• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

Virginia Is For Sports Bettors? Two Bills Making Moves

House and Senate take action on internet-only bills with data mandates

Jill R. Dorson by Jill R. Dorson
January 30, 2020
in Regulation
va sports betting

Aerial panorama of Norfolk Virginia by night. Norfolk is the second-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach and the host of the largest navy base in the world. (Shutterstock)

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

When the D.C. Council in December 2018 approved legal sports wagering, it did so with the idea that it would capture the regional market well ahead of neighbors Virginia and Maryland. More than a year after that vote, D.C. is still a few months away from having live sports betting, and it might be time for the District to start looking over its shoulder.

Twice in the last two days, Virginia lawmakers have taken action on sports betting bills  — one each on the House and Senate sides. Both would legalize only mobile sports betting and require the use of official league data.

On the Senate side, Jeremy McPike’s SB 384  moved out of the General Laws and Technology Committee to the Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. The bill, which makes the Virginia Lottery the regulator, caps the number of mobile licenses at 10, but also requires a minimum. From the bill: “The Director shall …  issue an amount of permits that he determines will be most likely to maximize tax revenue collected pursuant to § 58.1-4037. ”

Lawmaker trying to avoid a monopoly?

Calling for a minimum number of licensees could be in response to how other state lotteries have acted when tasked with regulating sports betting. For example, in New Hampshire, where the lottery was also named regulator, DraftKings won a monopoly on retail and mobile sports betting late last year. Under the new law there, up to 10 retail and five mobile licenses could have been issued.

During Wednesday’s subcommittee meeting, the tax rate in the bill on gross gaming revenue was lowered from 20% to 15%, which is considered by operators to be at the very top edge of what’s manageable from a business perspective.

SB 384 also includes a mandate for the use of official league data. As is also found in legislation around the country, the bill calls for official league data to be available for “commercially reasonable terms,” though no state has yet defined what that means. So far, three states — Tennessee, Illinois and Michigan — have legalized sports betting with a data mandate, but the concept hasn’t been put into practice, although Michigan has given some contours for reasonableness standards. No state with live sports betting has the data requirement.

House bill resembles Senate version

On the House side, the Gaming Subcommittee on Tuesday voted to combine HB 896 and 911 and refer the combined bill to the General Laws Committee, which sent it to Appropriations with a 14-3 vote on Thursday.

HB 896, which is the bill that would be moving forward, would legalize mobile sports betting only, and is similar to a 2019 bill, which was also authored by Democrat Mark Sickles. At the time, Sickles said Virginians want sports betting online and didn’t want casinos popping up around the state. This version of the bill would allow for wagering on pro sports only, includes a data mandate, sets the betting age at 21, sets a 20% tax on gross gaming revenue, and makes the Lottery the regulator. HB 911, which will no longer stand alone, called for a 10% tax rate, so it’s likely the tax rate will be negotiable throughout the legislative process.

The bill would also make it legal for the Lottery to sell tickets via the internet.

Virginia lawmakers weren’t able to move sports betting forward last year during a short session. This time around, they’ll have about a month longer to act. The session ends on March 8.

ShareTweetShare
Jill R. Dorson

Jill R. Dorson

Jill has covered everything from steeplechase to the NFL and then some during a more than 30-year career in sports journalism. The highlight of her career was covering Oakland Raiders during the Charles Woodson/Jon Gruden era, including the infamous “Snow Bowl” and the Raiders’ 2003 trip to Super Bowl XXXVII. Her specialty these days is covering sports betting legislation across the country. You can reach Jill at jill@bettercollective.com

Related Posts

Virginia December 2022 revenue report
Industry

Virginia Sportsbooks Top $50 Million For Fourth Straight Month

February 1, 2023
bet365-mobile-app
Industry

Bet365 Goes Live in Virginia, Now Operational In Four States

January 31, 2023
Load More

Top Stories

garnett mgm springfield

Sports Betting Launches In Massachusetts, Giving Three Retail Books A Head Start

January 31, 2023
rob gronkowski adam vinatieri

Rob Gronkowski Goes Training Montage Route In Latest FanDuel Spot

January 17, 2023
fanatics-grand-opening

Fanatics Sportsbook At FedEx Field Offers Unique Retail Option In Maryland

January 23, 2023
Shutterstock

Missouri Legislators Lament Exodus Of Bettors To Neighboring States

January 27, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – Where To Play, Bonus Offers And Promo Codes

by Brian Pempus
February 2, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
February 2, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
January 17, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
October 20, 2022

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
October 6, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

gambling therapy
ncpg
igaming ontario
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (MI/NJ/OH/PA/WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).
19+. Please play responsibly. Terms and conditions apply. 
Individuals must be 19 years of age or older to participate in igaming in Ontario. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. If you, or someone you know, has a gambling problem in Ontario and wants help, please visit ConnexOntario or call their helpline at 1-866-531-2600. Operators on this website operate pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario.

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News

loading

Please wait while you are redirected to the right page...

Please share your location to continue.

Check our help guide for more info.

share your location