DraftKings rolled out this week a mobile betting app in West Virginia, just days after rival FanDuel launched its digital product and days ahead the start of college football.
The DraftKings Sportsbook app went live on Wednesday under a partnership between the sports betting operator and Penn National Gaming, the owner of Hollywood Casino in Charles Town.
Bettors must be in West Virginia in order to be able to place pre-match, in-game, and live bets on professional and college football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, and tennis, among other sports.
West Virginia has become only the second US state where the DraftKings Sportsbook app is available. DraftKings debuted its mobile betting product in New Jersey in August 2018. The app became the first one to go live outside Nevada after the US Supreme Court struck down last May a long-standing federal ban on athletic gambling.
DraftKings quickly gained traction in the New Jersey sports betting market to become the state’s second highest grossing wagering operator behind only rival FanDuel. DraftKings has paid out more than $720 million in winning bets to its New Jersey since its launch in the state. The company hopes to achieve similarly positive results in West Virginia.
The DraftKings Sportsbook app also enables West Virginia customers to transition between that one an its daily fantasy sports product, which too is available in the state.
National Expansion
The launch of DraftKings’ betting app in West Virginia was another major milestone in the company’s strategy to expand its sports gambling operation to multiple states where the practice is legal.
Earlier this month, DraftKings and its partner Penn National announced that they have signed a 10-year deal under the terms of which the betting/DFS operator would be able to provide its services as a Penn National skin in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. The partnership comes with an option for a ten-year extension.
Commenting on the roll-out of mobile betting in West Virginia, DraftKings co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Matt Kalish said that they are thrilled to continue their DraftKings Sportsbook expansion “by getting our product into the hands of West Virginians” and that the app comes with “numerous consumer protection features and strives to provide the broadest selection of betting options with the best odds and rewards in West Virginia.”
FanDuel, DraftKings’ biggest rival in both the US sports betting and daily fantasy sports spaces, made a similar claim when it launched its West Virginia-facing betting app. The company operates a small retail sportsbook at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, but its mobile betting app will be its leading product in the state.
FanDuel and DraftKings are the only two providers of digital sports gambling services in West Virginia for now. Mobile betting originally went live in the state late last year when Delaware North launched the BetLucky app.
However, the app went dark this past March due to a bitter legal dispute between Delaware North’s betting partner Miomni and a third-party technology supplier. Delaware North cut ties with Miomni shortly after news about the ongoing dispute emerged and said that it has commenced search for a new partner in order to be able to return to the state’s mobile betting scene.
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