Legislation that authorizes the Lottery Commission to introduce games whose winning tickets are determined by the outcome of a horse race, HB 2943 was filed for the second consecutive year in West Virginia last week. The effort is part of a long term strategy to create lottery games that bring live sports appeal to the lottery industry and increase the popularity of horse racing across the U.S. and Canada.

“We are committed to working with our friends in West Virginia to bring our exciting twist on horse racing and lottery to the state,” said EquiLottery Founder and CEO Brad Cummings. “Launching our game in West Virginia will bring new revenue and awareness to the horse racing industry and new monies to the good causes the lottery exists to support. We hope engaging in the political process for a second consecutive year in Charleston will show our commitment to West Virginia as a home for EquiLottery.”

Similar to 2017, the EquiLottery bill will be a joint effort between EquiLottery and West Virginia Racing United. The bill simply makes an allowance for horse racing as the basis for a lottery game with a minor tweak of existing lottery statutory language. HB 2943 is being sponsored by Delegate Riley Moore and co-sponsored by Delegates Espinosa, Upson, Householder, Blair, Wilson, Zatezalo, Walters and McGeehan. In 2017, EquiLottery announced agreements with West Virginia’s two Thoroughbred racetracks Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and Mountaineer Park.