Is Online Gambling Legal In Virginia
Virginia is joining 19 other states that now have legalized sports gambling, according to the American Gaming Association, part of a rush that occurred after a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that gave. 30, 2018, West Virginia became the fifth state to offer legal and regulated sports betting when the Hollywood Casino - a sportsbook owned by Penn National - opened its doors.
The long-awaited referendum vote regarding live casinos in Virginia was held on Tuesday. Not surprisingly, the referendum passed in all four Virginia localities. What was surprising was the margin that each bill passed.
As such, casino gambling is now coming to the Old Dominion. Furthermore, this vote now opens the door for legal online gambling in Virginia.
Casino Gambling Overwhelmingly Approved in Virginia
Four Virginia localities held referendums on Tuesday to vote on whether to allow live casino gambling in the state. Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth all held their votes and the support for casino gambling was overwhelming as all four localities passed the measure easily. The gap was so wide that analysts were calling the votes shortly after polls closed on Tuesday.
Bristol was the state that started the move toward legal casino gambling in the state and they passed their referendum by the widest margin. Citizens voted 71% to 29% in favor of a casino. Now, Hard Rock Casino Resort will over the old Bristol Mall property to build a $350 million casino.
Can You Gamble Online In Virginia
Caesars Virginia will be a reality thanks to the citizens of Danville. Last night, the casino referendum passed in Danville, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/82z9f8FMYW
— Caesars Entertainment (@CaesarsEnt) November 4, 2020
Another casino vote that we predicted would be a slam dunk was Norfolk. They voted in favor of live casinos 65% to 35%. Caesars Entertainment will now build in Norfolk and will award $20 million to the city of Danville by the end of the week.
Portsmouth was the only area we thought might not pass a referendum, but we were not even close. The vote there passed 67% to 33%. Rivers Casino will build in Portsmouth.
Finally, Norfolk has easily passed its referendum. While about 7% of the votes remain to be counted, the current vote stands at 65% to 35% in favor of a casino. The Pamunkey Indian tribe will build a casino in Norfolk in partnership with billionaire Jon Yarbrough.
Virginia has been one of the few US states that didn’t have some form of casino gambling within its borders. That will now change with the first casino expected to open around 2023 to 2024.
What About Richmond?
If you have been following Virginia’s path toward live casino gambling, you already know that Richmond was the fifth area approved to hold a casino referendum vote. The city opted to delay its vote until 2021. Some speculate that the reason is that the city is still looking for a casino partner.
The Pamunkey tribe is expressing interest in building in Richmond. If this happens, it will give them two casinos in the state. The city is likely to explore their options to see where they can get the best deal. With the other four localities having passed a referendum, we expect to hear more about Richmond’s potential partnership. This will likely happen in early 2021.
Vote Opens Door For Online Gambling
An angle that hasn’t been mentioned regarding this vote is the potential for online gambling in the Old Dominion. If you look at the original bill, online gambling is listed as a form of gambling that will be legal for approved casinos.
What this means is that any casino that opens in the state will be permitted to offer online gambling. Casinos will be able to open online versions of their casino, offering slot games, blackjack, video poker, and more. Also, there is potential for online poker as poker is listed as a legal activity.
The Virginia Lottery will oversee the regulation of live casinos in the state and will also oversee online gambling. Back when the bill was first introduced, it was hinted that online gambling could launch before live gambling, but that is still speculation at this point.
Regardless, this is a historic vote that this writer never thought would happen in his lifetime. As a lifelong Virginia resident, this state has been staunchly opposed to casino gambling for many years. Attitudes have softened in the last decade, allowing for this vote. In a few years, I will now have a casino within a couple of hour’s drive instead of having to drive to West Virginia, North Carolina, or Maryland to gamble.
Virginia sports betting officially went live in January 2021 after the state legalized betting in 2020.
At the start, sports betting in Virginia will take place via mobile and online sportsbook apps, which have become increasingly popular through the legal US sports betting market.
FanDuel Sportsbook launched the first app through a partnership with the Washington Football Team.
More sports betting apps are in the approval process in Virginia. DraftKings Sportsbook is licensed and live, and BetMGM and BetRivers began operation in January 2021 as well. William Hill joins the market in February 2020.
Here is more of what you need to know about Virginia sports betting.
Virginia sports betting now live in 2021
Why Is Online Gambling Illegal
Legal Virginia online sports betting
Virginia sports betting became legal in April 2020, when the Virginia state legislature passed a sports betting bill.
Betting on sports in Virginia eventually will become available from anywhere within the borders of the state. Mobile VA sports betting on smartphones will allow bettors to sign up for and fund accounts through apps on your device.
You do not need to live in Virginia to bet on sports in the state. You will, however, need to be physically located in the state to place a wager legally.
The state lottery oversees VA sports betting. Regulations are already in place, and more than two dozen sportsbooks have applied to operate in the state. There could be up to a dozen apps available throughout Virginia eventually.
Best Virginia sportsbook apps
State law mandates that there will be a minimum of four and a maximum of 12 VA sportsbook apps available.
FanDuel Sportsbook launched first, and DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM, BetRivers, and William Hill followed closely. Many more sportsbooks will offer sports betting apps in Virginia. Many of these brands are participating in new markets throughout the US legal market:
Generally speaking, more sportsbooks in a given state lead to a better market. Competition to gain customers often leads to sportsbooks offering better signup offers and promo codes. These can include free bets or deposit matches, ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.
This is not necessarily a complete list of potential VA sportsbooks. Your smartphone device will use geolocation technology to verify that you are within Virginia before allowing you to bet with these sportsbook apps.
Here’s some more information on some of the biggest sportsbooks that will likely find their way into Virginia:
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings, a leader in both daily fantasy sports and sports betting in the US, has been aggressive about getting into every state possible, and it went live in the state in January 2021.
If you’re a new bettor, you can receive $50 free, plus up to an addition $1,000 in bonus offers.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel is the current US leader among all sportsbooks in terms of amount wagered, Virginia is an obvious choice for the FanDuel sports betting app. The app provides weekly promotions, daily odds boosts and a live betting tool.
Bettors in the state get up to a $1,000 risk-free bet upon a first deposit.
BetMGM Sportsbook
The sportsbook from MGM Resorts International has been similarly aggressive entering every online sports betting state it can. It will not have a brick-and-mortar casino in the state, but does have one in neighboring Maryland. MGM started its app in January 2021.
Bettors should get a deposit match bonus of up to $500, based on what MGM does in other states.
BetRivers Sportsbook
Virginia Online Gaming
BetRivers parent Rush Street Interactive partnered with the upcoming Rivers Casino Portsmouth to launch sports betting in Virginia. The brick-and-mortar casino will come later but the mobile platform is available now.
Bettors should be able to access a bonus offer comparable to that available in other states.
William Hill Sportsbook
Caesars will build the casino in Danville; Caesars is also buying William Hill. One plus one equals a VA sportsbook from William Hill, a big operator in Nevada and the UK, with a growing footprint around the US.
William Hill offers up to a $500 free bet on a first deposit in many other states.
Virginia sportsbooks at casinos
As Virginia sports betting launches, there aren’t any physical sportsbooks. Part of the reason why? Virginia casinos were approved in 2020 referendums and will be built in the coming years. And there should be sportsbooks at those casinos eventually.
There could also be physical sportsbooks at sporting venues, like Virginia’s two auto racing tracks.
Latest VA sports betting news
