Legal Virginia Sports Betting

Virginia Sports Betting Timeline

• Apr 14, 2022 – Virginia lawmakers opt to ban the slogan “Virginia is for bettors” after the parody of “Virginia is for lovers” is used to advertise gambling.
• Feb 7, 2022 – Virginia lawmakers are mulling an end to their in-state collegiate gambling restrictions.
• Oct 14, 2021 – Golden Nugget opens up in VA, becoming the newest online sportsbook in the state.
• Mar 29, 2021 – VA Gov. Ralph Northam expands  the number of sportsbooks that can be in VA to 12.
• Feb 4, 2021 – William Hill opens up in VA, giving them five online sportsbooks in advance of the Super Bowl.
• Jan 21, 2021 – FanDuel launches early  in Virginia as the first online sportsbook in the state.
• Oct 15, 2020 – The Virginia Lottery begins accepting applications from prospective VA sportsbooks.
• Jul 16, 2020 – Virginia’s sports betting rules and regulations are now available for all to see.
• Apr 22, 2020 – Gov. Ralph Northam signs House Bill 896, House Bill 4, and Senate Bill 384, which regulate sports betting in VA. He only does so after the House and Senate pass emergency amendments to them in order to get his signature.
• Apr 12, 2020 – Gov. Ralph Northam has sent the proposed sports betting bills back to the state legislature for amendments, as he does not want to sign them in their current form.
• Feb 25, 2020 – VA HB 4, the major bill that would regulate sports betting in VA, has passed the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.
• Feb 12, 2020 – There are multiple possible bills that would regulate sports betting in VA that could pass in 2020.
• Mar 30, 2019 – Gov. Ralph Northam signs SB 1126. The bill would regulate gaming in Virginia, but requires an affirmative re-enactment in next year’s legislative session.

Where’s The Closest Place To Me To Bet?

There are many places in Virginia to bet on sports as they are all online. Four cities in Virginia received approval in November 2020 to offer sports betting. This came by voter referendum. If you want to bet on sports in person in Virginia, you have limited options. The Hard Rock Sportsbook in Bristol Virginia is the only open retail sportsbook, for now. As they build a permanent Bristol sportsbook, you will find 19 kiosks and 5 betting windows.

Find the Bristol Hard Rock Sportsbook at 500 Gate City Hwy. Kiosks are open 24/7 while the ticket windows fluctuate hours depending on the day of the week. A 5 hour drive from Richmond, bettors may find it easier to visit Washington DC sportsbooks.

Cities Approved For Legal VA Sportsbooks

• Norfolk
• Danville
• Bristol
• Portsmouth

What Teams Can I Bet On?

Virginia has the unhappy distinction of being the most populous state in the nation without a major professional sports franchise in any of the four main professional leagues. This is due to several factors, not least of which is the Commonwealth’s close proximity to teams located in Washington, D.C. and the Carolinas, and the additional impediment of a lack of political will to finance the construction of sports stadiums using public monies. The situation among college teams in Virginia is a little different than that of professional teams, but Division 1 schools like the Virginia Cavaliers and the Virginia Tech Hokies are successful in the realm of athletics in spite of, not because of, politics at the statehouse. State funds are ineligible for use by collegiate athletics programs for either operational or capital expenses, so no new facilities can be built with taxpayer support.

Nevertheless, Virginians love their sports. They have good reason to be, being geographically situated near the home turf of the NFL’s Washington Football, who play in nearby Landover, Maryland close to the nation’s capital across the Potomac River. Washington’s two primary training camps, however, are located in Virginia, with the team’s headquarters and training facility being situated in Ashburn and Richmond, Virginia. Aside from these, VA sports fans can place bets on any professional and collegiate teams on websites such as Bovada, BetOnline, and SportsBetting. Unlike the upcoming state-sanctioned sportsbooks, these books allow bettors in Virginia to safely place bets on in-state collegiate sports teams and players.

Popular Teams To Bet On In Virginia

Where To Bet On NFL Games In Virginia?

Many legal betting sites offer odds for the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, and the other 30 NFL teams in the US. While there are not currently any land-based sites for NFL betting in Virginia, there are many online sportsbooks that can be accessed by all VA players from anywhere in the state. These sites all offer future Super Bowl 58 odds, along with divisional, conference, and thousands of props during the 2023-24 season.

How To Bet On The Hokies In Virginia

Sports bettors of Virginia can run into some issues when attempting to place certain types of wagers. This is due to state laws, which prohibit bettors of the state from betting on in-state colleges, college events that take place within the state’s borders, and college proposition bets. Virginia bettors looking to wager on Virginia Tech games can still do so by using an overseas-based online sportsbook, which operates outside of the jurisdiction of U.S. state and federal laws.

Land Based Retail Sportsbooks In Virginia

Virginia currently does not offer land-based sports betting, as their integration into the sports betting world came at a time where there were no casinos in Virginia. Four cities have been approved to build casinos, while Richmond is still debating whether or not to have one – and how to allow one if possible. An initial vote saw the Richmond casino turned down by voters in a close race, but a recent judge ruling means that the question could be posted to Virginia’s voters once more.

Betting Restrictions In Virginia

Only a few limitations are present for Virginia sportsbooks. The important thing to keep in mind is that these betting restrictions are only for local books. Any sportsbook located in Virginia must follow this protocol. But, any online sportsbook accepting Virginia bettors have their own standards to follow. This is why you find a larger selection of betting types and odds at online books.

What Can’t I Bet On At Virginia Sportsbooks?

• Any youth sporting event.
• Bets on Virginia colleges and universities.
• Prop bets on any college sports team.
• Props on injuries, officiating calls, and unsportsmanlike situations.
• Heisman betting odds or any other “subjective trophy awards”.
• Any professional sporting league’s draft.

Virginia Sports Betting Revenue

Virginia sportsbooks became a top-10 betting state less than a year after launching. In total, the amount of money bet on sports in Virginia exceeds $6 billion in bets. This equals to over $39 million in benefits from Virginia sports betting taxes. Before paying these taxes, VA sportsbooks collected $517 million in revenue.

FanDuel Sportsbook in Virginia accounted for 42.7% of all bets in 2021 up to November. DraftKings came in second at 26.7% of the betting handle. After BetMGM’s near 18%, no other sportsbook in VA held a market share above 8.5%. Surprisingly, betting on pro basketball in Virginia took the top spot, with over a fifth of all money bet. Football followed behind at 17.3% but even betting parlays in Virginia was more common (18.4%).

Virginia Sportsbook Records

• Most Money Bet In A Month: December 2022 ($503,075,150)
• Most Money Won By VA Sportsbooks: November 2021 ($48.3 million)
• Worst Month For VA Sports Bettors: July 2021 (87.7% win rate)

Ways To Fund A Virginia Sportsbook Account

Getting money into your Virginia sports betting account depends on the book you use. Most are similar across the board but the methods, fees, and maximums all vary. Online sportsbooks taking Virginia players is the only way to bet crypto in Virginia. Both online books and Virginia-based sportsbooks accept credit cards though. Some of the most popular sportsbook deposit methods include:

• Bitcoin
• Ethereum
• Litecoin
• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• MatchPay

Cryptocurrency Sports Betting In Virginia

Virginia has options for cryptocurrency sports betting, although they are only at the international sportsbooks. The state-regulated books in VA are unable to process crypto transactions, but the international online sportsbooks absolutely can, which makes it a compelling option for those who wish to achieve bigger bonuses as well as faster deposit and withdrawal times.

Crypto Advantages In VA

Can I Bet Real Money On Sports In Virginia?

You can absolutely bet real money on sports in Virginia, but the only way to do so without running afoul of the law is to do your wagering at what we think are the best of the best among legal offshore sportsbooks like Bovada, SportsBetting, and BetOnline. In order to get started betting on your favorite teams though, you will need to first deposit money in your account and to do that you will have to jump through a few hoops created by the passage of the UIGEA.

The UIGEA’s prohibitions against financial institutions processing transaction requests related to online gambling mean that even legal offshore sports betting sites like our top picks won’t be able to reliably accept all the major US credit cards all the time. Sometimes you’ll get lucky, but the best options for making deposits remain the faithful ole method of a check in the mail or the newfangled Bitcoin, which will discuss in a later section of this guide to legal Virginia sports betting.

What Is the Sports Betting Age In Virginia?

The minimum age necessary to participate in any of the few forms of gambling that Virginia allows is 21, so we can only recommend that you follow that lead and wait until you are at least that old before betting on sports at a legal offshore sportsbook like the ones we recommend. Because these sportsbooks are based overseas where gambling laws only require that players attain a minimum age of 18 before gambling, our top recommended sites will accept players as young as 18. However, it would be a wise course of action to wait until you’re the legal sports betting age of 21 just to be on the safe side. There’s nothing to be gained a much to be lost by tiptoeing around the line of legality.

What Are The Details Of VA Sports Betting Licenses?

Virginia allows 12 different sports betting licenses to be applied for. Each license requires the payment of an initial $250,000 fee. This fee is repeated every three years, as the licenses only last that long. Additionally, sportsbooks are responsible for the cost of a background check on every member of their organization, an expensive process. This effectively limits VA’s market to only the biggest and most established sportsbooks.

Virginia Sportsbooks

Bally Bet Sportsbook

Bally Bet, run by the famous Bally’s Corporation, is one of the better online sportsbooks available in Virginia. It will have the limitations that all local sportsbooks have – no crypto and no in-state college betting – but other than that is a completely fine option for anyone looking to wager on sports in VA.

Barstool Sportsbook

Barstool Sportsbook is famous for high hold percentages, which means you should be very careful about accepting any of their odds without shopping around first. In Virginia, they are not allowed to offer odds on college basketball, college football, or any other college team that plays in the state of VA.

Golden Nugget Sportsbook

Golden Nugget Sportsbook was one of the best sportsbooks in Virginia for bonuses. But, they have since stopped operation. DraftKings shut down the book due to their acquisition of Golden Nugget. This happened in May 2022.

Bet365 Sportsbook

As the newest sportsbook in Virginia, bet365 has yet to launch. But, they are looking to be live before 2022 ends. They earned their license under Hillside (Virginia) LLC after Golden Nugget closed. Once paperwork is final, bet365 will launch as the newest Virginia online sportsbook.

WynnBet Sportsbook

WynnBet, run by casino giant Wynn, is a very reasonable online sportsbook for players in the state of VA. It has the typical downsides of a sportsbook that is located in VA, such as no crypto, no esports and no college betting, but it is one of the better versions of a sportsbook like that for VA players to use.

UniBet Sportsbook

UniBet Sportsbook is a great option for bettors in VA, although it does come with the expected issues that happen at every state regulated VA book. You cannot use cryptocurrency with UniBet, nor can you wager on in-state college sports as well as esports and politics/entertainment betting. If you’re willing to live with this, UniBet is very good at most other areas of sports betting.

PointsBet Sportsbook

PointsBet Sportsbook is a great online sportsbook for VA bettors to use, and it’s a great online sportsbook in general. You can access a lot at PointsBet, although you are giving up some things by choosing to use a retail book. For example, you can’t bet on esports or in-state college games at PointsBet.

FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel Sportsbook is one of the biggest sportsbooks in the entire country, and it’s a top option in VA. It does have the typical drawbacks of a VA sportsbook, such as not accepting cryptocurrency and not offering in-state betting. An upside is that it comes attached to a great DFS operation as well.

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings is a very popular and well regarded sportsbook for VA players. With a large variety of wagers, solid bonuses, and a lot of different ways to wager, it’s one of the best regulated books in VA. Of course, any regulated book will have less wagers available than a comparable offshore book, and this is true of DK as well.

Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars Sportsbook has been making plays with the goal of attaining increased market share in Virginia, which means you can get solid bonuses with them at the moment. They still do not offer in-state college betting, or any kind of politics or entertainment betting, which puts them behind the offshores available in VA.

BetRivers Sportsbook

BetRivers is a solid sportsbook for anyone in VA to use, thanks to their well-executed and implemented sports betting app. However, they are limited in terms of the wagers they are allowed to offer compared to any offshore sportsbook. If you’re insistent on using a regulated book, BetRivers is a solid choice.

BetMGM Sportsbook

BetMGM is a great online sportsbook that has been opening up around America in recent years. Run by MGM Resorts, one of the biggest gambling companies in America, it has a lot of money to burn when it comes to player acquisition, meaning they can offer very solid bonuses. While it does have all the downsides of regulated books, it’s still a very solid option in Virginia.