Add West Virginia to the growing list of states making moves to prevent social gaming operators using sweepstakes prizing from doing business. The operators are commonly referred to as “sweepstakes casinos.”
A source with knowledge informed Casino Reports this week that West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey is preparing to either subpoena or send cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes operators accessing customers in the state.
McCuskey did not confirm the information. But in a statement sent to Casino Reports Wednesday (29 January) morning, he strongly implied that his mindset aligns with the office’s intention.
“We have serious concerns about West Virginia consumers, specifically our children, being targeted by illegal gambling operations,” McCuskey stated. “From day one, my priority has been to protect consumers and ensure our children are not being exposed to these operations or their advertising — while at the same time supporting those which are licensed and operating within the confines of the law. At this time, we cannot comment on specific cases or provide any further details.”
McCuskey was elected AG in November 2024 and took office on Jan. 13.
Seven US states allow icasino
West Virginia is one of seven states with legal, regulated house-banked online casino play. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are the others. West Virginia ranks fourth among those states in terms of its number of licensed operators. There are seven iCasinos regulated by the West Virginia Lottery Commission. DraftKings, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, and Fanatics all launched online casino sites in the state between 2020 and 2023.
Sweepstakes are unregulated and untaxed across the US.
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Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/gaming/online-casino/sweepstakes-west-virginia-attorney-general/
