West Virginia Lottery Considering Joining MSIGA

The West Virginia Lottery has repeatedly discussed joining the Multi-State Settlement for Internet Gambling, which only has Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware as active members. Michigan has also decided to join the settlement, but there are a few more. Necessary developments before it becomes a full member and realizes its full potential.

Operators Need to Make the First Step

Poker Industry PRO recently reported that an unidentified West Virginia Lottery official said the state would consider joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) if one of its operators openly states that they want to start to offer online poker. The Poker Industry PRO report stressed that West Virginia has historically been open to  ​​signing the deal at the right time, defined by local operators making the first move. The state’s five casinos and circuits can support up to three iGaming operations, which for WV amounts to online casino gaming and sports betting services. This means that any of the nine 

 operators in WV can consult the West Virginia Lottery regarding the introduction of online poker. Rush Street Interactive (RSI) – the company behind the BetRivers brand – solidified its interest in poker with the acquisition of Run It Once (RIO) and Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, which partners with BetRivers and Caesars, is a Candidate for this raise the question of online poker.

The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has partnered with Barstool, DraftKings and PointsBet. The Greenbrier Casino Club at the Greenbrier Resort is home to FanDuel Sportsbook as BetMGM and Golden Nugget. BetMGM and Caesars also have synergies within the WSOP /888 US network, thanks to their presence in New Jersey, for example, and FanDuel, which is closely associated with PokerStars, already has a successful WV online casino, so poker isn’t far away.

Some States Not Eager to Join MSIGA

Some states, however, could be more accommodating and willing to sign or respond to the MSIGA compact. Such was the case with Pennsylvania, which has been relatively cautious despite the developed poker market. Some concerns about joining MSIGA revolved around dividing the player base and connecting with out-of-state players. This might be an unfounded concern since, due to the way MSIGA is structured and how poker is regulated, a rake is collected in the state, so there must be more to Pennsylvania’s restraint. On the other hand, Michigan was relatively enthusiastic about its acceptance into the Compact and was willing to share liquidity with the other Compact member states regarding online poker. 

Its other online casino games were not part of the deal, as with New Jersey and Delaware, whose sales also included those industries. However, once the results of Michigan’s acceptance begin to show, it could prompt operators in WV to act more decisively and take the first step, as WV seems to need that from them now. And who knows, even Pennsylvania might be tempted to join in afterward. States continue to grow, and other states’ interests could also be awakened.

On the other hand, Michigan was relatively content with joining the Compact and was willing to share online poker liquidity with the other member states. Unlike in New Jersey and Delaware, the pact did not include its other online casino games. , whose agreements also covered these sectors.