West Virginia Lottery Commission to Submit Emergency Rules on Governing iGaming in the State

The West Virginia Lottery Commission is going to file emergency rules on governing iGaming to the Secretary of State.

The rule was approved by the Commission last week but State Lottery Director John Myers said it could change following a public comment period this summer.

It is expected to be later in 2021 before actual betting takes place, as the emergency rule will go before the legislature in next year’s legislative session for final approval.

A bill passed by state lawmakers 2019 established iGaming giving the Lottery more than a year to design and implement regulations at the state’s five casinos. The sites will be able to run land-based casino games, such as poker. iGaming can only be played by someone physically in the state, like the sports betting rules.

The rule passed last week includes other provisions included in sports betting. One of those gives the lottery commission the authority to grant interim licenses to vendors for up to 270 days while full vetting is taking place.

Myers said the rule includes three pages of civil penalties that can be applied to anyone who breaks the law.

“Hopefully this can act as a deterrent to any type of that activity,” he said.

The rule also deals with what happens if personal information of those playing is breached.