A West Virginia bill that would authorize the state's existing casinos to spawn a smaller casino passed through the state's Senate with 23 voting in favor and 10 against.
The bill is formally known as SB 100 and would authorize the smaller casinos to be built and launched. The measure now heads to the state's House for debate and voting. It would then need to be approved by the various County Commissions and State Lottery, before heading to voters in a referendum.
The verbiage in the bill reads in part: "Secondary or satellite locations means a secondary location of a business in any building owned or leased by a licensed racetrack within the county the licensed racetrack is located to conduct pari-mutual wagering on simulcasts, video lottery terminals, sports wagering kiosks, and racetrack table games."
West Virginia currently has five land casinos in the state, and already has internet betting and sports wagering.
We're following the story and will update readers as we learn more.