Virginia is for lovers, but that love shouldn’t be conflated to include sports betting, according to state lawmakers.
The state General Assembly has passed legislation prohibiting gaming companies from using the phrase “Virginia is for Bettors” in their advertising. Violators would be subject to a fine of at least $50,000. The phrase is a variant of the popular state tourism slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers.”
Senate Bill 96 passed the state Senate by a unanimous 40-0 vote on February 8. The bill, which was introduced by Sen. Thomas Norment Jr. (R-Williamsburg), also won the unanimous approval of the House Committee on General Laws (GL) on February 24.
SB 96 initially faltered in the House of Delegates, which rejected the bill by a 67-32 vote on Tuesday, but the House agreed to reconsider the bill shortly after the first vote was held and it passed by a 58-35 vote on Wednesday. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his signature.
Two other gaming bills that would have allowed wagers on Virginia colleges and universities, excluding props bets, were defeated.
SB 576 was introduced by Sen. T. Montgomery “Monty” Mason (D-Williamsburg) on January 12. After surviving votes by two Senate committees, the full Senate gave its approval in a 23-17 vote on February 15.
But SB 576 and its companion — House Bill 1127, introduced by Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Richmond) — ran into a buzzsaw in the House of Delegates. The House GL Committee voted to table the former by an 18-4 vote on February 24, while Subcommittee #3 did likewise with the latter on a 6-2 vote on February 1.
Seven Democrats joined 11 Republicans in torpedoing SB 576, while five Republicans and one Democrat joined forces to scuttle HB 1127, according to official tallies.
Representatives for Mason and VanValkenburg did not return calls seeking comment. The defeat of SB 576 means in-state wagers on UVA and Virginia Tech will remain illegal for now.
A fourth bill, HB 1103, called for prohibiting Virginia sportsbooks from excluding what it spends on bonuses and promotions from their taxable revenue after the platform has been live for 12 months. The bill, introduced by Del. Mark Sickles (D-Franconia), died in a House committee without any vote taken on its merits.
VA Sports Bettors Drive Record Handle in January
While lawmakers debated changes to the state’s gaming enterprise, Virginia sports bettors drove a record $485.5 million handle in January, according to data from the Virginia Lottery.
The Lottery said handle totaled $485,544,417 in January, up 13.8% month-to-month ($426.6 million). The 11 sportsbooks currently live in the Old Dominion collectively generated $18.2 million in adjusted gaming revenue, up 80% from December 2021 ($10.1 million).
Tax revenue totaled $2.9 million in January, up from $1.7 million the month before. Operators spent $16.9 million on tax-exempt bonuses and promotions in January, which is a little less than the $17.1 million they spent in December.
The regulator does not separate revenue by operator. The 11 live sportsbooks are Bally Bet, Barstool, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sports, DraftKings Sports, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, PointsBet, Unibet, and WynnBET. Betway and SI Sportsbook are expected to launch in VA by the end of the month.
