in the United States, West Virginia officials could argue that the exiting anti-gambling regulations extend to placing bets over the internet, but the local law enforcement officers aren’t really interested in tracking down online casino customers. Consequently, no players have been prosecuted so far and most West Virginia residents believe, that playing on online casino sites is perfectly legal.
Online Casinos in west virginia
While there are no West Virginia-based or West Virginia-regulated online gambling sites, West Virginia residents are free to play on offshore casino sites, such as Bovada, WinPalace, or Grand Parker. High-profile offshore casinos like the ones listed above are 100% trustworthy and won’t try to defraud you out of your hard-earned money. The bonuses and promotions they offer tend to be very generous due to the massive revenues they generate, which means that even players from states that already have intrastate casino sites such as Nevada or Delaware often prefer to go for offshore sites.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept West Virginia Players
Most offshore casino sites that accept US-based players also accept West Virginia residents, which means that finding a casino that would suit your taste shouldn’t be much of an issue. Please note that most of the US-facing casinos are powered by Real Time Gaming software, which means that some of the most popular titles will be available on multiple sites. However, the best casinos also offer additional games from third-party companies, such as BetSoft.
West Virginia residents don’t have all that many banking methods to choose from when dealing with offshore sites. E-wallet services aren’t available, which means that most players choose to fund their accounts using credit card payments. The problem with that method is the limited reliability of MasterCard and American Express cards, as many transaction get blocked. Visa cards have a higher acceptance rate, but there’s no guarantee that the money will go through.
Blocked credit card transactions won’t cost you any money and won’t put you in any legal danger, but they’re annoying and they tend to waste a lot of time. If you’d like to avoid going through several cards before you find the one that works, you can always deposit via a Western Union or MoneyGram money order. However, it’s worth remembering that most casinos will require you to pay the additional transaction fees in such a case.
Developing Legal Scenarios
West Virginia is mulling over legalizing online lotteries, which means that it’s perfectly possible for the state legislators to consider introducing a bill that would allow West Virginia businesses to start offering their gambling products online. However, no legislation of this kind has been publicly presented here, which means that i-gaming friendly laws aren’t likely to be introduced anytime soon.
