West Virginia Joins in With the Other US States to Legalize Sports Betting
West Virginia has finally joined in with the other states in the country to pass a legislation for legalizing gambling through the much-anticipated West Virginia Sports Lottery Wagering Act. According to the reports published by the local newspapers, the governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice, signed the highly controversial proposed bill named the Senate Bill 415 into law on Friday last week.
As per the stipulates of the act, the West Virginia Lottery Commission will now be responsible for regulating the sports wagering activities within the state borders. In addition to this, the act authorizes the five existing gaming facilities within the state to allow sports betting on both professional as well as collegiate level events. Also, the gaming facilities will be required to submit 10% of their gross gaming revenues towards state taxes to the government.
Taking its inspiration from the other US States including Pennsylvania, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the state of West Virginia has finally become the sixth state to legally authorize sports betting. A number of other states across the country are also currently mulling over designing suitable legislatures to legalize sports betting within their borders.
In a press release following the signing of the bill, the governor of West Virginia outlined that once the Supreme Court rules in the favor of sports wagering, he will sit with the legislatures to review the pros and cons of entering into a partnership with the major sports leagues in the country. He further added that the aforementioned partnership could be a worthwhile proposition as it will allow the regulatory authorities to develop a stronger relationship with the major sports leagues.
Gov. Justice also remarked that he expects the Supreme court to not only review the constitutionality of the PASPA but also declare a ruling in the favor of repealing it and eliminating the country-wide sports ban. Also, while the major sports leagues such as MLB and NBA strongly support the repeal of the PASPA, they want the government to include a 1% integrity fee for all betting activities on the sports leagues. Given the fact that the Governor Justice has revealed his intentions of having a review of the provisions with the major sports league, both NBA and MLB appear to be quite happy with the decision.
