Online gaming affiliate BonusFinder has expanded into its fifth US state, having gained a licence to operate in West Virginia.
It follows on from the website recently gaining permission to offer its services in Colorado.
West Virginia regulated online and mobile sports betting last August and has three operators live with these betting capabilities. However, the market could soon open up further.
“Huge strides”
In addition to West Virginia and Colorado, BonusFinder also has an online presence in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Founder Fintan Costello shared his thoughts on the latest expansion, which were as follows.
“We’re delighted to have been given approval in West Virginia, just two weeks after we celebrated going live in Colorado.
“We now have five licenses in total and are presenting millions of players with the optimum sports betting and gaming options before they commit to opening a new online betting account.
“Our aim is to help players ‘play with more’ within a safe and responsible environment. We are very much in favour of regulation and we are delighted to have made huge strides in five rapidly growing state markets.”
Online casino searches on the rise in the US
US land-based casinos shut their doors in March, in an attempt to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). Alongside this, major sporting events have also been cancelled.
Since then, BonusFinder has discovered that online casino searches have risen across the country. According to research carried out using Google Trends, there has been a 100% jump in this respect.
The findings used data spanning throughout February and March 2020.
Specific states, such as New Jersey, have also reported a rise in some online verticals.
Online gambling in West Virginia
West Virginia’s iGaming market could open up further next year, with emergency rules approved by the West Virginia Lottery Commission recently. The commission will pass these on to the Senate of the State by 15th May.
Should they pass this hurdle, the legislature will decide on whether or not they will be permanently passed into law. This is likely to happen in next year’s legislative session.
Under these regulations, sportsbooks would be taxed at 10% of their gross gaming revenue and online casino 15%.
