West Virginia considers allowing political bets

Lawmakers mulling whether to allow licensed sportsbook operators to offer political wagers to players.

US.- West Virginia intends to become the first state in the US to allow licensed gambling operators to offer odds and markets on political events.

The West Virginia Lottery, which oversees betting in the state, said this week that officials had approved plans to let FanDuel Inc. and other sportsbooks offer political wagers, but needed time “to fully work through the implications and research it further.”

FanDuel plans to let customers wager on a number of political markets including the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and as well as other appointments and elections across the country.

Rival DraftKings said it was also monitoring the situation regarding offering political bets to its players.

“While we are excited about the possibility of offering odds on politics and elections to our customers in West Virginia, we are taking the time to ensure we evaluate the opportunity thoroughly before posting any lines,” Matt Kalish, DraftKings’ North American President, said.

Betting on politics has long been considered a massive opportunity for sportsbooks, given the interest and media attention that national elections command. Jimmy Vaccaro, Oddsmaker at the South Point Sportsbook in Las Vegas, said in September that betting on the election would be “bigger than anything we’ve ever done.”