A bill that could define West Virginia University’s role in the state’s gambling industry moving forward is now just a signature away from becoming law in the state. However, the bill’s tenets have undergone a major overhaul compared to the original version.
The approved version would grant researchers at West Virginia University access to gambling companies’ data about player activity and expand programs at the university to develop a workforce for the state’s gambling industry. The changes from the introduced version of the bill have left a sour taste in some mouths.
Two members of the West Virginia House of Delegates introduced HB5668 in early February. In its original version, the bill would have required gambling licensees in the state to share their player activity data with researchers at West Virginia University on an annual, quarterly or monthly basis.
