- Senate Bill VA SB 1126, which includes provisions for legal sports betting, only needs the Governor’s approval to become law.
- Virginia Governor Ralph Northam will have until March 26 to sign the bill.
RICHMOND, Va. – The state of Virginia has traditionally opposed gaming expansion, but that could all change this month. Senate Bill VA SB 1126 includes provisions to allow the construction of brick-and-mortar casinos, online gambling, and legal Virginia sports betting, and it only needs the Governor’s signature to become the new law of the land for the Old Dominion State.
The bill would put the Virginia Lottery Board in charge of regulating all gambling activity. The Board would be able to grant only one casino license per city, given that the city would meet certain parameters.
The construction of a new casino would have to be in a city that has a population of greater than 200,000 people, has a poverty rate of at least 20 percent, and an unemployment rate of at least 5 percent.
The land area must also have a 40 percent exemption from local real property taxation, or only 24 percent if a Virginia Indian Tribe chooses to operate casino gaming. The local community will also have to support a new casino from coming into their city via county-wide vote.
Whether or not these physical locations will be the ones in charge of providing online legal sports betting and gambling seems to be unclear, however, the bill specifies both activities as falling under the definition of casino gaming.
Potential Timeline for Sports Betting in VA
The only barrier to a new wave of gambling from hitting the Virginia market is a signature from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. He will have until March 26 to either approve or veto the bill.
Although, even if SB 1126 is approved this year, it will be some time before sports bets can actually be made in Virginia.
The Virginia Lottery Board will have to begin creating regulations concerning this measure starting January 1, 2020, and will have until June 30, 2020, to complete those rules before any casinos could actually be granted a license to operate.
To add to that a local referendum to approve a new gaming facility will have to be adopted no later than January 1, 2021.
The time it will take to build new casinos, along with the time it will take for online sports betting operators to be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board might also delay the process even further.
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News tags: VA SB 1126 | Virginia | Virginia sports betting
– In his career, Hasan has worked both local and state government positions—including the Attorney General’s Office in Florida. On top of being familiar with the legislative process, he has also been researching and writing on the legality of sports betting across the US. Outside of work you’ll most likely find him producing or playing music, playing sports, or working on creative writing projects. You’ll also catch him at Doak Campbell Stadium cheering on the Noles.
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