West Virginia Delegate Fluharty to Lead NCLGS
The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, or NCLGS, is an organization comprised of lawmakers from states around America that regulate gaming. This can be anything from sports betting to esports and from online poker to online and live casinos.
Specifically, the goal of the nonprofit is to educate and conduct research in the area of gaming legislation and regulation. While NCLGS doesn’t promote gaming, its members can be a source of information for states considering legalizing or expanding various forms of gambling.
Why does it matter that West Virginia Delegate Shawn Fluharty is now the NCLGS president? Fluharty is a poker player and fan of the game. He was the primary lawmaker in West Virginia who put forward years of legislation to legalize and regulate online poker and igaming in his state, and he found success with it in 2019. His advocacy on behalf of igaming, specifically online poker, is notable, but his deep understanding of it – and all forms of gambling legal in WV – makes him an ideal person to educate others on gaming.
Is There Online Poker in West Virginia?
Technically, there is not any state-regulated online poker in West Virginia. It is legal, but there are no online poker operators offering that service to players in WV.
Let’s explain.
As mentioned, WV Delegate Shawn Fluharty pushed igaming proposals for years before finding enough support to make it happen in 2019. In partnership with Delegate Jason Barrett, he made an early push for passage of the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. It put the WV Lottery Commission in charge of igaming in the state and offered licenses of five years that cost $250K each. With five land-based casinos/racinos in the state, an online operator could work with one of the properties to offer online wagering.
It worked. The legislature passed it on March 9, 2019. While Governor Jim Justice opposed the essence of the bill, he took no action to veto it. That meant it officially became the law of the state. It then became effective on June 9, 2019.
The West Virginia Lottery Commission took its time creating the regulatory framework for the new igaming industry, but the first online casinos did go live in 2020.
While PokerStars and WSOP stayed out of the market, BetMGM did partner with Greenbrier. With a vibrant online poker product, many assumed that BetMGM would launch poker after its casino games started to run smoothly.
They were wrong. No other operators took steps toward online poker, either.
Why Ignore Online Poker?
The bottom line is that the market is small, and online poker would require a lot of work to launch without much in the way of projected profits. The bulk of igaming revenue comes from casino games.
The only way to make online poker appealing for an operator is for West Virginia to sign on to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement – MSIGA – to share player pools with other states. If PokerStars and BetMGM, possibly even WSOP, knew that they could almost immediately combine WV poker platforms with their sister sites in states like New Jersey and Michigan, that would make it worth the cost of licensing and startup.
Surprisingly, when Michigan signed on to MSIGA in 2022, states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania stayed out of the mix. WV Lottery officials did request a copy of MSIGA in 2022, around the time that Michigan was signing on, but WV did not sign, for reasons unknown.
Fluharty’s Influence on NCLGS
As Fluharty embraces his new role with NCLGS, it will be interesting to see if his imparted knowledge on other states’ representatives spurs new states to consider igaming legalization.
He noted that he is one of many who has learned a great deal about gaming from NCLGS. He said the coming together of influencers in the industry, especially across political party lines, provides an educational platform for all involved. “The organization helped me learn about all aspects of gaming, from horse racing to lotteries and casinos to digital gaming and sports betting,” he commented.
The next meeting of NCLGS is scheduled for January 3-6 of 2024. The gathering will welcome state legislators, as well as regulators and gaming operators to answer questions and provide insight. Other stakeholders are invited to attend as well. The timing of this meeting is quite interesting, as January is when legislators settle back in to work after the holidays and start drafting proposals and introducing bills for the new session.
Just Released: National Council of Legislators from Gaming States @NCLGS President Jon Ford Retires from Indiana Senate – Delegate Shawn Fluharty @WVUFLU of West Virginia Takes Over as President
— NCLGS (@NCLGS) October 4, 2023
More info here: https://t.co/jSSM7YmPSP#NCLGS pic.twitter.com/PhxV2JWQIG
