The Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack in West Virginia headed into the new year without operational sports wagering due to issues with its Bet Lucky mobile application. The lawmakers of the Mountain State approved wagering on the outcomes of sporting events back in 2018.
At the beginning of 2019, Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack and Mardi Gras Casino & Resort joined the growing list of venues in the state to introduce online and landbased sports betting. Both establishments are owned and operated by the New York-based hospitality company Delaware North.
The latter hoped to hit it big revenue-wise thanks to the Bet Lucky app, which was operated by Miomni Gaming, a company that hails from the United Kingdom. Three months later, things took a turn for the worse due to a contract dispute between the British operator and the independent technology provider Entergaming.
Subsequently, the Bet Lucky app was taken down at the beginning of March last year and is still unavailable to punters from the Mountain State. Sports wagers are not accepted in person at the two racetracks, either.
It Is Still Unclear when Sports Betting Will Relaunch in the Two Venues
As a result, Delaware North filed a lawsuit against the Bet Lucky app operator back in April of last year. Since then, there has been no information about when the company will succeed to relaunch sports wagering at the two venues. Both Wheeling Island and the Mardi Gras Casino published messages on their websites to notify their customers that wagering remains unavailable at the premises for the time being.
Glen White, who heads the Delaware North department of corporate communications, addressed the issue in a statement, saying the New York-based company continues to look for a new technology partner for its wagering app.
The company plans to launch a new sports betting product but it is yet unclear when this will happen exactly. Mr. White assured Delaware North is to release a formal announcement as soon as the process is complete.
The West Virginia Lottery Commission, which oversees sports wagering activities in the state, has also been informed that the gambling operator has taken steps to end its partnership with the British Miomni Gaming.
The message also informs customers that Delaware North will continue to evaluate different options so it can once again offer betting services at its Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras venues. This process could require several months or even longer.
Meanwhile, customers who have existing accounts via the Bet Lucky app have the opportunity to access them to withdraw their available balance. The app does not allow for new registrations, deposits, and bets for the time being.
Following the approval of sports wagering in the state, West Virginia offers two other legal options to local punters. Mobile betting is available via the mobile app of Charles Town’s Hollywood Casino, which has sealed a successful deal with DraftKings. The alternative is White Sulphur Springs’ Greenbrier Resort, which has chosen to partner with FanDuel.
