Virginia Sports Betting Rules Have Officially Been Approved
- The Virginia Lottery has voted to approve legal sports betting rules and regulations.
- Sports betting in Virginia is set to launch officially in January 2021 in an online format first.
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia sports bettors will soon have their own regulated sports betting market as the VA Lottery has voted to approve legal sports betting rules.
This will bring sportsbooks, both retail and online/mobile, to Virginia. The official launch is set for early 2021 with wagering on professional and college sporting events.
The bill was passed through legislation and approved by Governor Ralph Northam in April 2020, but VA sports betting rules weren’t set in stone until the Lottery approved them on Tuesday.
Virginia Sports Betting
The legal online gambling market in Virginia is set to begin with sports betting. The official Bill 58.1 was approved earlier this year and gave the ability for up to 12 online sportsbooks to operate in state lines.
The bill will also see local casinos able to apply for sports betting permits as early as October in anticipation for the official launch. The applications for the licenses are going to be accepted from October 15-31.
These sports betting operations will be powered through local books, but mobile betting apps can be accessed from anywhere in the state.
No official sportsbook has been announced to launch as of yet. With the rules just getting passed it makes sense that no moves have been made. Caesars has hinted at opening a casino in the state, however.
The Virginia Lottery Commission will be overseeing the regulated sports betting market in Virginia, per the legislation. The “Sports Bettors Bill of Rights” is a result of an initial preliminary draft that was brought up in June for public comments.
Now that the official launch is incoming, applications are already available for sportsbooks to gain a Virginia sports betting license.
Legal gambling in Virginia is something that has only been available on a minimal scale up until this point. Casinos are just now becoming legal for the first time, but online sports betting will serve as a stepping stone before legal gambling takes full shape in the state.
Virginia becomes another state to host its own regulated sports betting market, further expanding legal sports betting as a common practice in the US.