Gambling in the state of West Virginia is managed and regulated by the West Virginia Lottery Commission. The name “Gaming Control Board” also applies to this organization.
The Lottery Commission is responsible for issuing licenses to casinos and sportsbooks seeking to open within the state, as well as ensuring the integrity of casino games.
This page also serves a number of other purposes relevant to gaming in West Virginia. We detail the numerous functions of the West Virginia GCB and how they help Mountain State players, and we also provide extra tips for keeping your online gambling in West Virginia safe.
The Role of West Virginia’s Gaming Commission
All forms of gambling in West Virginia are licensed and regulated by the WV Lottery Commission. The Commission must first approve any casino or sportsbook before it can legally accept players from West Virginia.
Even if the platform is based outside of West Virginia, they must still operate under a license issued to a physical casino in the state.
The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act, which regulates gambling in the state, was passed at the start of 2019. Gross gambling winnings are subject to a 15% tax, with the funds going toward a wide range of public good initiatives.
The WV Gaming Control Board is responsible for issuing licenses to internet casinos in the state, as well as monitoring the actual games at those casinos to ensure they are genuinely random and fair, protecting player cash and data, and advocating for responsible gaming.
Safeguarding the Money of the Players
The West Virginia GCB strictly controls who can use which payment methods to deposit and withdraw from online casinos in the state.
Establishing a “interactive gaming account” essentially means signing up to the casino and completing specific conditions required by the Lottery in order to participate in online gambling within the state.
All eligible participants must provide extensive identification verification data, including complete names, addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers.
GCB-approved banking methods, including ACH Transfers and credit card payments, are the only ones that can be used for making deposits and withdrawals by West Virginia players. No form of payment that has not been verified as secure and dependable by the Lottery may be offered at any casino.
The West Virginia GCB also safeguards players’ ability to withdraw winnings by prohibiting casinos from erecting unnecessary barriers to withdrawal.
Obtaining Your WV GCB License
In West Virginia GCB, you can apply for one of two different licenses.
First, land-based casinos in the state can get a Master License, which will let them run as many as three different online casino brands under the same umbrella. This license is available to any casino in the state, regardless of size or location.
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Resort, Casino, and Racetrack at the Mountaineer
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The Hotel, Casino, and Racetrack at Wheeling Island
The Gambling Hall of the Greenbrier
There is a $250,000 application cost, a $100,000 service fee, and a $100,000 renewal fee every five years for the license.
Taking advantage of one of the three brick-and-mortar casino skins available requires an additional license from the Lottery, which can only be obtained by an online casino platform.
West Virginia has issued gambling licenses to the following internet casinos so far:
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BETMGM
Bill H. Hill
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Betfair
FanDuel
PointsBet
Interactive Penn State Athletics
WynnBET
Instructions for Filing a Complaint with the West Virginia Gaming Commission
The West Virginia GCB has established procedures for any gambler who wishes to file a grievance against a casino in the state.
The player should first try to get in touch with the casino directly via the standard channels for getting help or reporting issues. After 10 days, if the casino has not resolved the dispute, the player must be given the choice to file a complaint with the West Virginia Lottery.
The complainant should be as specific as possible, and may even have to appear in person at the Lottery’s headquarters to back up their claims. After reviewing all of the information, the Lottery will make a final determination.
Players can also get in touch with the West Virginia Lottery directly for more information at
Postal address: mail@wvlottery.com
Post Office Box 2067, Charleston, West Virginia 25327
However, we do have one concern: the lottery’s online complaint form isn’t exactly user-friendly. A more prominent feature or section dedicated to this is much desired.
Find a Reliable Online West Virginia GCB Casino
When looking for a reliable online casino in West Virginia, players should stick to establishments that are authorized by the state’s gaming authority.
The GCB ensures the safety and fairness of online gambling in the state by taking the necessary measures.
Only secure payment methods that have been approved in advance can be used for deposits and withdrawals. Before they can take bets, casinos and their employees must go through a rigorous vetting process. Casinos in West Virginia are required to keep track of and record the results of all games, including slot machines, table games, blackjack, roulette, video poker, and many others.
You may rest assured that everything listed above and more has been approved by the state of West Virginia if you stick to casinos that have been granted proper licensing and oversight.
Browse Critique of Players
Hearing it straight from the source is invaluable at times. When deciding on an online casino, it’s important to get firsthand accounts of the positives and negatives from actual customers.
Social media and public forums are fantastic places for this. Many casinos have an active presence on social media, so if you decide to follow one, you can expect to see them respond to player comments and questions and learn about upcoming bonus offers.
Player reviews can also be found in the App Store and Google Play. Checking the reviews on app stores is a quick way to learn about any issues with a casino app.
Read the fine print before you commit.
Even though the West Virginia GCB offers a lot of consumer protections, you shouldn’t sign up for a casino without knowing what you’re doing.
The process of requesting a welcome bonus fits this description perfectly. If you’re looking for a fantastic deal on your first visit to a casino in West Virginia, make sure you read the fine print.
The Lottery allows casinos to provide incentives and bonuses to their customers, but requires that the terms and conditions of these offers be “readily available for its patrons.” This means that there won’t be any unpleasant surprises down the road if you follow the guidelines and terms to the letter.
Bonus offers often come with strings attached, such as time limits, qualification requirements, and wagering or turnover requirements for the bonus cash.
Gambling Responsibility in the State of West Virginia
The West Virginia GCB is charged with promoting responsible gambling and ensuring that the state’s share of gambling revenues benefits residents of West Virginia.
All West Virginia online casinos provide its customers with information on how to gamble responsibly and links to outside agencies that can provide additional assistance.
On the West Virginia Lottery’s site, under “Problem Gambling,” you’ll discover information about the state’s Problem Gambling Help Network. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, you can get help from this group.
A self-exclusion form is available from the Lottery for anyone who wish to be permanently excluded from participating in any kind of gambling inside the state. Our only minor gripe is that either of these services is buried deep within the site, and we’d want to have them front and center on the homepage or main menu.
The West Virginia Lottery website also features information on the distribution of gambling proceeds in the state.
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Our Take on the GCB License in West Virginia
Gambling enthusiasts in West Virginia can’t thank the GCB enough for everything it does for the industry.
Strong and in our best interest as players are West Virginia’s gaming laws and the standards that all online casinos must follow to be awarded a license to operate.
The Virginia Lottery works to ensure that all forms of gambling in the state are safe for players by doing everything from ensuring that games are fair to regulating how casinos and sportsbooks handle players’ money and personal information.
The Lottery’s website could use a few tweaks to make the services it offers more transparent and user-friendly, but that’s our only minor complaint about the organization. A more user-friendly complaint system and a more comprehensive Responsible Gambling page would be great additions.
Nonetheless, we are quite pleased with the protection and services offered by the West Virginia GCB.
Frequently Asked Questions for West Virginia’s Gaming Control Board
Who oversees gaming in the Mountain State?
The West Virginia Lottery is in charge of controlling gambling in the state. The West Virginia Gaming Control Board is the Lottery department in charge of regulating virtual casinos.
I was wondering how much a gambling license in West Virginia would cost.
In West Virginia, the application price for a casino license is $100,000, making the total cost $250,000.
To what extent is it possible to obtain a gaming license in the Mountain State of West Virginia?
The Lottery’s online application form can be used to apply for a gaming license.
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