Virginia iGaming Regulation Progresses With House Bill 161 Introduction
2025 was a quiet year for iGaming regulation in the US. Several states introduced anti-sweepstakes bills, and Missouri saw the introduction of online sports betting at the beginning of December.
However, Rhode Island remains the last state to regulate online casinos. It passed the required legislation in 2023, with casinos going online in March 2024.
Several states mooted the idea of regulation, including New York and, crucially, Virginia, but none progressed beyond the early stages of discussion.
Senator Mamie Locke did put forward Senate Bill 827 at the start of the year, but she withdrew the proposal by the end of the month, saying there needed to be further investigation into the proposed changes.
Bill Fundamentals
This year has seen Del. Marcus Simon put forward House Bill 161 with the same aim of regulating iGaming in the state.
Under the terms of the bill, the state’s five licensed casinos would be permitted to apply for licenses, with each being permitted up to three skins, giving a potential of 15 online platforms.
Each licensee would be required to pay $500,000, with each skin paying an initial license fee of $2m.
The licenses would need to be renewed every five years, at a cost of $250,000 to the licensee and $1m per skin.
Furthermore, a tax of 15% would be paid on adjusted gross gaming revenue, and licensees would need to meet the usual customer age and verification checks.
Overcoming Obstacles
The bill also moves to ban sweepstakes casinos. Currently, there are no sweepstakes casino restrictions in the Mother of States, and this is often seen as a precursor for the regulation of online casinos.
Another precursor to industry regulation is having an established retail casino industry. On that front, Virginia is only really partway there.
The state passed a law in 2020 allowing the licensing of five casinos. All five licenses have been awarded, but only three of the five casinos are built and operational.
The two remaining venues are not expected to open until at least 2027, and this may prevent legislation from moving forward.
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As such, this year’s push is seen by some parties as a means of testing the water.
If the bill does go ahead, however, it will also see online poker legalized, with Virginia added to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
The agreement was initially established by Nevada and Delaware in 2014, with New Jersey (2017), Michigan (2022), West Virginia (2023) and Pennsylvania (2025) joining later.
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It enables players from these states to face off against one another in player pools, greatly increasing the number of players that can compete at online tournaments and tables.
Membership increases liquidity in the market.
The improved competition and pool size enable poker sites and tournament organizers to offer greater pots as well as enhanced competition choices.
