Following on from their successful Pennsylvania operations, BetRivers are set to offer mobile casino gameplay in West Virginia in 2021. While the move is still awaiting the approval of the West Virginia Lottery and various other authorities, there does not seem to be any plausible reason why Rush Street’s BetRivers will not be springing up in the Mountain State next year.
Successful Pennsylvania Operations
In the last year, Rush Street’s PlaySugarHouse Casino managed to generate revenue of $1.8 billion in Pennsylvania alone. Much of that revenue has been credited to restrictions in land-based venues because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, if the attitude of neighbouring US states is anything to go by, there does appear to be an increasing appetite for online and mobile casino gaming across the United States by players. The shift from land-based casino gambling to mobile and online gameplay has certainly begun.
BetRivers Moves into West Virginia
Earlier this year, West Virginia became just one of several US states to authorise online casino gambling. Rush Street already has a business valued at $4.3 billion nationwide, and that is one of the largest revenues of any gambling enterprise in the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The record revenue earned has prompted the company to expand its operations, and West Virginia seems ripe for the picking.
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort are believed to be the land-based venue working in partnership with Rush Street to get BetRivers.com up and running in the Mountain State. If approved, BetRivers aims to offer both slot machines and table games in the state. For now, free-to-play games are available for all those aged twenty-one or above.
Tough Competition Aplenty
While their revenues may be extensive elsewhere across the United States, Rush Street and BetRivers may find West Virginia a tough nut to crack. The state already has several gambling companies operating there, not least DraftKings, and BetMGM. The Golden Nugget Casino also managed to secure a West Virginia i-gaming license in November, by working with The Greenbrier casino.
Rush Street’s operation is undoubtedly expanding rapidly. While they offer sports betting in Colorado, Illinois, Indian, Iowa, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the company only currently offers online and mobile casino games to players in the latter two states. That is surely set to change in 2021, if (and presumably when), BetRivers is given the go-ahead to launch real money casino games in West Virginia.