Virginia Casinos
The online gambling space in Virginia has for long not been the greatest. For example, the first major task of many gamblers in the state is finding a VA online casino. The simple answer is that Virginia hasn’t legalized or regulated any online casino in the state as it stands. How about land-based casinos? They are also not operational in Virginia currently. However, there is a glimmer of hope, thanks to the 2019 gambling bill that would allow five cities to host casinos.
In November 2020, the bill was approved in a referendum by voters from Portsmouth, Norfolk, Bristol, and Danville. Voters from Richmond are expected to vote in November 2021. While the state has not set any tentative date when the offline casinos open, many expect them to open doors by 2023.
Their opening might prompt the legislators to go back to the drawing board to see if the state can legalize online casinos. But with no legal VA online casino, gamblers from Old Dominion state can still enjoy playing casino games in their private residences on the various legal social casinos. The main difference with social casinos is that they do not involve real-money transactions. Instead, they come out as socializing hubs for players and friends, with some gifts and rewards at the end.
The other avenue is accessing offshore online casinos. While they may be illegal, according to Virginia gambling laws, many have still created accounts and played casino games on these sites. As it stands, the Old Dominion state has not arrested any player who has an account with offshore online casinos. The question of their safety is another point of concern. One cannot compare offshore online casinos’ safety and security to the level of online casinos licensed locally. The latter reigns supreme. Additionally, a dispute with offshore casinos may be a tedious and expensive process.
Best Online Casinos Accepting VA Players
Presently, VA players have plenty of offshore online casinos to choose from. However, some stand as the best over the others for their aspects such as legality, online reviews, game selection, banking options, and bonuses. They include:
Virginia Gambling History
The state’s gambling history is not rich, with many gambling forms restricted. Many US states have their gambling history going back to the early 19th century, with others going further to the 18th century. However, Virginia’s gambling history traces back to the 70s.
- 1973 – VA legalized charitable gambling with the local government tasked to oversee all its operations and making the gambling laws.
- 1987 – VA legalized the state lottery with the first game played the following year, 1988. The Virginia Lottery Board, comprised of five (5) residents, would oversee the lottery. They would take charge of over 5000 locations where 100+ games were available. The state would then channel all proceeds from the lottery to the education sector.
- 1989 – The state created the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) to oversee horse racing (pari-mutuel betting).
- 1995 – A bill intended to create a riverboat gaming commission was unsuccessful as the committee denied it. A point to note is that the riverboat casinos, albeit illegal, were operating in the state and had become popular. The main reason behind the unsuccessful move was that Virginia wanted to keep the revenue generated from these casinos, but this would not be possible since the boats crossed to Maryland.
- 1997 – Colonial Downs, the sole racetrack in VA, opened its doors. Besides the racetrack, horse racing was popular in Virginia, prompting many electronic booths across the state for betting. VA would then give the horse breeders a portion of profits garnered from the activity.
- 2003 – Virginia gave the VRC the responsibility to oversee all off-track betting (OFB) in the state.
- 2004 – Betting kiosks, known as EZ betting terminals, were introduced in the state for the first time.
- 2013 – Another attempt to legalize riverboat casinos failed. This was the second attempt since 1995 (18 years later).
- 2019 – VA legislation approved five (5) cities that would be locations for building casinos. The five cities were Bristol, Norfolk, Richmond, Danville, and Portsmouth.
- 2020 – VA senate and general assembly passed SB 384 and HB 896 bills about legalizing sports betting (through apps and websites). The bills excluded VA colleges and universities sports from being wagered on.
- 2021 – FanDuel became the first online sportsbook to go live in VA, followed by others, including DraftKings, BetMGM, BetRivers, William Hill, Unibet, and WynnBet.
Is it Legal to Gamble Online in Virginia?
The Old Dominion state gambling laws are not very specific on internet laws, but there has been a touch of online gambling on their gambling laws. For starters, gambling, according to VA, is ‘making, placing, or receiving any bet or wager for money or other thing of value, dependent upon the result of any game, contest, or event, the outcome of which is uncertain or a matter of chance’. So, can I gamble online in VA? The answer is, it depends. Online gambling in VA is legal in some forms and illegal in others.
VA legal code on section 18.2-325 illegalizes ‘gambling devices’ that include machines, devices, equipment, or other paraphernalia used in any form of gambling. Thus, using the devices in the state is what encompasses illegal gambling. As the Virginia law states, any person involved in illegal gambling (unless provided otherwise by the law) will be ‘guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor, and will be guilty of illegal gambling’.
However, the law is flexible on several forms of online gambling, as shall be seen in our guide. In a nutshell, one can gamble online on social casinos, lottery, sports, and daily fantasy sports. The notable misses are the online casinos and online poker sites.
Online Casino
As stated, online casinos for real money are not among the VA legal online gambling forms. So, how does one gamble online in Virginia? Suppose the interest falls on trying online slots, table games, video poker, and live dealer games? In that case, the only stop is on the offshore online casinos that Virginia doesn’t regulate. Keep in mind that it is illegal gambling to bet on an unlicensed platform via a gambling device. However, there have been no arrests or charges directed to casino lovers who gamble online on offshore sites.
The next avenue to legally gamble online in Virginia is through social casinos, with no real-money transactions. The highlight is that they will function normally as the other online casinos on the games. With that in mind, how are the online casino odds looking in VA? Currently, it is all dark. However, up to five (5) land-based casinos are on the verge of opening, but there has been no bill to promote online casinos. The only anticipation is that once the land-based casinos open their doors, it may drive the legislators to try and push for the legalization of online casinos from the revenue the offline casinos are poised to generate. However, time will tell.
Online Poker
The same stance on online casinos applies to online poker. Currently, one cannot find any legalized online poker site in VA. However, there were attempts to challenge the current status in 2010 when poker lovers filed a lawsuit after the Portsmouth Commonwealth Attorney shut down a charitable poker room in Virginia. The argument from the plaintiff was that poker was a game of skill, but the judge upheld the ban citing that any form of uncertainty was a reason enough to make the game illegal. Despite the plaintiff filing an appeal, the Supreme Court dismissed the case.
Poker lovers can only enjoy their games from the offshore online poker sites accepting Virginia bets. The current VA poker status is that no land-based poker room or online poker site operates within the state borders.
Online Sports Betting
April 2020 remains a landmark month for Virginia. This is the month that saw the state legalize both retail and online sports betting. The bills (SB 384 and HB 896) signed by Gov. Ralph Northman would allow VA bettors to take real-money bets within the state’s borders on all the sports (professional and college). However, the state placed an exception on VA college sports bets.
Under the bills, other main aspects included the following:
- Virginia state lottery would oversee all online sports wagers and offline when the retail sportsbooks launch.
- The tax rate from sports betting revenue would be 15%.
- The estimated annual tax revenue would be $60 million.
- The state universities would receive 95% of the state tax revenue for research projects.
- The state lottery corporation would receive 2.5% of the state tax revenue.
- The state would not pay the major sports leagues any royalties or integrity fees.
- Each sportsbook license would cost $250,000 with an annual renewal fee of $200,000.
With no retail sportsbooks currently, VA bettors can only make bets on online sportsbooks websites or mobile apps. Sports betting was available from January 2021, with FanDuel becoming the first online sportsbook to operate in Virginia legally. Other sportsbooks such as DraftKings, William Hill, BetMGM, Unibet, WynnBetand BetRivers have since gone live, with others such as Barstool and Golden Nugget expected to go live later.
The law directs the Virginia lottery to provide four (4) to twelve (12) licenses to online operators with the Washington NFL football team, DC United MLS, and two NASCAR tracks all eligible for licenses.
Online Lottery
Online lottery in VA is legal since 2018. The state also operates its offline lottery since 1987 on 5000+ locations in the state. Today, players can access the state lottery website, buy tickets, and play local and multi-state games such as Powerball and Mega Millions.
Online Bingo
Online bingo is legal in the state, provided charitable organizations or fire departments host the games. Any bingo game hosted by a commercial organization is illegal in VA. However, parties wishing to play commercial bingo online can access a few offshore online bingo sites offering the same.
Online Horse Race Betting
Online horse race betting is legal in VA, with the Virginia Racing Commission licensing all betting sites offering horse race betting services within Virginia. For example, TVG is one licensed site accepting VA players. Besides online betting, the Old Dominion state also allows off-track betting on several facilities and simulcast betting on the only VA racetrack, Colonial Downs.
Online Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes were allowed in VA, provided they did not charge the participants an entry fee and awarded the winner based on chance. However, a bill unanimously passed in the General Assembly and Senate declared the ‘sham sweepstakes’ machines illegal. Chris Peterson, who spoke on behalf of the council, termed playing sweepstakes games as ‘illegal gambling.’ Currently, online sweepstakes are not legal in Virginia.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) are legal in VA since May 2016. Therefore, the DFS operators must pay a one-time fee of $50,000 to operate in VA legally. Bettors can then sign up their accounts, create personalized teams, earn points, and participate in contests for real-money prizes. The legality of DFS in Virginia explains why FanDuel and DraftKings sportsbooks were the first two sportsbooks to provide online sports betting.
Other DFS operators available in the Old Dominion state are YahooDFS and Fantasy Draft.
Can You Play Slots Online in Virginia?
The straightforward answer is yes. However, there exists a caveat. Presently, slot lovers can only play slots on the social casinos for fun or opt to play online slots offered at the top offshore online casinos operating in Virginia. The latter are the only online casinos for real money in Virginia. In a nutshell, the only online slots VA available are those on the social casinos and offshore online casinos. On the slots, players can find a blend of traditional and modern slots from the functionality. Additionally, they can trigger several bonus features, including free spins, bonus rounds, and multipliers.
The slot world boasts a load of providers, and below are some of the top providers providing online slots VA:
- Play’n Go: The Sweden-based provider is a notable figure in the gambling world from the colorful and feature-packed slots it offers. Additionally, players can enjoy high payout percentages and jackpots from many of their slots. Among the top slots include Book of Dead, Diamond Vortex, and Agent Destiny.
- iSoftBet: The London-based provider has had its foothold in various jurisdictions worldwide, including Spain, Belgium, and the US. Their slots are known for combining profit and fun. In addition, the provider optimizes the games, making them playable on tablets and mobile phones. Among the top iSoftBet slots include Aztec Gold Megaways, Rango, and Basic Instinct.
- WMS Gaming: The Chicago-based provider is one of the oldest and pioneers of the gambling industry. Besides the slots, WMS Gaming is also reputable for developing video lottery terminals. Its slots are known for the exciting high-valued features such as free spins, multipliers, and big bonuses and rewards. Some of the WMS slots include Willy Wonka, Wizard of Oz, and Star Trek.
Gambling Age Law
The legal gambling age at Virginia is 18+ for players who wish to bet on the lottery, bingo, horse racing, and DFS. Those betting on sports must be aged at least 21. You will notice that there is no mention of casinos and poker rooms since they are not legal in VA (either online or offline). However, land-based casinos are on the verge of coming up after the state passed the bill to have five casinos in five cities. A look at many US casinos gives a clue of the age limit one can expect at these casinos. The age limit will probably stand at 21+, considering the land-based casinos serve alcohol.
Most Reputable 18+ Online Casinos for Virginia Players
With online casinos not legal in Virginia, the only operating real-money online casinos for VA players are the offshore gaming sites. Remember, VA has no age requirement set on the casinos. Therefore, casino lovers aged above 18+ can create accounts on the sites listed on our guide since most of them accept players aged above 18+. However, if the state later passes the age gambling law, we advise our players to stick by the state laws.
Land-Based Casinos in Virginia
As it stands, Virginia has no operational land-based casino within its borders. However, this is poised to change by April 2022, when the Virginia Lottery Board will start issuing licenses. After the licensing process, the construction of the casinos will begin. Tentatively, VA land-based casinos will be operational from 2023. But how did VA get here? In 2019, the legislators passed a bill that would see five (5) land-based casinos built in five (5) cities. The five cities included Bristol, Portsmouth, Danville, Norfolk, and Richmond.
All except Richmond selected a casino proposal prompting the voters to vote in Nov 2020. Voters from all four cities voted in favor of the proposals. Richmond expects its voters to vote in Nov 2021. For now, players can only wait, but it’s not a long wait anyway!
The Future of Online Gambling in Virginia
The future of VA online gambling is not looking as promising as many would want. Besides the state making sports betting legal in 2020, there hasn’t been any development or pointers of the online gambling space getting better in VA. Top operators such as BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Unibet, and William Hill have graced the Old Dominion state through sportsbooks. The mentioned operators have offered online casinos in other states, which may be the only positive light, albeit very dim.
There hasn’t been any talk of online casinos, with land-based casinos not operating in the state. This is a huge turn-off to any party that would have wished to access websites or download VA online casino apps to play real-money games. Unfortunately, those wishing to try out online poker are also not the luckiest lot. Besides not being legal, there are currently no bills seeking to legalize poker in the state.
What remains is to see where the state stands after the land-based casinos are operational. This may be the first step into the journey of legalizing online casinos and poker.
