West Virginia has four pari-mutuel facilities that feature video lottery terminals. The VLT’s are the same as regular video gaming devices but are called lottery terminals because they are regulated by the state’s lottery commission which receives a share of each machine’s revenue.

The maximum allowable bet on a machine is $2. Most of the gaming machines pay out   coins or tokens but there are also some machines which will only print out a receipt which must be taken to a cashier. West Virginia law requires that VLT’s return a minimum of 80% to a maximum of 95%. VLT games include: slots, blackjack, keno and numerous versions of poker. The minimum gambling age is 18.

For the one-year period from July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003 the average return on VLT’s was: 91.58% at Tri-State Park, 91.41% at Wheeling Island, 91.31% at Mountaineer Park and 91.27% at Charles Town Races.

West Virginia law also allows for bars, as well as restaurants that serve alcohol, to have up to five VLT’s. Fraternal organizations are also allowed to have up to 10 VLT’s. All of these machines are identical to the machines found at the racetracks, except they only print out tickets and do not pay out in cash.

For West Virginia tourism information call (800) 225-5982.