We don’t have a decision made or know what direction we’re moving in at this time.” I know there has been interest in the industry, in those states with casino gaming, to allow casinos to do something similar. Regarding online poker, the Director of the West Virginia Lottery Commission, John Musgrave said at the time: “We realize in the industry that there are an awful lot of dollars that are being funneled out of the country with some of the online poker sites. Although no such legislation has been submitted or passed yet, it shows that the issue is one that is being at least considered by gambling authorities. The Lottery stated that in order to proceed, it would require state legislation.

In 2012, the West Virginia Lottery Commission began an assessment on how it would react to the US Department’s announcement that the Wire Act applies only to sports betting – essentially making online gambling legal if adopted by states. This fact alone allows one to believe that online poker legislation is only a matter of time in West Virginia. Despite its small population of 1.85 million people – ranked the 38 th smallest state in the US – West Virginians have a healthy appetite for gambling.

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