One state that has flown under the radar but is now seeing a major shakeup is West Virginia. Recently, the Mountain State’s Attorney General, John McCuskey, shared that he has sent 47 subpoenas to sweepstakes casinos.

He told the audience at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States summer meeting in Louisville, KY, that while none have responded, 19 have exited.

Casinobeats has since confirmed that the number is even higher, making West Virginia one of the states that have experienced a mass exodus of sweepstakes casinos in recent months.

Who Has Exited West Virginia?

Over 20 sweepstakes casinos have exited West Virginia, with Chance and sister site Punt.com among the latest. The platforms that Casinobeats has confirmed to list the state as an ineligible jurisdiction per terms and conditions include:

• Baba Casino
• Carnival Citi
• Chance and sister site Punt.com
• Funrize and sister sites NolimitCoins, FunzCity, Fortune Wheelz, and Tao Fortune
• Legendz
• McLuck Casino and sister sites Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, and Spinblitz
• Modo.us
• Play Fame
• Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo
• Rolling Riches
• Sidepot
• Spree
• Stake

Notably, High 5 Casino‘s July 2 terms and conditions still list West Virginia as an eligible jurisdiction. However, in February, the operator announced plans to withdraw from West Virginia and other states with regulated online casinos, likely due to its parent company High 5 Games content license suspension in Connecticut.

High 5 Games later settled with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division.

Many Exit Quietly — Others Resist

While McCuskey has not shared which operators he’s sent the subpoenas to, if the ones that have already exited are on the list, it suggests that at least half have yet to comply.

This pattern is not uncommon. Some sweepstakes casinos respond quickly and cautiously to legal action, while others continue operating despite regulatory warnings.

For example, while it recently exited Delaware after a cease-and-desist order, VGW, the parent of Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, ignored a previous order for two years. The company has similarly ignored a June order in Mississippi and a March one in Maryland.

While it listed Maryland as an ineligible state this month, Stake.us ignored a 2024 cease-and-desist order there for over a year.

Other states, including New York, Connecticut, and most recently New Jersey, have passed a law explicitly banning sweepstakes casinos. Despite that, there are still platforms operating in those states.

As of now, only Crown Coins, Luckybird.io, and Spinfinite still list New York, while nearly a dozen still accept Connecticut players. Meanwhile, just a handful of platforms have left New Jersey.

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The gaming developer is already active in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan. In West Virginia, it has partnered with DraftKings, BetMGM, Rush Street Interactive (BetRivers), and Delaware North’s Betly (RSI). It is likely to collaborate with other companies in the future. 

In a company statement posted on Playtech’s website, Jonathan Doubilet, VP U.S. Business Operations, commented, “Our expansion into this regulated iGaming state reflects our strong strategic focus on delivering engaging, innovative, and responsible entertainment to players, while supporting our partners with the latest in gaming technology. 

“Supporting our customers across all regulated states and countries in which they operate is at the heart of what we do. The trust and confidence they place in us as an agile and scalable partner is what helps in meeting the demands of the ever-expanding US iGaming industry.”

Regulated States Creating New Opportunities

The move into West Virginia means Playtech is now operational in four of the seven states that have legalized online casinos. As more states consider legislation, it marks an area for potential growth for gaming developers. 

Massachusetts and Ohio lawmakers are also considering bills to bring legal iGaming to the states. Indiana, Maine, and Arkansas also introduced bills this year, but attempts to pass the legislation failed. 

There are additional efforts in New York, Maryland, and New Hampshire, but opposition remains. 

Playtech saw revenue increase 10% in 2024, mainly due to expansion in the US. Any states that successfully pass legislation would be earmarked as targets for future growth. 

Playtech: A Leader In Game Suppliers

The company is estimated to hold around a quarter of the market share for iGaming software. It has been dominant in Europe, with a strong presence in the continent’s biggest gambling markets: the UK, Italy, and Spain. 

Last year, the company generated €848 million ($991 million), with €754.3 million of that from the B2B segment. That marked a 10% increase from 2023, with growth in the Americas up 22%. The company sold Snaitech, its sports betting platform in Italy, to Flutter, signaling increased focus on the B2B side of the business. 

As well as entering more states in the US, Brazil’s newly regulated market is also an area targeted by the company. It also partnered with Betway in South Africa last year to further enhance its global reach. 

CEO Confident About The Future

Commenting on the financial results from last year, CEO Mor Weizer said, “2024 was a landmark year for Playtech. We successfully reached an agreement to sell Snaitech to Flutter Entertainment, delivering significant value to our shareholders while enabling Playtech to refocus predominantly on its core strengths as a pure-play B2B business.”

Weizer also noted the growth in North America and plans for future expansion, stating, “Meanwhile, our expansion in the US and Canada continues to gain momentum as we sign up and launch with a growing list of operators. 

“The combination of Playtech’s industry-leading technology with its exposure to attractive markets underpins our confidence in the Group’s new medium-term targets. We are excited about the future and the many opportunities ahead.”

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This expansion in Pennsylvania and West Virginia represents a significant escalation for GAN and FanDuel – which is 61 per cent owned by Paddy Power Betfair – who already work together in New Jersey.

The population of New Jersey is around nine million, while the two additional states combine to a population of nearly 15 million more US residents.

The deal includes FanDuel deploying GAN’s patented technology which allows land-based casino customers in on-property loyalty programs to link existing loyalty cards to online gambling accounts and receive loyalty points in exchange for online gambling.

FanDuel becomes GAN’s second Pennsylvania client after Parx Casino and takes FanDuel online in both new state markets.

The new agreement constitutes a five-year contract term extension on the partners existing deal, beginning in 2019 and ending in 2024.

Dermot Smurfit, CEO of GAN said in a statement: “The contract extension combined with US Patent licensing represents a significant milestone in GAN’s US evolution and reinforces our view that in the heavily regulated US online gambling market, effective and compliant ‘platforms’ are a premium component of the supply chain rather than a commodity.

“GAN is therefore very well placed to capitalise on the growth in US online gambling markets in terms of new operator clients, new states and underlying growth momentum.”

The GAN deal sees FanDuel continue to aggressively expand its interests in the US, capitalising not just on last year’s PASPA take-down but also on the online casino opportunity, so closely linked to the expansion of sports betting stateside.

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The retail sportsbooks are located at Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack in Wheeling and Mardi Gras Casino & Resort near Charleston, which opened this week opened after the completion of field testing.

The openings follow October’s partnership between Delaware North and sports betting technology specialist Miomni Gaming, established to provide turnkey retail and mobile sports wagering services.

The free BetLucky betting app, available at BetLucky.com or the Apple App Store, is the first to be available in West Virginia and can be used to wager anywhere within the state.

“We think West Virginians and visitors to the Mountain State are going to love how easy it is to register and use the app,” said Luisa Woods, vice president of marketing for Delaware North’s gaming division.

“The platform was designed to be flexible, easy to use and reliable, with innovative features designed specifically to engage and entertain US sports fans. Patrons at the casinos can use the app or the betting tellers in the sportsbooks,” she said.

At the two West Virginia casinos, Delaware North has created sportsbook spaces with a casual sports bar atmosphere.

“Our patrons are going to enjoy these spaces in the casinos and everything else we have to offer in terms of hospitality and entertainment,” said Kim Florence, regional president and general manager for both Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras.

“We are eager to welcome people from throughout the state and the regions surrounding West Virginia to try a new experience at our casinos.”

“We are focused on delivering on the promise of integrated destination entertainment and convenience gaming,” continued  Delaware North’s Woods. “The partnership with Miomni will allow us to serve a new market of casino operators anxious to benefit from gaming expansion cost-efficiently, while increasing the visibility of their brand, deepening their customer relationships and enhancing the quality of their service offerings.”

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The deal sees Hacksaw strengthen its position in the Mountain State having gained a supplier licence for West Virginia towards the end of last year, signalling the studio’s first foray into the US. 

Now, BetMGM will add Hacksaw Gaming’s catalogue of content to its West Virginian online casino platform, adding the state to the collaboration’s previous integration in Ontario. 

Players of the BetMGM West Virginia casino app first gained access to two Hacksaw Gaming slot titles, Joker Bombs and Outlaws Inc, with the studio introducing several additional titles since the initial launch. 

The two firms have also outlined plans to extend their deal further across the US, revealing that New Jersey is the next destination for the collaboration. 

Marcus Cordes, CEO of Hacksaw Gaming, commented: “Joining BetMGM on the mission to put Hacksaw Gaming on the map has been an exhilarating experience. We are making excellent progress.”

Hacksaw’s first entry into the Mountain State came by way of Rush Street Interactive, which agreed to host the studio’s slot content towards the end of last year. 

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The igaming supplier will now be able to offer its game portfolio to operators in West Virginia, promising “cutting-edge slot play, combining immersive storytelling, state-of-the-art graphics and impressive bonuses”.

Through its partnership with EveryMatrix, titles available from the supplier to online casinos include Red Panda Rising and Munition Mine.

“The acquisition of our interim supplier licence in West Virginia is a pivotal step in our journey, reflecting on our dedication to delivering innovative experiences to a broader audience,” commented Rickard Öhrn, CEO of Supremeland Gaming.

“As we expand our footprint, our commitment to excellence remains unwavering, and we look forward to contributing to the vibrant gaming landscape in the Mountain State.”

Supremeland’s approval in the Mountain State is its third US state approval following successful applications in Pennsylvania and New Jersey earlier this year.

Erik Nyman, President of EveryMatrix Americas, stated following the announcement of the New Jersey approval: “EveryMatrix has established a solid framework to develop third-party games on our platform that we distribute to our customers.

“We have selected a number of high-quality games studios to partner this way and very much appreciate the high-quality games Supremeland has developed on our platform. We are confident they will be appreciated by US players who will now also enjoy bonus capabilities across these games that haven’t been seen in the market until now.”

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Taking its existing partnership with Caesars ‘to new heights’, White Hat’s catalogue of branded slot releases will become available on the operator’s West Virginian online casino offering. 

This will see slot titles such as Peaky Blinders and The Goonies hosted on the Caesars Palace Online Casino platform for the Mountain State. 

Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, commented: “White Hat Studios is a valuable partner for us that continues adding impressive gaming content to our platforms. 

“Their dynamic and expansive range of titles have been embraced by our players in multiple jurisdictions, so we’re thrilled to bring more of their popular games to our West Virginia players.”

White Hat Studios has also offered Caesars its jackpot function Jackpot Royale, available in 30 of the provider’s games. 

The supplier has been broadening its US presence throughout the year so far after recently agreeing to a deal with BetMGM.

Andy Whitworth, CEO at White Hat Studios, added: “We’ve seen incredible results through our partnership with Caesars, one of the leading operators in the US market, so we’re thrilled to be expanding upon that with entry into West Virginia.

“As the leading ‘house of brands’ provider, we’re extremely proud of how our IP-inspired content has been received by Caesars’ players, and we’re excited to grow engagement and retention rates even further with this development.”

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Expanding on the firm’s existing site in South Charleston, which opened in 2018 to support the state’s sports betting market launch, the second data site has opened up over 200 miles away in Petersburg, West Virginia. Both sites are PCI DSS compliant.

Unveiled in partnership with the Seneca Rocks Regional Development Authority, the data centre adds ‘true disaster recovery’ to the company’s operations, while allowing ‘enhanced business continuity to its suite of solutions’. 

Continent 8 has also enhanced its solution provision in the Mountain State following the state gambling regulator’s approval of the company’s Public Cloud solution, a ‘secure, scalable and resilient multi-tenant laaS platform to host virtualized customer infrastructure’. 

Michael Tobin, Founder and CEO at Continent 8 Technologies, stated: “We are thrilled to have added a second site, allowing us to expand our offering to include disaster recovery, as well as our approved Public Cloud solution in our original site, further establishing Continent 8 as the leading infrastructure provider in the North American market.

“Infrastructure is the foundation operators and suppliers need to succeed, and that’s why the biggest players come to Continent 8. Our solutions, customer service, reputation and experience are unrivalled.”

While this move sees the solutions provider aim for North American expansion, Continent 8’s Regional Sale Director, Gabriel Szlaifsztein, recently spoke to CasinoBeats about the potential of a regulated Brazilian igaming market, where he explained why operators and suppliers in the country must prioritise robust infrastructure if they are to succeed.

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Through the deal, Caesars icasino players in the Mountain State will gain access to the IGT PlayDigital games catalogue, including Caesars Cleopatra, a title created specifically for the operator.

With a backdrop of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Caesars Cleopatra incorporates the Cleopatra game theme with 20-paylines, a maximum win of x10,000 the player’s stake, as well as the Cleopatra Bonus which gives players the chance to triple their awards.

Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, commented: “We are thrilled to have IGT PlayDigital’s vast suite of games available on Caesars Palace Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in West Virginia.

“This exciting game catalogue is a perfect complement to the standout Caesars Cleopatra title on our platform.”

The Caesars Palace Online Casino brand was unveiled by Caesars back in August and launched in the US states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia as well as the Canadian province of Ontario.

Since then, the online casino brand has secured content partnerships to boost the product offering, including with Inspired Entertainment for its Hybrid Dealer products.

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The MSIGA compact – managed by the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association – was entered into first by Nevada and Delaware in 2014, but it has since expanded to include more states.

New Jersey joined the agreement in 2017, while Michigan was added in 2022. West Virginia now joins that list.

“I am pleased that our West Virginia igaming providers will now have the opportunity to offer multi-state poker to our players,” commented West Virginia Lottery Director John Myers.

“This will greatly increase the potential pool of participants and thus allow our players to play for bigger winnings.”

While online poker has been legalised in West Virginia since 2019, no sites have yet launched in the state. However, that could soon change now that the state is part of the MSIGA.

PokerStars has its player bases in Michigan and New Jersey combined following an agreement earlier this year. WSOP.com combines its player pools across Nevada and New Jersey and works with 888 in Delaware.

Two other states have online poker – Pennsylvania and Connecticut – but they are in completely different situations regarding the product.

Pennsylvania has legal and running online poker but has yet to join the MSIGA, while Connecticut has legalised the product but no sites have yet launched in the state.

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