Flag Background The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, or NCLGS, is an organization comprised of lawmakers from states around America that regulate gaming. This can be anything from sports betting to esports and from online poker to online and live casinos.
Specifically, the goal of the nonprofit is to educate and conduct research in the area of gaming legislation and regulation. While NCLGS doesn’t promote gaming, its members can be a source of information for states considering legalizing or expanding various forms of gambling.
Why does it matter that West Virginia Delegate Shawn Fluharty is now the NCLGS president? Fluharty is a poker player and fan of the game. He was the primary lawmaker in West Virginia who put forward years of legislation to legalize and regulate online poker and igaming in his state, and he found success with it in 2019. His advocacy on behalf of igaming, specifically online poker, is notable, but his deep understanding of it – and all forms of gambling legal in WV – makes him an ideal person to educate others on gaming. Is There Online Poker in West Virginia?
Technically, there is not any state-regulated online poker in West Virginia. It is legal, but there are no online poker operators offering that service to players in WV.
Let’s explain.
As mentioned, WV Delegate Shawn Fluharty pushed igaming proposals for years before finding enough support to make it happen in 2019. In partnership with Delegate Jason Barrett, he made an early push for passage of the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. It put the WV Lottery Commission in charge of igaming in the state and offered licenses of five years that cost $250K each. With five land-based casinos/racinos in the state, an online operator could work with one of the properties to offer online wagering.
It worked. The legislature passed it on March 9, 2019. While Governor Jim Justice opposed the essence of the bill, he took no action to veto it. That meant it officially became the law of the state . It then became effective on June 9, 2019.
The West Virginia Lottery […]
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