I saw an advertisement recently that troubled me a bit, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. The ad, from the West Virginia Lottery, starts with a shot of the New River Gorge Bridge and quickly cuts to a group of people rafting who soon interact with animated characters that I presume are part of some lottery games. The point of the ad is to show off the state’s new digital lottery and gaming platform, iPlay.
A press release from West Virginia Lottery touting the release of iPlay emphasizes the ability to “participate completely from the comfort of their homes.” Included with the rollout of the new app and web platform is a loyalty program, dubbed PlayOn, that rewards customers who repeatedly play the lottery games.
Perhaps the troubled feeling I had about this ad could be more accurately described as uneasiness. One of the thoughts that came to my mind: should we throw incentives and rewards at repeat lottery and scratch players? I recalled feeling sympathetic in the past to the argument that lotteries are a regressive form of taxation, in that it’s often the poorest people who play (and pay) the most. A study from The Economist found that low-income people spend more than 30 times their income on lotteries compared to wealthier households.
Some would say that even though it’s a regressive tax, it’s not that concerning since gambling is voluntary. No one is forced to play the lottery. However, the predatory capabilities of the lottery and similar games, and — worse, I think — encouraging repeat playings, waters down that argument. Winning the lottery, as slim of a chance as it is, is often viewed as a ticket out of poverty for many who don’t have a lot of other options. And once someone starts gambling, their odds of becoming addicted increase.
I’ve come to realize that my uneasiness toward gambling has been in the back of my mind for some time because of the pervasiveness of sports betting, particularly online betting. I took a few years away from paying much attention to sports, but over the last year I’ve gotten more engaged. It’s impossible not to notice the proliferation of commercials for sports betting platforms like DraftKings or FanDuel. Sports betting analytics have even wormed their way into the commentating and on the screen while you watch the game, not to mention the logos that are on jerseys and courts now. You can even bet on location at some stadiums. Driving to the grocery store, I see a billboard with High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens promising me “free” money if I sign up for BetMGM.
West Virginia was ahead of the curve when it came to legalizing sports betting. The state Legislature passed a bill in March 2018, months before the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision that overturned a decades-long ban on legal sports betting for almost every state in the country.
Now, six years after the sports betting ban was overturned, 20% of people say they have placed a bet in the last year, and we’re starting to see some data regarding its effects. One study this year found that in states with online sports betting, there’s been an increase in betting activity, higher credit card balances and a reduction in savings. Specifically, the researchers found that for every $1 bet placed, households experience a $2 reduction in investments — money they would have otherwise been saved or invested. Another study found that sports betting has led to an increase in bankruptcies and auto loan delinquencies. Other researchers suggest that the uptick in online sports betting has led to a rise in domestic violence. Anecdotal data from problem gambling support centers indicates that more people are calling in for support, and the callers are younger than in the past.
Research on online sports gambling is still an emerging field, and this data could change. And of course, correlation is not causation. But I believe there’s enough there for our policymakers in West Virginia — where sports and online gambling has grown at an unprecedented rate — to devote more funding to research, prevention and support services for people impacted by problem gambling.
I recognize that one interpretation of this piece is that I’m moralizing. Another might be that I’m getting old, cranky and prefer the way things used to be. I’m trying my hardest not to be that way. I think gambling should be legal. I am pretty sure sports gambling should be legal. If for no other reason then it’s going to happen whether it’s legal or not, and I’d rather people owe their banks money than a bookie. I can’t help but wonder if we moved too fast, if the rate in which this hobby has grown is going to have dangerous and disastrous impacts for people in our state, where families already face some of the highest poverty rates in the nation.
Problem gambling and financial harm aside, it’s important to get this right so that sports aren’t ruined for the athletes and viewers. We have already seen one NBA player banned for life for this year for intentionally playing badly to help bettors. A college basketball player is under investigation for something similar. Athletes now receive hate tweets and death threats for underperforming and ruining bettor’s parlays, costing them real money.
We have to figure out a way to protect people and sports from the predatory nature of betting. Starting with restrictions on advertising is a start. I’ll be sorry to see you go, Vanessa Hudgens.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Several vehicles were involved in the I-79 southbound wreck Friday afternoon. (Submitted photo)
WESTOVER, W.Va. — West Virginia State Police are investigating a multiple vehicle crash on I-79 southbound.
The crash was reported at 1:08 p.m. Friday and as of 1:35 p.m. the southbound side of the interstate is closed.
Photos from the scene show at least one vehicle on its top and a second with heavy front-end damage.
No other information has been released.
BUCKHANNON — Eleven community bands from across West Virginia will descend on Buckhannon-Upshur High School on Saturday for the inaugural West Virginia Community Band Festival, a day-long celebration of music that ranges from concert pieces to jazz to — you guessed it — British pub songs.
The first notes ring through the auditorium at 10 a.m., when the Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School band kicks things off. From there, a new band takes the stage every 30 to 45 minutes, with the day finishing in a combined finale that pulls musicians from across the lineup into one mass band performance.
“We’re going to have 11 bands, and they truly are from all across the state,” said Sheila Zickefoose, president of the host Buckhannon Community Band. “We’re going to kick off the morning on Saturday with the middle school band, and then we, as the host band, are performing. And then we just start popping around the state. We have three bands from Huntington, two from Charleston, and bands from Clarksburg, Washington, Fairmont and Martinsburg.”
One of those groups will be making one of its first big appearances anywhere.
“The band from Martinsburg is just a year old, and so we’re the first big thing they’ve done since they got started,” Zickefoose said. “We’re beyond-the-moon excited for Saturday and being able to bring everybody together.”
The festival closes with two pieces performed by a combined band drawn from the day’s musicians — one a classical work by Billy Joel chosen by the host band, the other written by a member of the Kanawha Valley Community Band, whose director will conduct it. That handoff is more than ceremonial.
“We’re going to be truly passing the baton,” Zickefoose said. “They are hosting next year’s band festival.”
The 2027 festival is already on the calendar for May 8 at the University of Charleston — a remarkable stretch of planning for an event that hasn’t had its inaugural event yet.
“It’s really kind of scary how it’s all come together, because I expected blow-ups, things that were not going to work, and you have to reverse course and come up with Plan B,” Zickefoose said. “And it really has not happened that way.”
The whole thing started, fittingly, with a goodbye. A husband-and-wife pair in the Buckhannon Community Band were leaving for a medical residency at CAMC in Charleston, and the band held a small farewell.
“His wife said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could all get together and play again sometime?’” Zickefoose recalled. “So that just got us thinking, ‘Well, how many community bands are there?’”
They found 17, and by August, Buckhannon’s band had organized a Zoom call to pitch a statewide festival. Roughly nine months later, it’s about to happen.
Inside the high school common area, around 10 local arts and crafts vendors will be set up throughout the day. Outside, three food trucks will be parked in the lot, with additional sweet-treat options rolling in for afternoon stops.
“We’re going to have food trucks parked outside so people don’t have to leave,” Zickefoose said. “But they’re also welcomem, if they would like, to come to town to find something else to eat.”
The musical menu is as varied as the food.
“We have concert bands that are going to be playing concert music. We have two jazz bands who are going to be playing jazz,” Zickefoose said. “And we actually have a brass band. And this is the third band from Huntington that plays British pub music.”
That brass band, she noted, is “completely off the wall” — a mix of Marshall University students and community band members.
For Zickefoose, Saturday is also a not-so-quiet pitch to anyone in Upshur County still eyeing an old instrument in a closet. She joined the Buckhannon Community Band when it formed in the fall of 2023, after her own clarinet had sat unused for three decades.
“It had been 32 years of my moving my clarinet from one side of the closet to the other,” she said, “always wondering and thinking, ‘You know, it’d be so cool to be able to play again.’”
She said the band plans to spend the day reminding people they don’t have to stay on the sidelines.
“If this has made you nostalgic and made you get that inkling of playing again, don’t be afraid. Don’t be hesitant. Just do it,” Zickefoose said. “Has it been a little painful at times, learning, relearning, hoping that the brain and body memory kicks in? Absolutely. But the best thing that I’ve done for myself in a very long time was joining this band, sticking to it, and I just can’t say enough about it.”
She encouraged people to give it a try.
“If people are interested, or even think they might be, get connected and come and have fun and enjoy it,” Zickefoose said. “Laugh when it doesn’t work and celebrate the little, wonderful victories that we have, because there’s nothing in this world more worth your time than making music.”
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Home prices across the U.S. have remained at record highs for years, driven by a limited supply and a persistent homebuilding shortage. More recently, economic uncertainty has kept more homebuyers on the sidelines, but it’s also discouraged home sellers, further limiting new listings and putting upward pressure on prices. Sellers who are in the market often have to offer incentives to attract offers from buyers—many of whom are wary of how much they can afford.
On the bright side, prices have begun to grow more slowly, and Redfin predicts that housing will become more affordable as wages outpace prices. But so far this year, the housing market has remained very slow, leaving buyers and sellers trying to time their next move.
So, what’s been happening with home prices in Charleston, WV, in 2026, and how do they compare to previous years? Redfin Real Estate analyzed the city’s January-March average median sale price over the last four years to find out. All data represents the three-month average median from January-March 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2022.
How have house prices changed in: Charleston, WV
2026
Median sale price: $169,333
Year-over-year change: -0.5%
Percent change from 2022: +16.8%
2025
Median sale price: $170,167
Year-over-year change: +8.7%
Percent change from 2022: +17.4%
2024
Median sale price: $156,500
Year-over-year change: +6.1%
Percent change from 2022: +7.9%
2023
Median sale price: $147,500
Year-over-year change: +1.7%
Percent change from 2022: +1.7%
2022
Median sale price: $145,000
How have house prices changed nationwide?
2026
Median sale price: $429,526
Year-over-year change: +1.0%
Percent change from 2022: +9.3%
2025
Median sale price: $425,170
Year-over-year change: +3.3%
Percent change from 2022: +8.2%
2024
Median sale price: $411,608
Year-over-year change: +5.6%
Percent change from 2022: +4.7%
2023
Median sale price: $389,707
Year-over-year change: -0.8%
Percent change from 2022: -0.8%
2022
Median sale price: $393,018
This story was produced by Redfin and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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