- Virginia saw a 17.1% increase in handle at sports betting sites from February to March of 2026.
- The $672.8 million total handle was a 2.4% decrease from March of 2025.
- Virginia earned over $9 million in sports betting taxes for March 2026.
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia was one of the earlier states to legalize sports betting back in April of 2020, and it has paid off handsomely, as the state has collected over $3 billion since launching legal sports betting sites in January of 2021. In March of 2026, Virginians won roughly $609 million, with Virginia sportsbooks claiming a 9.49% hold for the month.
The total handle during the month amounted to $672.8 million, a 17.1% increase from the month of February. Retail sportsbook locations only claimed $6.43 million of that handle, while Virginia’s 13 online sportsbooks were responsible for the remaining $666.4 million in wagers.
March is always a big month for sports in general for Virginians, as the Cavaliers from the University of Virginia are often in the thick of the NCAA Tournament, joined by the VCU Rams this year, leading to a total of $59.8 million in mobile sports betting revenue during the month of March. Handle numbers for March of 2026 decreased by 2.4% compared to March of 2025, which is surprising given the fact that UVA was not in the tournament last season.
However, there were three other teams from Virginia in March Madness in 2025; VCU, Liberty, and Norfolk State, with VCU and Liberty being popular upset picks as 11 and 12 seeds respectively. Sports betting sites in Virginia are on pace to set a new yearly record for total handle once again, sitting at $1.93 billion through March based on sports betting revenue numbers published by the Virginia Lottery.
With 10 operators posting a positive adjusted gross revenue number, Virginia earned more than $9 million in taxes from legal sports betting in March. The state’s general fund received $8.78 million, while $225,142.38 went towards the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund Allocation.
State statutes declare that 97.5% of state sports betting taxes are deposited into the general fund, while the remaining 2.5% goes towards problem gambling. The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services administers this fund.
