Much to the delight of poker players, West Virginia legalized online gambling in 2019. That includes online poker, making WV the fourth state in the country to offer legal and regulated online poker.

Poker Tournaments West Virginia
Poker Tournaments In West Virginia

Mountaineer Casino poker tournament schedule and information, including starting times, buy-ins, prize pool guarantees, and freerolls.
The House Bill made online poker in West Virginia state legal and, thus, opened the door to new possibilities. Although many nuances are still being worked out, this means cash games, tournaments, bonuses, and more poker fun is coming.
West Virginia online poker history. West Virginia lawmakers picked away at the possibility of online poker for three consecutive years before a bipartisan effort finally stuck in 2019. The WV Lottery Interactive Wagering Act was the vehicle, with online poker and casino gambling lumped together under the new authorization.

It won’t be immediate and state regulators don’t expect online poker to launch until sometime in 2021. The size of the poker market also remains to be seen as WV only has a population of 1.8 million people.

West Virginia Poker Online. West Virginia House and Senate voted for the bill legalizing WV online poker on March 8. WV laws give the governor 15 days to veto a bill passed by the state legislature. If he does nothing, such a bill becomes a law. And this is what happened with HB 2934. The bill gives the West Virginia Lottery Commission time.

How many West Virginia online casinos will have real money poker online? That remains to be seen. There are quite a few poker players in the state but a “fenced in” poker market without a shared player pool with other states could be all there is. Whatever the total player pool, some form of online poker will arrive in WV in the not-so-distant future.

Best Online Poker Sites in West Virginia

With a Verified Account. PLUS get a $40 Gold Coin Package for $20 on purchase

Daily FREE Sweeps Coins Just For Logging In

Redeemable For Cash Prizes

Online Poker in WV

Mostly a rural state, West Virginia currently has five casinos and in-person gambling became legal in the state in 1994. Those casino properties include:

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort
Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
Wheeling Island Hotel
The Casino Club at The Greenbrier Hotel

The new online gambling law allows for casinos to partner with online poker and gaming operators, much like other regulated states. That arrangement has worked well in WV when it comes to sports betting.

The big question is: which operators, if any, might move into the state for licensure?

Delaware has also legalized online poker. It has a population of just under 1 million. WV has 1.8 million. But it may not benefit from a shared liquidity pool – at least immediately.

The federal Wire Act Keeps that possibility in limbo until it’s cleared up in court. The Justice Department now argues that the act applies to other forms of iGaming and not simply sports betting. Most in the gaming business argue that was not the act’s intention and have won in court.

The issue was in front of a federal appeals court as of April 2020. Unlike WV, Delaware players benefit from an interstate compact with New Jersey and Nevada. This allows the state’s poker players to compete with players on WSOP.com on its own 888poker branded poker site.

West Virginia will need an interstate compact or the state can expect small player and prize pools. Building a significant ringed-in online poker environment will be a challenge.

Global Poker in WV

Until online poker goes like in WV, players will have to wait for traditional online poker. However, there are a few options for those looking to get in the game.

The easiest option may be taking advantage of sweepstakes poker. Sweepstakes poker feels a bit more like social gaming but does give players a chance to play poker for real money on a laptop or cell phone.

One of the most popular sweepstakes poker choices is Global Poker. It’s available in almost every US state and Canada (excluding Quebec) and allows players to play for both virtual currency (play money, called Gold Coins) and for what are called Sweeps Coins, which can ostensibly be compared to legal real money poker online.

Global Poker has a similar lineup of games to a traditional online poker site with cash games, tournaments, sit & go’s, and even major tournament series. What makes this site different from a social gaming site is that players can also play for a separate currency called Sweeps Coins. These are bonus coins given to players who purchase Gold Coins.

This currency, unlike Gold Coins, can be redeemed for real cash. It may seem like a workaround to the law but it is licensed as a sweepstakes product similar to the McDonald’s Monopoly game. You can also receive Gold Coins for free simply by writing in to the company and requesting them, which is required by sweepstakes law.

Players can expect a very safe and secure poker site with an extra verification process when players attempt to redeem Sweeps Coins for cash.

Global Poker is licensed by the Malta Gaming authority and is owned by VGW Holdings Limited, a publicly traded company incorporated in Australia. For players who enjoy online Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Crazy Pineapple, it’s become a popular option for many waiting for their state to fully legalize online poker.

With a Verified Account. PLUS get a $40 Gold Coin Package for $20 on purchase

Daily FREE Sweeps Coins Just For Logging In

Redeemable For Cash Prizes

Travel to PA to Play on PokerStars

One advantage for poker players living in West Virginia is that for some residents, a trip to Pennsylvania is only a short drive across the border. PA began offering legal, regulated online poker in 2019 when PokerStars went live in November.

After an initial buzz of activity in the state, PokerStars PA traffic receded a bit in early 2020. That changed during the Coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020 and traffic surged again to record heights in March and April.

PokerStars PA remains a “fenced-in” market but has a large population to support an online poker site. An eventual shared player pool with Pennsylvania would provide some larger player and prize pools for a potential WV online poker platform.

As of 202o, PokerStars PA was averaging about 900 to 1,000 players online and peaking as high as almost 2,000 players at times. Along with cash games, Sit & Go’s, Spin & Go’s and multi-table tournaments, PokerStars PA also offers Home Games, to play online poker with friends, and several major tournament series. Those include:

PA SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker)
Bounty Builder Series
Winter Series
PACOOP (Pennsylvania Championships of Online Poker)

These events have produced nice guarantees and offer a shot at some nice paydays for players. While it may not be ideal, PokerStars PA offers a nice online option for those in WV not far from the border.

These larger tournament series might make for an enticing reason to take a trip to PA. As a reminder, players can download the PokerStars app and create a PokerStars PA account from anywhere and also make a deposit.

Real Money Poker Apps in WV

Mobile poker apps have improved exponentially in the past five or six years and provide the most convenient and user-friendly way to find a quick game of poker on your cell phone or tablet.

Eventually West Virginians will have access to state-licensed poker apps to play poker in their home state. But as of now, real money poker apps can only be found in states that have licensed and legalized online poker:

Nevada
Delaware
Pennsylvania
New Jersey

Any WV online poker options will probably include the ability to download a poker app and play on a cell phone or tablet.

Poker apps have improved greatly over the years and players can now look forward to easier lobby navigation, simplified game play features, and playing multiple tables simultaneously.

For the most

Poker Tournaments West Virginia