West Virginia’s sports betting handle decreased by 22.6% year-on-year to $43.1 million in March, according to new figures from the state lottery.
It represented an 8.3% increase on February’s total $39.8 million, but the year-on-year decline highlighted a lack of interest in the NCAA Tournament.
The Mountaineers crashed out in the first round following a narrow 67-65 defeat to Maryland, which may have dented enthusiasm.
Sportsbooks reported revenue of $4.2 million for the month, according to the West Virginia Lottery, which amounts to a 9.9% hold rate.
The Greenbrier, which hosts FanDuel, BetMGM and Golden Nugget, was the leading licensee, with a handle of $19.9 million and $2.1 million in revenue.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town, the host of DraftKings, PointsBet and Barstool, was next with $19.1 million handled and $1.7 million in revenue.
The West Virginia sports betting numbers are also down year-on-year for the first three months of 2023.
It could be down to the arrival of legal sports betting in two neighboring states – Ohio and Maryland.
In the first three months of 2022, bettors from Maryland and Ohio were still heading over the border into the Mountain State to place legal wagers on mobile apps, but they no longer need to.
Maryland’s online sports betting industry began towards the end of 2022, and Ohio rolled out legal online sports wagering on New Year’s Day, dealing a blow to West Virginia.
