Australian-based sports betting operator PointsBet launched its platform in West Virginia Thursday, bringing the total number of digital platforms in the state to five. PointsBet is the second operator to go live this month after Caesars launched on Aug. 4 through a partnership with the Mountaineer Casino. BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel are all also live in West Virginia.
The launch represents means that PointsBet is live online is seven states. It also has digital platforms in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and New Jersey.
PointsBet has market access through deals with the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and with Penn National Gaming, which owns the Hollywood Casino. The latter deal also gets PointsBet market access into Indiana, where it is already live, as well as Louisiana, Missouri, and Ohio. Digital sports betting is legal but not yet live in Louisiana, and is not yet legal in either Missouri or Ohio.
DraftKings also has market access through the Hollywood Casino.
“As always, PointsBet will provide this passionate, sports-loving community with the fastest and most reliable online sports betting product across every customer touchpoint,” PointsBet USA CEO Johnny Aitken said via press release. “We are thrilled to now introduce West Virginian sports bettors to the competitive advantages PointsBet possesses in owning our technology end-to-end, such as our unrivaled speed and ease of use as well as the deepest slate of betting options in the world for every NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, and PGA TOUR contest.”
$20 free bet and an even-odds promo
New customers in West Virginia will get $20 in free bets within one hour of opening an account, even if the account is not funded. In addition, PointsBet will offer its “Take Me Home” booster, where patrons get even money (+100) odds for any Major League Baseball team to score just a single run on Aug. 15.
PointsBet also has approval to launch its online casino product, but has not done so yet.
West Virginia was the fourth U.S. state to launch sports betting after PASPA fell. The Mountain State’s first retail books went live on Aug. 30, 2018, and the first digital platform, BetLucky.com, went live on Dec. 27. 2018, but was shuttered just ahead of March Madness in 2019. FanDuel (Aug. 26, 2019) and DraftKings (Aug. 28, 2019) proceeded to go live within days of each other.
PointsBet has a national partnership with NBC Sports, which promotes the operator nationally through its television and digital assets.
