Virginia Betting Laws & Guide

Legal sports betting in Virginia was a surprise to many people because it is one of the few states with zero casinos, commercial or tribal, operating in the state. In the spring of 2018, PASPA was overturned, and the first bill was put forward in November of 2018. This saw the legalization of online sports betting with the introduction of multiple sportsbooks.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Virginia?

Yes, online sports betting is live and legal after it launched in January 2021. There are 13 sportsbook apps, and more are on the way. The Virginia sports betting market has launched one retail betting sportsbook, with more expected to debut in 2022 and 2023. However, online sportsbooks are a popular choice for many, and they come with a wide selection of options, promotions, and bonuses for new users in the state.

What Betting Sites Are Legal in Virginia?

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings offers extremely competitive odds across an enormous market depth. Every day, you can find exciting betting offers, including exclusive odd boosters, risk-free wagers, and more. This is the sportsbook that offers the biggest deposit match bonus.

Caesars Sportsbook

This sportsbook offers plenty of bet types to bettors, and it is also very generous with its bonuses and promotions, including its reward program. However, compared to other sportsbook apps, Caesars is rather basic.

Up to $1,250 back on your first bet when you join Caesars here

BetMGM Sportsbook

This sportsbook offers Virginia bettors tons of prop bets and frequent promos. The sportsbook also has a clean and intuitive software interface that is great for new users. BetMGM Sportsbook Virginia has more sports to bet on than you will find anywhere else.

$1,000 Risk-Free Bet for all new BetMGM players here

BetRivers

BetRivers offers one of the best apps for sports betting in a manner that is similar to a live sportsbook. Some of the bets offered provide live streaming of the games on which you are wagering. Most importantly, BetRivers has the leading customer support in the industry as the reps are available from 9:30 am to 2:00 am every day.

New BetRivers players get up to a $500 free bet

FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel was the first sportsbook to debut in Virginia. The sportsbook offers smooth navigation and same-game parlays far more prominently than other sportsbooks in the state.

PointsBet Sportsbook

The main feature of this sportsbook is PointsBetting. This feature upends the standard spread or total bet by determining your win or loss depending on how much your bet is right or wrong. As a result, you can enjoy big returns or losses.

New PointsBet players get 4 x $200 in free bets when they join here

Unibet Sportsbook

This is the best sportsbook for newer bettors who just started wagering on sports. The sportsbook offers a ‘training wheels’ site that explains what you need to do to place a bet. The best feature of this app is that you can access multiple odds boosts.

Sports Illustrated Sportsbook

SI Sportsbook has a long list of sports events you can choose from, especially when it comes to in-play wagers. Apart from the plenty of betting options, you enjoy a fantastic connection to Sports Illustrated. You can also enjoy a range of markets, including live betting opportunities.

Barstool Sportsbook

You can get access to many flexible parlay betting options on this sportsbook that offer a wide variety of betting types and multi-parlay wagers. In addition, the withdrawal and deposit methods provided are of high quality. You will also enjoy a very interactive betting experience.

Betway Sportsbook

The Betway Sportsbook Virginia offers an assortment of popular sports lines like the NBA, EPL, and more. The betting site is built for security, and it is certified by multiple sources.

Hard Rock Sportsbook

This sportsbook offers plenty of betting options to choose from. More specifically, there are multiple live betting opportunities offered from high-profile leagues to lower-level leagues in sports like basketball. In addition, their website is optimized for mobile devices.

WynnBET Sportsbook

Bet365 Sportsbook

Virginia Sports Betting Rules and Regulations

The Virginia Lottery was given the power to permit new betting markets as warranted. The division of sports betting licenses highlights the following. The new law stipulates that a minimum of four casinos will be under construction, with five licenses for retail casinos. Moreover, there will be a maximum of 12 online-only licenses issued at any one time, with a maximum of 18 permits made available.

In addition, one license has to be issued for a professional sports team with headquarters located in Virginia. Additional licenses will be reserved if a professional sports team chooses to relocate to Virginia. The amount issues should also aim at maximizing the tax revenue. Operators have to get a three-year license, which initially costs $250,000. However, a recent amendment calls for a $50,000 fee per principal within an organization. A principal is anyone who has a 5% or more ownership stake in the company.

The sports betting bill requires certain things that pro sports leagues have lobbied for. For instance, the bill requires that all sportsbooks should provide leagues with real-time data. The bill also stipulates that wagering on both professional and college sports is legal, but it is not legal to place a bet involving in-state college teams. You must be 21 or older to bet on sports betting in Virginia.

Best Mobile Sportsbooks Available in Virginia

DraftKings Sportsbook- this is the best sportsbook for DFS players who want to place bets

Caesars Sportsbook- best for new users

BetMGM- best for new bettors and MGM reward points

BetRivers- this sportsbook offers the best deposit bonus

FanDuel Sportsbook- this is the best sportsbook for iOS and Android App

PointsBet- this is the best sportsbook for parlays

Unibet Sportsbook- this is the best if you want a risk-free bet

Sports Illustrated Sportsbook- this is the best sportsbook for vigs.

Barstool Sportsbook

Virginia Sports Betting Promos

FanDuel Bonus

The FanDuel Sportsbook promo code sign-up offer unlocks a $1,000 No Sweat First Bet offer for new players. This means if you make any bet of up to $1,000 and you lose, you can get your wager amount back in the form of betting credits. In addition, for all parlays of five legs or more, the house will refund you up to $25 if one leg of the parlay loses. In this instance, all other portions of the parlay ticket must win.

Get your $1,000 No Sweat First Bet by clicking here and joining FanDuel

DraftKings Bonus

DraftKings offers a $50 free bet bonus with only a deposit of $5. The sportsbook also offers a 20% deposit match bonus of up to $1000. When you use the sportsbook’s promo offer, the amount you will receive in bonus credits is directly related to the size of your deposit. Therefore, to receive the maximum bonus, you will need to deposit $5000 and wager $25,000 over the course of 90 days. To receive the minimum, you will need to deposit $5 and wager $25 to receive a bonus credit of $1.

New DraftKings players get a deposit bonus up to $1,000

SugarHouse Bonus

SugarHouse offers a welcome bonus of $250, which is a deposit match. The deposit match requires you to bet or play through a certain amount of money before being able to withdraw the bonus amount. For instance, to earn a $250 bonus, you will have to wager $2500. SugarHouse has the lowest play-through requirement, which allows you to cash out a $250 deposit match after you wager the same amount, just $250.

What Are the Sports to Bet on in Virginia?

You can legally bet on major sports leagues, including:

• NFL

• NHL

• NBA

• MLB

There are some restrictions placed on betting on college sports. You cannot wager on any Virginia college and university action. There is also no prop wagering on college sports.

Virginia Sports Betting Tips

Understand value

A bet only has value if the odds earn an outcome that pays off more than it should. Therefore, before you start betting, you first need to understand what valuable bets are. You should go through guides that explain how to understand the value of betting so that you can understand things like parlays, teasers, and more.

Have a proper betting strategy

Even if you are a casual bettor, you should have a betting strategy you fully understand. You can just choose one strategy from the many available and work on understanding everything about the strategy. This is especially if you are looking to make long-term profits.

Divide your bankroll among multiple sportsbooks

This allows you to shop for the best odds. Again, comparing different sportsbooks allows you to enjoy the best first-time deposit bonus. Since multiple sportsbooks offer match deposits, you should take advantage of them all. This is especially if you have a small bankroll. Your edge will come from taking advantage of bonuses, not the money you are betting with.

Virginia Sports Betting Tax Rates

The tax rate in Virginia is set at 15%. This means that the state taxes 15% of each betting platform’s adjusted gross revenues. This is essentially the amount left over after the platform pays out winning bets. Most of that tax money usually goes into the state’s general fund. 2.5% of that money is set aside for a fund that helps people who are addicted to gambling.

Is DraftKings Sports Betting Legal in Virginia?

Yes. Customers in Virginia can place bets on a number of markets across professional and collegiate sports using the DraftKings sportsbook as of January 24, 2021. The sportsbook provides sports bettors in Virginia the opportunity to bet on more than 250 unique leagues, including popular professional sports such as baseball, football, golf, hockey, and more. DraftKings Sportsbook technology keeps customer information safe and secure and provides built-in responsible gaming measures like deposit limits. In addition, DraftKings sportsbook and daily fantasy products are available via iOS and Android.

Is FanDuel Sports Betting Legal in Virginia?

Yes. FanDuel had a partnership with the Washington Football Team, and this allowed the sportsbook to launch its online sportsbook before anyone else in the state. The sportsbook went live in Virginia on January 21, 2021. FanDuel offers its customers customizable one-game parlays. The sports betting operator has a three-in-one app that allows you to bounce around from sports betting, casino gaming, and DFS. The sportsbook mobile app is compatible with both Android and iOS.

Virginia Sports Teams

• Fredericksburg (Baseball)

• Loudoun United FC (Soccer)

• Lynchburg Hillcats (Baseball)

• Norfolk Admirals (Hockey)

• Norfolk Tides (Baseball)

• Richmond Flying Squirrels (Baseball)

• Richmond Kickers (Soccer)

• Salem Red Sox (Baseball)

• Washington Commanders (Football)

• Washington Capitals (Hockey)

• Washington Nationals (Baseball)

• Washington Wizards (Basketball)

Latest Virginia Sports Betting News

• The first retail sportsbook was opened in the state of Virginia, and it is referred to as Hard Rock Sportsbook.

• According to the Virginia Lottery, bettors have wagered a total of $5.3 billion on a wide variety of sports events that were approved by the state.

• Bet365 Sportsbook received a temporary license in the state of Virginia. Regulators will have to test the sportsbook app before the company can get a full license and take bets from bettors.

• The Bristol Casino, which is the only operational casino in Virginia, will be the future home of Hard Rock. The casino has set aside $400 million to start the construction of the casino.