In March 2020, the Virginia General Assembly and Senate passed SB 384 and HB 896, which brought legal sports betting to the Old Dominion. Gov. Ralph Northam relaid amended versions of the two bills to lawmakers, who then approved them in a reconvened session that authorized sports betting in Virginia.
Here’s a glimpse into the history of Virginia sports betting:
Nov. 28, 2024: Virginia generates $49M in adjusted gross revenue in October, holding 7.8% of the total handle. That is down year-over-year, as it was 11.2% last October.
Nov. 12, 2024: Caesars Virginia will open its doors on Thursday, December 12th. The resort will span 90,000 square feet, feature 1,500 slot machines, more than 100 live-action and electronic table games, a poker room, and Caesars Sportsbook.
Nov. 5, 2024: Voters approve a 5th brick-and-mortar casino in Virginia, which could hurt online gaming chances in the Commonwealth.
Oct. 25, 2024: Sporttrade becomes the twelfth online operator to go live in Virginia.
Oct. 24, 2024: A Virginia Tech basketball player has been dismissed during a reported betting scandal investigation, following unusual betting activity for a March 7th game.
Oct. 2, 2024: Betfred announces that it will exit Virginia on Oct. 21, leaving the online operator active in just three states.
Oct. 1, 2024: Virginia earns a 30% year-over-year increase in August, as the Old Dominion State’s sports betting action generates a $416.7 million handle for the month.
Sept. 3, 2024: Virginia operators post nearly a 12% hold in July, continuing the trend of high July win rates across the country.
Aug. 30, 2024: Betr launches a new sportsbook feature ahead of the 2024 NFL season, allowing users in Ohio and Virginia to access traditional betting markets beyond micro-betting for a variety of sports.
Aug. 7, 2024: Virginia has a limited market share up for grabs after the slew of U.S. operators — Si Sportsbook, Betway, and SuperBook — recently exited the state.
Aug. 5, 2024: Virginia sportsbooks stay winning in June, as local operators report a $415.4 million handle and an 11% hold for the month.
July 22, 2024: SuperBook Sports pulls out of eight post-PASPA states, including Virginia.
July 2, 2024: Virginia sports betting operators stay hot in May, earning the state’s highest hold of the year.
June 27, 2024: Virginia’s gambling law subcommittee plans to introduce tighter regulations for daily fantasy sports in 2025 with continued ambiguity between legal sports betting and pick ’em-style DFS.
May 31, 2024: Virginia’s sports betting operators enjoy a double-digit hold in April.
May 2, 2024: Virginia sports betting books third largest monthly handle in March, collecting $629 million in gross revenue.
April 26, 2024: A $1.4 billion gaming resort is coming to Virginia courtesy of Football Hall-of-Famer and Virginia Tech alum Bruce Smith.
April 2, 2024: Virginia’s handle falls in February but still brings in over $500 million in wagers.
Feb. 2, 2024: Virginia ends 2023 with more than $5 billion in wagers with December’s strong numbers, which is up from the $4.9 billion earned in 2022.
Jan. 26, 2024: bet365 launches free-to-play fantasy contest in five states, including Virginia, ahead of NFL Championship Weekend, offering a $25,000 prize pool for each game.
Jan. 16, 2024: Virginia could allow betting on the state’s college sports, which has been prohibited, if newly introduced Senate Bill 124 is approved.
Dec. 31, 2023: Virginia’s November 2023 betting handle reveals a 23% year-over-year increase in total wagers.
Dec. 18, 2023: Virginia’s Attorney General determines daily fantasy sports contests are considered gambling under state code. It remains to be seen how this determination will affect DFS companies in VA.
Nov. 21, 2023: Fanatics Sportsbook launches in Virginia, replacing PointsBet.
Nov. 14, 2023: ESPN BET goes live with online and mobile sports betting, launching in Virginia and 16 other states.
Nov. 2, 2023: ESPN BET plans to launch on Nov. 14, 2023, with online sports betting going live in 17 U.S. states, including Virginia.
Oct. 20, 2023: SuperBook officially launches its Virginia sportsbook. VA is now home to 16 legal sports betting sites.
Oct. 2, 2023: The Virginia Lottery releases Virginia’s August sports betting handle. The state takes in $319 million, a 12% year-over-year bump compared to August 2022.
Sept. 6, 2023: Betr launches its Virginia sportsbook app, following similar pushes in Massachusetts and Ohio.
Aug. 11, 2023: WynnBET announces that it will cease operations in Virginia as soon as possible.
Aug. 2, 2023: The Virginia Lottery reports a $322 million sports betting handle for June, a 10% year-over-year increase with a 10% hold.
July 6, 2023: High win rates translated to a profitable Virginia sports betting hold near 12% in May.
June 2, 2023: Virginia’s April sports betting handle exceeds $425 million, a nearly 7% year-over-year increase.
May 4, 2023: The Virginia sports betting handle bounced back in March, with sportsbooks accepting $511.6 million in wagers.
April 3, 2023: Virginia sportsbooks generate $433.8 million in sports betting handle in February, with the Super Bowl accounting for 7.4% of the action.
March 29, 2023: DraftKings launches its DK Horse app in Virginia, its first-ever horse racing product, ahead of the Kentucky Derby.
March 6, 2023: Betr secures a license to operate in the Old Dominion, the third state in which it will launch its micro-betting-focused mobile app.
Feb. 2, 2023: The Virginia Lottery reports an 18% yearly increase in legal Virginia sports betting handle for December.
Feb. 1, 2023: Betfred announces that its sports betting platform is live in Virginia, making the Old Dominion the ninth region to host the sportsbook.
Jan. 11, 2023: More sports betting tax changes may be coming in Virginia, stemming from Sen. Jeremy McPike’s bill that aims to further limit the deductions licensed operators can apply to their taxable revenue from sports betting-related promotions.
Dec. 31, 2022: State Senator Bryce Reeves and Delegate Paul Krizek pre-file legislation for the upcoming General Assembly that would create a problem gambling committee in Virginia.
Dec. 1, 2022: Sports betting sites in Virginia report a record betting handle of $528 million for October.
Aug. 15, 2022: Hillside (Virginia), LLC receives a temporary sports betting permit in Virginia. The company is controlled by bet365 Group Ltd.
July 8, 2022: Hard Rock launches the first retail sportsbook in Virginia.
May 9, 2022: SI Sportsbook officially launches its online sports betting platform in Virginia.
April 28, 2022: SI Sportsbook was set to launch Wednesday, April 27, but Google Play did not authorize its app prompting further delays. Meanwhile, Betway expects to come online on May 18.
April 11, 2022: State lawmakers decree that as of July 1, 2022, gaming entities operating in Virginia will be prohibited from using the phrase, ‘Virginia is for bettors,’ in any marketing materials.
March 31, 2022: Hard Rock Sportsbook officially launches its Virginia sports betting app, becoming the state’s 12th active mobile sportsbook.
March 2, 2022: Virginia registers a single-month sports betting handle record of $485.5 million for January 2022.
Feb. 25, 2022: Virginia lawmakers in the House of Representatives nixed HB 1127, which would have permitted betting on in-state college sports teams.
Feb. 15, 2022: The Senate passes a bill (SB 576) that would allow for wagering on in-state collegiate teams. It heads to the House, where HB 1127 was voided earlier in the year.
Jan. 13, 2022: Delegate Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (D) introduces HB 1127. The proposed bill seeks to allow betting on Virginia college sports.
Jan. 11, 2022: Two bills — HJR 63 and SJR 24 — are introduced with the aim of forming a new gaming commission to oversee and regulate all sports betting in Virginia.
Jan. 4, 2022: Figures released by the Virginia Lottery reveal record tax revenues nearing $50 million for November 2021.
Dec. 15, 2021: PointsBet becomes the 11th legal sportsbook to launch in Virginia.
Dec. 2, 2021: The Old Dominion has a record-setting sports betting handle for October, taking in $427.3 million in wagers.
Dec. 1, 2021: 888 Holdings PLC was awarded a provisional sports-betting license by the Virginia Lottery.
Nov. 25, 2021: VHL, VA (SI Sportsbook) is given the 13th sports betting license in VA.
Nov. 24, 2021: The Virginia Lottery hands Digital Gaming Corporation (Betway) a temporary sports betting license.
Nov. 22, 2021: The Virginia Lottery grants Colonial Downs approval to begin offering mobile sports betting through its partnership with PointsBet.
Nov. 2, 2021: Richmond voters reject the proposal for Urban One Inc.’s ONE Casino + Resort.
Oct. 13, 2021: Golden Nugget Online, which was one of three operators approved in March 2021, launches to become the state’s ninth mobile sportsbook.
Aug. 10, 2021: Barstool Sportsbook, the Penn National Gaming-owned property, becomes the state’s eighth mobile sportsbook.
Jan. 21, 2021: Fully online Virginia sports betting goes live as FanDuel takes the state’s first legal sports wager.
November 2020: Official plans for four casinos and retail sportsbooks commence as referendums are passed in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth.
April 2020: Lawmakers approve Governor Northam’s final changes to SB 384 and HB 896, officially legalizing Virginia sports betting.
November 2019: The commissioned study estimates massive early returns and mature sports betting market netting the state upwards of $55 million in annual tax revenue. A bill is then introduced by Virginia Delegate Mark Sickles, laying the groundwork for regulated sports betting in the state.
March 2019: The Virginia Senate commissions a study of sports betting in other states with the aim of estimating annual revenue for the Commonwealth if they were to regulate sports betting themselves.
