West Virginia’s second legal sportsbook opened on Thursday when the FanDuel Sportsbook at the The Greenbrier Resort and Casino took its first sports bet. The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races opened Aug. 30. The timing means the sportsbook is open in time for the second weekend of the NFL season. The Greenbrier is a unique circumstance in that is the only private membership-only casino in the U.S. Only members and resort guests can enter the casino.
The Greenbrier, one of the most storied resorts in America, has long offered casino gaming at its Casino Club, a posh, high-end gaming venue. The FanDuel Sportsbook is more of the same with club chairs and 21 large-screen televisions. According to the sportsbook’s webpage, it will offer international dining options as well as live entertainment. Patrons are required to wear coats (men) and dresses (women) in the casino after 7 p.m.
Membership to the Casino Club is available through a membership to The Greenbrier Golf and Tennis Club, which costs $1,590 annually, by purchasing a home in The Greenbrier Sporting Club, or to registered hotel guests and, in some cases, convention attendees. The Casino Club opened in 2010.
FanDuel’s Greenbrier Partnership Is Predicated on Giving FanDuel Access to Mobile WV Sports Betting.
“We are honored to be chosen to provide sports wagering services at The Greenbrier, an iconic resort in the U.S.,” FanDuel CEO Matt King said in a June 26 press release announcing the partnership. “As we work towards building out a top sports betting product for the upcoming NFL season, we look forward to bringing West Virginia residents, sports fans, and visitors to The Greenbrier the best interactive sports experience on the market.”
FanDuel and The Greenbrier announced their partnership in June. FanDuel, which was acquired by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair, is also the casino operator at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey, and the company launched its first mobile app in New Jersey earlier this month.
Mobile will be a key part of The Greenbrier sportsbooks’ business model, as the brick-and-mortar casino will have limited traffic, but the opportunity for mobile sports betting will be statewide under the state’s temporary sports betting regulations.
West Virginia has five commercial casinos, and the original goal was to open all five simultaneously, but the Hollywood Casino was the only one prepared to take sports bets before football season began. The remaining three sportsbooks — at the Mardi Casino Resort in Cross Lanes, the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort in New Cumberland and the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack — are expected to open later this fall.
