West Virginia is ready for sports betting
The American state has put a strong package on sports betting ahead of a possible federal legalisation.
US.- West Virginia is getting ready for the possibility of offering sports betting at the state’s five casinos in case the federal ban on sports betting gets lifted. Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs at the American Gaming Association, believes that the legislative piece that was signed by the Governor last month is a “really reasonable policy.”
“A hat tip to West Virginia for putting together, I think, a really good package. [It’s] a really reasonable policy in place to legalise and regulate sports betting if and when that decision comes down from the Supreme Court,” said Slane.
The bill signed by Justice would allow sports betting at local licensed casinos, as well as Lottery Commission-approved mobile device apps. The legislation says that ten per cent of gross receipts will be collected by the state, while it also states that bettors would need to be at least 21 years of age to engage in that activity.
The decision on whether PASPA would be repealed or not will come later this year, but Justice has already asked the Legislature to consider a partnership with major sports leagues, such as the NFL and the NBA. However, Slane believes that the .25 per cent in integrity fees could be a blow to sports betting profits: “If we have a shared goal of shutting down the illegal market, taking one percent — which is really 20 percent of revenues after you pay all the bettors and you pay taxes and you pay all the overhead — it’s just not going to be a sustainable business model,” Slane said.
