West Virginia sets sports betting rules
The Lottery Commission in the state has set a series of rules to regulate sports betting in West Virginia.
US.- West Virginia Lottery Commission Director Alan Larrick has announced that the entity has passed sports betting rules after an emergency meeting that took place last Thursday. The state’s five casinos would be eligible to offer sports betting.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to get sports betting available by football season — that’s what our goal is. We don’t know if we’re going to make it or not, but we’re going to try,” said Larrick, who commented that the rules are essentially guidelines for local casinos in order to let them know how to operate.
The state had already passed its own bill to offer sports betting when the US Supreme Court lifted the federal ban as it believed that it was unconstitutional and all states deserved the opportunity to analyze the market and see if regulating the gambling modality was economically convenient.
“Our focus is going to be auditing, so we can be sure the numbers that are given by the casinos are accurate,” he said. “Then, we can base our [tax collection] on the correct number,” Larrick said, as Lottery Post reported.
The rules establish that casinos must have control over unusual activity and report it according to the integrity monitoring system procedures approved by the commission. Licensed operators must also conduct a system integrity and security check of sports pool systems, online and land-based, through an “an independent professional selected by the licensee subject to the approval of the Lottery.”
Moreover, casinos also have to ensure that off-site wagers come from people who are geolocated in West Virginia at the moment they place their bets. “The Geolocation System shall ensure that any player is continually located within the permitted boundary, and shall be equipped to dynamically monitor the player’s location and block unauthorized attempts to access the online sports pool system throughout the duration of the patron session,” the regulation says.
Moreover, sports betting activity inside the casino must be done from a booth located in a sports betting lounge, or sportsbook. While the casinos need to build these facilities, the interim rules say that they may use, on a temporary basis, a spot in the casino that they can designate as a sportsbook. The state requires operators to pay a US$100,000 licensing fee and all receipts are subject to a 10 per cent tax.
