West Virginia Reverses Decision to Legalize Politics Betting

On Tuesday night, West Virginia shocked the betting markets by announcing that they had legalized betting on politics.

In a bizarre 2020 sequence, FanDuel briefly posted odds on the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden after receiving initial approval from the West Virginia Lottery board. However, the market was abruptly axed just hours later when state officials intervened, noting that wagering on political elections has been strictly illegal in the state since 1868.

To see where the platform is legally permitted to operate and explore its available sports markets, you can read our full FanDuel sportsbook review.

In a statement by FanDuel, moments after the election odds were taken down from their site, the bookmaker said:

 “While the markets were approved, the West Virginia Lottery has asked FanDuel to refrain from offering the markets until they have time to fully work through the implications of this new market offering.”

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After the election action was stopped, FanDuel refunded all bets made in the 15-minute window to bettors, leaving everyone in the sports betting market wondering why the company had jumped the gun.

Why Did FanDuel Believe They Had Permission to Post Odds?

West Virginia Lottery runs the betting in the state and has the authority to legalize wagering on political races. After being asked by bookmakers to legalize election betting, word leaked midday on Tuesday that permission had been granted.

FanDuel soon alerted customers and the media that they would have odds on several election races on their site by Tuesday afternoon.

The site posted odds on the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Joe Biden’s eventual running mate selection and which party would win the presidential race.

FanDuel’s odds showed Donald Trump as the favorite at -110, with Biden at +125 in the race for president.

The odds would have certainly been adjusted further once Bernie Sanders, the chief competition against Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, dropped out of the race Wednesday morning after declaring there is no path to victory.

If West Virginia had been able to offer political betting, the entire betting market in the United States would have been thrown a lifeline in an era of no sports.

Of course, each state would have to approve of election betting first, but without regular sporting events, sportsbooks around the country would seize on the opportunity to offer wagering action on the anticipated race for the White House.

West Virginia Secretary of State Declares Political Betting Illegal

On Wednesday morning, after almost 24 hours of confusion, the West Virginia Secretary of State, Mac Warner released a statement to the media, declaring that betting on politics would remain illegal in the state.

Warner, an outspoken anti-betting official, put a hold on the excitement with a denunciation of Tuesday’s announcement as his office said that someone in the state’s Lottery office jumped the gun.

“Gambling on elections has been illegal in West Virginia since 1868. Gambling on the outcome of an election has no place in our American democracy. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. This is a terrible idea. Let’s shut this down right now and be very clear about it,” said Warner.

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It is doubtful that any state in America will offer election betting this year, although many countries overseas allow betting on political races, including the 2020 presidential election.

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