Online gaming started in West Virginia in 2020, however a poker platform has but to launch. That could also be altering, nonetheless, after the Mountain State joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) in November.
That transfer seems to have spurred some operators to contemplate bringing the state into their potential shared participant swimming pools. While a launch isn’t quite imminent, 2024 seems to be very promising, in response to current experiences.
“Basically, all I can get from them is later this year,” West Virginia Lottery government director John Myers instructed PlayWV.com lately. “At this time, from what I understand, they’ve had other priorities and just haven’t gotten it launched yet.”
Joining Interstate Compact Was A Big Plus
With a inhabitants of solely about 1.8 million folks , West Virginia didn’t supply the chance for a sustainable on-line poker market. But changing into a member of the MSIGA now affords operators some incentive so as to add the state’s gamers, particularly as West Virginia on-line gaming continues to skew towards a youthful demographic.
“Online gaming has continued to grow, and there are some reasons for that,” Myers mentioned. “We’re seeing a younger market, 30- and 40-year-olds that play those games whereas the retail casino atmosphere, traditionally, is a little bit older.”
Currently, the MSIGA is made up of 4 different states – Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Delaware. Pennsylvania legislators additionally lately launched a invoice to hitch the group.
WSOP.com affords poker between Nevada amongst gamers in Nevada and New Jersey whereas PokerStars swimming pools gamers in Michigan and New Jersey.
Delaware was additionally part of the WSOP pool, however that modified when Rush Street Interactive took over the state’s on-line gaming operations in January. The firm can also be anticipated to launch a web-based poker product in some unspecified time in the future. New York can also be now contemplating legalizing on-line gaming, together with poker.