Tag Archives: west virginia

Fanatics Sportsbook Launches in West Virginia 

Fanatics Betting and Gaming, a subsidiary of Fanatics Holdings Inc, a global digital sports platform, launched the most rewarding online sportsbook in the state of West Virginia.  Sports fans living in and visiting West Virginia will be able to download the Fanatics Sportsbook on iOS and Android and begin their Fanatics experience.  

As part of the launch in West Virginia, Fanatics Betting and Gaming will pilot its new online casino, embedded in the Fanatics Sportsbook app. The newly designed casino product will feature a range of classic and popular casino favorites like roulette, slots and blackjack, along with the new Fanatics Blackjack game, exclusive to Fanatics Sportsbook players.  More online casino games and features will follow in the near future. 

In August 2023, Fanatics Betting and Gaming began acquiring the U.S. Businesses of PointsBet and planning the migration of PointsBet customers to the Fanatics Sportsbook app. In West Virginia only, each customer’s username, password, account balance, rewards points and responsible gaming settings will be automatically migrated to the Fanatics Sportsbook.  If you are a PointsBet customer in West Virginia, the first step is to download the Fanatics Sportsbook on iOS and Android. Then login using the same email address and password used on PointsBet and any open bets and the balance from your PointsBet account will be available in your new Fanatics Sportsbook account.  

The Fanatics Sportsbook offers customers up to 5% back in FanCash on bets and is poised to disrupt the sports betting industry by offering the following exciting new features:  

  • Building a better sportsbook: The Fanatics Sportsbook app was built natively on iOS and Android. The design, speed and quality of the navigation experience rival the sports betting apps in the market today that were not built specifically for iOS and Android.  
  • The most rewarding sportsbook: It’s all thanks to FanCash – The Currency of Sport™.  FanCash, the backbone of the Fanatics loyalty program, can be converted dollar-for-dollar into Bonus Bets and can also be used to purchase your favorite team merchandise at Fanatics.com.
  • Earn 5% FanCash on Same Game Parlay (SGP) bets.
  • Earn 3% FanCash on parlay bets.
  • Earn 1% FanCash on straight bets and odds boosts.
  • From curated to a more personalized experience: Customers know what they want to bet on, and a sportsbook should know it too. Introducing the Fanatics Sportsbook Discover page with marquee games, trending bets, promos and the rewards you want most. In the near future, the Discover page will be personalized to the customer’s favorite teams, sports and markets. 
  • Search: Search easily for the bet you want and bet directly from the results. The Fanatics Sportsbook offers industry-leading search functionality, including a search bar, recent searches, autocomplete, synonym/alias and deep linking to leagues, events and markets.  
  • Live streaming: The Fanatics Sportsbook, in partnership with Genius Sports Limited, was one of the first legal sportsbooks to launch BetVision, a first-of-its-kind live sports betting product that enables customers to place bets while live streaming select professional football games in the sportsbook app. 

The Fanatics Sportsbook is making a profound commitment to the customer with a world-class Help Center, chat experience and knowledgeable agents with 24/7 coverage. Customers will also have access to Responsible Gaming tools to manage their time and money. 

FanDuel Casino Now Available in NJ, PA, MI and WV

FanDuel Group is expanding its FanDuel Casino offerings in New Jersey and Michigan. FanDuel Group announced today the official launch of its FanDuel branded, standalone FanDuel Casino product in New Jersey on iOSAndroid and desktop. In Michigan, FanDuel Casino customers can now enjoy live dealer games from Evolution.  

FanDuel Casino was initially offered exclusively within the FanDuel Sportsbook app in New Jersey. With the addition of the standalone FanDuel Casino product, customers living in, or visiting, New Jersey now have a dedicated online casino experience that is secure, legal and fully regulated. The standalone FanDuel Casino app will feature casino game staples like blackjack, roulette, video poker and a multitude of recognizable slots and fan-favorite games from the casino floor. Players will receive the same customer support, convenience, safety and security that customers have come to expect from FanDuel, while making it secure and simple for customers to cash out winnings. FanDuel Casino will still be available within the FanDuel Sportsbook app, and new casino players can either signup for a Casino account or use their existing FanDuel Fantasy or Sportsbook account to log in and play. New FanDuel Casino players can play their first day risk-free up to $1,000.

FanDuel Casino is also expanding in Michigan. FanDuel Casino has added live dealer blackjack, roulette and baccarat games for customers living in, and visiting, the state of Michigan. The live casino games launched this past Thursday, July 22, after approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Live dealer casino games give players the social interaction of a casino with the convenience of playing from home.

FanDuel Casino is available today on iOSAndroid and desktop in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia.  

West Virginia, Duke, Tennessee Most Exciting CBB Squads

Lamonte Turner (UT Basketball)

Thuuz Sports, the most powerful automated video highlights production platform for worldwide sports, today announced their 2018-19 Top 10 most exciting games for the men’s basketball season. Despite not making the NCAA Tournament, The University of West Virginia, by virtue of their February 26 win over TCU, topped the list. The Mountaineers, appeared twice on the list, just behind Tennessee and Duke, who are each on the list for three games. The regular season matchup between top seeds Duke and Gonzaga also qualified in the Top 10.

Using their custom designed algorithms to measure real-time event excitement, Thuuz will provide a unique look into what games have gotten fans the most excited and engaged as 2019 rolls along.  

The game excitement ratings are measured on a 0 to 100 scale and take into consideration game pace, team parity, play novelty, momentum shifts, social buzz, and historical context. The algorithms behind the excitement ratings are statistically calibrated to insure the appropriate distribution of ratings across the duration of a season or course of a tournament.

Using the Thuuz excitement measurement platform, the top ten most exciting games were:

1) West Virginia 104, TCU 96 (Big 12): 2/26/19

         WVU outlasted TCU in a triple OT showdown in Big 12 conference play. WVU had 4 players play over 50 minutes in the game, led by Derek Culver who ended the game with 22 points and 21 rebounds. This is the only game in the top 10 that was between 2 teams that did not make March Madness.

2) Duke 71, Louisville 69 (ACC): 2/12/19

         Louisville was winning 59-36 with under 10 min left in the 2nd half, before Zion Williamson and Duke began a massive comeback that ended in a 2-point victory. Duke freshman Cam Reddish made 2 FT’s with 15 seconds remaining to give Duke their 1st lead since they were up 21-20 in the 1st half. A defensive stand after those FT’s led to an improbable Duke victory.

3) Tennessee 76, Gonzaga 73 (NCAA): 12/9/18

         A battle between two veteran-heavy teams came down to the wire as Rui Hachimura and Gonzaga came up just short against 2-time SEC player of the year Grant Williams and Tennessee. Admiral Schofield was the standout performer for Tennessee with 30 points and 6 rebounds as Tennessee picked up a great non-conference win against the #1 seed in the West in Gonzaga.

4) Duke 74, UNC 73 (ACC): 3/15/19

         The two heated rivals faced off for the 3rd time this season after the Tar Heels had won both regular season games. The difference between this game and the 1st two was that Duke didn’t have their star freshman and likely #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Zion Williamson. In his first full game against UNC, he posted 31 points and 11 rebounds as Duke defeated UNC and went on to win the ACC Championship, with Zion being named MVP.

5) Gonzaga 89, Duke 87: 11/21/18

         A matchup between two #1 seeds in March Madness went down to the wire in what remains Duke’s only loss of the season with Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish all on the floor for a full game. Gonzaga was led by recently announced 1st team All-American Rui Hachimura, who had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He out-dueled Duke’s 1st team All-American duo in Barrett and Williamson, who both had 20+ points in the loss.

6) West Virginia 79, Texas Tech 74 (Big 12): 3/14/19

         WVU became the only team to make it in this top-10 list twice and not be in March Madness by pulling off a major upset during the Big 12 tournament over Texas Tech. Two of the better players in the Big 12 battled it out in an entertaining matchup as Emmitt Matthews Jr (WVU) posted 28 points and 8 rebounds against likely NBA lottery pick Jarrett Culver, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the defeat.

7) Tennessee 82, Kentucky 78 (SEC): 3/16/19

         A back and forth affair between 2 of the top 3 teams in an SEC semifinal saw Tennessee edge Big Blue Nation behind their back-to-back SEC player of the year Grant Williams. Lamonte Turner hit the game-winning 3-pointer for the Vols with 30 seconds remaining after having previously been 0-14 in 3-pointers in his 2 prior games against Kentucky.

8) Arizona State 80 Kansas 76: 12/22/18

         Arizona State is one of the final teams in the field, and they can likely point to this monumental win over Kansas at home as the big reason why. Remy Martin (ASU) hit a pull-up jumper with just under a minute remaining to put ASU up 78-76 and become the 5th Sun Devil to reach double figures. That depth outlasted Kansas’ star Dedric Lawson who had an impressive 30 point, 14 rebound performance for the Jayhawks.

9) LSU 73, Kentucky 71 (SEC): 2/12/19

         LSU defeated Kentucky on a controversial buzzer-beating tip-in for their 1st win over Kentucky since 2009. This incredibly close game was within 5 points for the final 14 minutes of the game, as the 2 SEC rivals went back and forth in a conference showdown.

10) LSU 82, Tennessee 80 (SEC): 2/23/19

         After a crucial foul by Tennessee with less than a second remaining, LSU’s Ja’vonte Smart drained the go-ahead FT’s and as Tigers beat the Vols in OT. This was LSU’s 2nd victory in 2 weeks over a top-5 SEC team. Smart scored a career-high 29 points in the win.

NBA Thrillers, Men’s College Nail-biters Lead Thuuz Sports February Most Exciting Rankings

Joe Thornton (Flickr/mark6mauno)

Thuuz Sports, the most powerful automated video highlights production platform for worldwide sports, today announced their February Top 10 most exciting games across all broadcast sports events. While the Patriots Super Bowl win and the NBA and NHL All-Star Games missed the list, the NBA and college hoops dominated for the second month of the year, with both Miami Heat vs Golden State Warriors matchups making the list. LSU was on the list twice, winning two nail-biters, and three Boston games made the Top 10.

Using their custom designed algorithms to measure real-time event excitement, Thuuz will provide a unique look into what games have gotten fans the most excited and engaged as 2019 rolls along.  

The game excitement ratings are measured on a 0 to 100 scale and take into consideration game pace, team parity, play novelty, momentum shifts, social buzz, and historical context. The algorithms behind the excitement ratings are statistically calibrated to insure the appropriate distribution of ratings across the duration of a season or course of a tournament.

“We head to March Madness, but February was all about basketball,” said Thuuz CEO Warren Packard. “It is always amazing to show how even regular season games can bring the most excitement, while some of the games we anticipate the most, like the Super Bowl, can fall short. We look forward to seeing what will dominate and surprise once again this month, using our custom ranking system.”

Using the Thuuz excitement measurement platform, the top ten most exciting games were:

1.      West Virginia 104, TCU 96 (NCAAMB): 2/26: WVU outlasted TCU in a triple OT showdown in Big 12 conference play. WVU had 4 players play over 50 minutes in the game, led by Derek Culver who ended the game with 22 points and 21 rebounds.

2.      Boston 6, San Jose 5 (NHL): 2/18: Controversial ending saw the Bruins score a tying goal against the Sharks with under two minutes remaining in regulation, a goal that should have been called off for a high touch. Hockey legend “Jumbo” Joe Thornton scored his 1st hat trick in 9 years, and did it against the Bruins, the team that drafted him. Young D-man Charlie McAvoy won the game for Boston in OT.

3.      Duke 71, Louisville 69 (NCAAMB): 2/12: Louisville was winning 59-36 with under 10 min left in the 2nd half, before Zion Williamson and Duke began a massive comeback that ended in a 2-point victory. Duke freshman Cam Reddish made 2 FT’s with 15 seconds remaining to give Duke their 1st lead since they were up 21-20 in the 1st half. A defensive stand after those FT’s led to an improbable Duke victory.

Mike Krzyzewski (DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen)

4.      LSU 73, Kentucky 71 (NCAAMB): 2/12: #19 LSU defeated #5 Kentucky on a controversial buzzer-beating tip-in for their 1st win over Kentucky since 2009. This incredibly close game was within 5 points for the final 14 minutes of the game, as the 2 SEC rivals went back and forth in a conference showdown.

5.      LSU 82, Tennessee 80 (NCAAMB): 2/23: After a crucial foul by Tennessee with less than a second remaining, LSU’s Ja’vonte Smart drained the go-ahead FT’s and as Tigers beat the Vols in OT. This was LSU’s 2nd victory in 2 weeks over a top-5 SEC team. Smart scored a career-high 29 points in the win.

6.      Los Angeles Lakers 129, Boston Celtics 128 (NBA): 2/7: The NBA’s 2 most historic franchises played a nail-biter in Boston that saw former Celtic Rajon Rondo hit a jump shot at the buzzer to down his former team. LeBron James led the Lakers with a 28-12-12 triple-double.

7.      Golden State 120, Miami 118 (NBA): 2/10: The Warriors were down by 19 before staging a massive comeback and withstanding a late Miami push to win by 2. KD hit a tying 3-pointer for his 25th point in the 2nd half, before getting away with a double-dribble that led to a DeMarcus Cousins offensive rebound and game winning FT’s.

8.      Miami 126, Golden State 125 (NBA): 2/27:  Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade hit the most improbable one-legged, buzzer-beating bank-shot to give the Heat a 1-pt victory. The rematch between these 2 teams saw a very similar storyline play out. The Warriors were down early in the game once again, this time by 24, before staging a huge comeback and holding a 2-pt lead with 8 seconds remaining before Wade sank the Warriors with his game-winner.

9.      Oklahoma City 148, Utah 147 (NBA): 2/22:  OKC came out on top in this double OT thriller behind 88 combined points from their superstars: Russ and PG13. PG13 owned OT as he had a windmill dunk and the eventual game-winning floater with 0.8 seconds remaining over last season’s defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert.

10.  Milwaukee 98, Boston 97 (NBA): 2/21:  Two Eastern Conference favorites battled in a low-scoring playoff atmosphere as a Khris Middleton hit a critical 3-pointer in the last minute to give the Bucks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Greek Freak led the Bucks with 30 points and 13 rebounds as they improved to 30 games above .500 with this win.