“If any person bet or play at any such gaming table, bank or device as is mentioned in the first section of this article, or if, at any hotel or tavern, or other public place, or place of public resort, he play at any game except bowls, chess or backgammon, draughts or a licensed game, or bet on the sides of those who play at any game, whether the game be permitted or licensed or not, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Betting on chess, backgammon, draughts, or licensed games is legal. Otherwise, betting on games is illegal in West Virginia. Luckily, those offenses are considered a misdemeanor, which would incur a fine but no jail time. Organizing illegal gambling is somewhat different, but as the next section shows, West Virginia is a great deal less punitive than many states in dealing with illegal operators.
