Virginia Online Sports Betting Guide 2024

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Are you looking for Virginia sports betting experiences? With plenty of gambling choices out there – and with betting laws varying from state to state – it can be tricky to find a sportsbook that really works for you.

In this guide, I’ll take you through what you need to know about Virginia sports betting laws, the best sites to bet at, and whether you need to worry about the IRS. Think of it as your complete Virginia sports betting guide.

Once you’ve read to the end, you’ll be ready to explore the state’s betting markets and odds. Let’s dive into Virginia online sports betting and how you can get started.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Discover the facts about Virginia sports betting legislation.
• Find three brilliant sportsbooks in VA that you can bet online.
• Uncover some local betting spots to visit in Virginia.
• Learn more about the local VA sports betting scene.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal in Virginia?

Yes, online sports betting is completely legal in Virginia. A Virginia sports betting bill came into effect in 2021, introducing legal sports wagers for the first time. The state was one of several to take advantage of the PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act), which ended in 2018.

Specifically, the state approved amendments to bills HB 896 and SB 384, brought forward by Governor Northam, in April 2020. By January 2021, the state launched its first online sports betting sites, with retail betting launching by July of the same year.

Compared to the routes to online betting legalization that some other states have endured, Virginia’s approval of online betting was partially swift and smooth.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most important dates in Virginia’s betting history:

• 1973: Gambling was first made legal in Virginia.
• 1987: The state launched its first regional lottery games.
• 1989: Horse racing wagers were legalized.
• 2020: Online lottery and sports betting were legalized in Virginia.
• 2021: The state’s first authorized online sportsbook launched, and the first retail sportsbook also launched in the same year.
• 2022: Several cities across the state approved the launch of land casinos.

Want to know more about what US states allow online sports betting? Check out our complete guide.

10 Quick Facts About Virginia’s Sports Betting Laws

Now that you know the basics about Virginia’s sports betting laws, let’s break down a few interesting facts and figures:

1. Virginia’s law: The state’s betting laws are covered clearly in its document allowing online and in-person sports betting. Specifically, you’ll find that sports betting laws in Virginia are outlined in Article 2 of Chapter 40 in Title 58.1, within the Code of Virginia’s taxation laws. Especially, rules regarding wagering fall under the heading ‘Sports Betting’.
2. Legal age: Provided that you are at least 21 years of age, it’s legal for you to bet on sports in Virginia. This is an older betting age restriction compared to some states, but it’s in the interests of protecting impressionable people!
3. State borders: Virginia is bordered by five states with different sports betting laws. Here are their stances on online betting legality:
   • Kentucky: Legal to bet online and in person.
   • Maryland: Legal to bet online and in person.
   • North Carolina: Legal to bet online and in person.
   • Tennessee: Legal to bet online only.
   • West Virginia: Legal to bet online and in person.
4. Retail bookmakers: Virginia is home to a handful of retail sportsbooks. Since the passing of betting legislation, several land-based sportsbooks have opened in Virginia. These include:
   • Rosie’s at Colonial Downs, New Kent
   • Buckets Bar and Grill, Chesapeake
   • Rosie’s, Dumfries
5. Taxes: Much of your gambling winnings are taxed automatically in Virginia. Casinos and betting providers withhold a 24% federal tax on any amounts won by players. However, you need to pay an additional rate of income tax on any winnings between 2% and 5.75%, depending on the amount. You start paying once you’ve made a certain amount of household income. 
6. Online betting sites: You’ll find several online betting sites available in Virginia. Virginia’s top online sportsbooks include FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, BetRivers and bet365. We’ll take you through our top three a little further down in this guide.
7. Online casino gaming: Despite online betting and land-based casino gaming being legal in Virginia, players in the state still can’t place bets at online casinos as it is illegal. However, you can legally play at sweepstakes casinos.
8. Virginia Lottery Board: All sports betting licenses and regulations are overseen by the Virginia Lottery Board. This measure was put in place as a result of a Supreme Court decision made in 2018. 
9. College sports betting: Interestingly, you can place bets on college sports here, but not on college sports based in Virginia! Therefore, be careful before placing any wagers on events and markets taking place in-state.
10. Research programs: Universities benefit from gambling taxation in Virginia. Much of Virginia’s gambling taxation returns money to research programs based at universities across the state, and a small percentage goes toward the state lottery itself.

How to Bet on Sports in Virginia?

Here’s how to register and start betting on sports in Virginia, based on my experience at FanDuel:

1. Click ‘Join Now’ to start the process: To start registering at this particular sportsbook, I looked for the simple ‘Join Now’ button. Specifically, I found this on the Welcome Bonus page. With this sportsbook, I needed to pick Virginia from the list of states available.
2. Fill out an email and password: On the next screen, the site asked me to create a username and password and to add a valid email address.
3. Verify your details: At the next verification stage, most sports betting sites will ask you to confirm a few identifying details. FanDuel makes this pretty simple and swift, just like any other great sportsbook. I simply had to supply my date of birth and phone number. However, there’s an option to supply more details.
4. Verify your location: To make sure that you’re betting from within Virginia, sportsbooks will need to verify your location. FanDuel does this by asking you to install a free, safe plugin for your browser if you’re using a PC or laptop. Other sportsbooks may have different processes.
5. Start looking for markets: Log in and explore the sportsbook! Take a look at different sports from the navigation menus and select moneyline odds to place wagers. You’ll need to deposit funds to get started.

Top Virginia Sports Betting Sites and Apps

I’ve taken a good look through the top sportsbooks available in Virginia, and thankfully there’s a lot of choice available. Here’s my lowdown on the three best Virginia sports betting sites, with details on bonuses and usability.

FanDuel Sportsbook

• Welcome Offer: Up to $200 in bonus bets when your first bet of $5 wins.
• Minimum Deposit: $10
• Wagering Requirement: $5, then the bonus bet fraction of your winning stake.

FanDuel is the sportsbook I used as an example above, simply because it’s one of the easiest to navigate and bet from. The welcome offer here is pretty generous – just make sure that you choose a market that’s likely to win!

I really like using FanDuel because of its bright, pleasing interface and how simple it is to navigate different sports and markets. It’s also refreshingly easy to navigate on mobile.

Bet365

• Welcome Offer: A maximum of $1,000 in bonus bet credit, or a $150 credit if you bet $5.
• Minimum Deposit: $5
• Wagering Requirement: The bonus bet percentage in your winning stake.

Bet365 is a sportsbook that’s well-known around the world – and it’s great to see it doing so well in VA. This is a sleek, concise sports betting site that serves up its different sports and markets in a way that’s really easy to view on your first visit.

I think that bet365 has one of the best Virginia sports betting promos purely for its choice. If you want to make sure that you get bonus credit to play with, pay $5 and claim the lower amount.

BetRivers

• Welcome Offer: Up to $500 in bonus bets.
• Minimum Deposit: $10
• Wagering Requirement: The bonus bet amount in your winnings.

BetRivers is another Virginia sportsbook that does a great job of condensing many helpful menus and betting information. On desktop and mobile, it’s effortless to find your way around, and I’ve always found the customer support helpful here.

The Virginia sports betting bonuses here are straightforward, and although the deposit is higher than some sites, you benefit from a fantastic range of sports to use the credit on.

Popular Sports and Teams in the Virginia Betting Scene

Of all the states I’ve visited and betted in, Virginia is probably one of the most surprising when it comes to its sports scene! VA is a huge state with millions of sports fans – but there are no major league sports teams found here.

That said, the state is brimming with several sports teams playing in regional leagues. Therefore, if you’re keen to dive into local sports action in VA, you just need to look beyond the major leagues. For now, that is.

Baseball

Let’s start with baseball. One of the most notable baseball sides in Virginia are the Richmond Flying Squirrels, previously based in Connecticut and known as the Defenders. They’ve been in Richmond since 2009, and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants in the major league. 

Beyond Richmond, there’s also the Salem Red Sox, a team that has played baseball in the state since 1955! This team has been a Single-A minor league side since 2021 and has seven impressive minor league titles to its name. 

Fun fact: The team has also been known as the Avalanche, the Buccaneers, the Redbirds, the Pirates, and the Rebels!

There’s also the Fredericksburg Nationals, a Single-A team that started life as the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1984. They won a second-half title under their current name in 2022.

Ice Hockey

In ice hockey, VA hosts the Blue Ridge Bobcats, the Norfolk Admirals, and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. The 2023-24 season, in fact, has proven to be one of the Admirals’ best, with the team qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in its history within the ECHL.

Soccer

Believe it or not, VA is perhaps most prolific in soccer when it comes to local sports action. The state plays host to 10 professional teams, including Charlottesville Alliance, Virginia Beach City, and Virginia Dream, who play in the National Premier Soccer League.

Virginia Beach has been playing in the state since 2013, while the Dream was only founded in 2022! As you can see, there is plenty of local sports action to get into across VA. However, as mentioned earlier, it’s illegal to bet on college sports teams in Virginia if they’re playing within the state itself.

Therefore, if you’re interested in betting on college sports, it might be advisable for you to bet on college teams based in neighboring states such as West Virginia and Maryland.

The Impact of Local Teams on Sports Betting

Given that much of VA’s local sports action is minor league or college-based, there are fewer big markets for bettors here than in other states. That said, bettors in Virginia have continued to place bets online and offline on other sports and events taking place beyond the state lines.

According to statistics released by the lottery board, wagering in Virginia is said to have increased by nearly 26% from 2023 to 2024. This means that there’s certainly growing interest in betting here, but there are no clear indications that local teams are driving up the interest.

If anything, the state’s continued hybrid betting model probably helps to inspire bettors to take part in sports gambling. That is, it’s more convenient than ever for people to place bets at physical locations and through several online providers.

Upcoming Events

Want the latest Virginia sports betting news? Make sure to bookmark this page and keep your eyes peeled below for markets and events you might want to get into. The latest Virginia sports betting update will roll out here regularly.

Are There More Gambling Options in Virginia?

Yes, you can gamble on more than just sports events in Virginia – here’s a quick breakdown of some other popular legal options:

• Horse racing: It has been legal to bet on horse racing in VA since the late 1980s, and if you’re making parimutuel bets, you can take part from the age of 18.
• Lottery: The Virginia Lottery Board offers a range of jackpot lotto games that you can take part in either online or at physical locations. Again, you can play from the age of 18.
• Fantasy sports: Fantasy sports betting and prizes have been legal in Virginia state since 2016, with vendors such as FanDuel leading the way for markets.

Maximizing Your Bets

If you’re new to sports betting in Virginia, you’re going to want to make the most of your wagers. Here’s a sneak peek on how to get better at sports betting:

Tips and Strategies for Virginia Bettors

• Get into the betting mindset: Yes, believe it or not, betting is a mindset! It pays to focus on practical figures and statistics rather than on emotional or knee-jerk decision-making.
  I highly recommend that you take a look at teams and events you’d like to bet on in Virginia and really immerse yourself in the history and statistics. That way, you can help to inform your betting decisions more confidently.
• Check out betting sites’ credentials: Remember, there are only a handful of legal sportsbooks open for betting in Virginia. Therefore, it’s important to check out your chosen site’s regulatory notices before you get started.
  If something doesn’t feel right about your chosen sportsbook, or you can’t find any explicit details about legality or regulation, don’t register! 
• Keep a close eye on your betting bankroll: The golden rule to follow in any kind of betting is to keep a firm grip on the money you have available and to set yourself healthy limits. Only ever bet what you can afford to lose.

Many betting sites offer tools and programs through which you can exclude yourself from making bets or limit how much time you spend on sportsbooks. Take advantage of them if you feel that you need extra support.

Understanding Taxes and Payouts

By now, you’re probably keen to know, do you have to pay taxes on sports betting? Here’s what to know about VA taxation.

In Virginia, all betting sites need to apply a tax fee of 24% at the federal rate. This means that this amount is removed from your winnings before you receive them. However, you will then need to declare any winnings you make during gambling to the IRS in your annual returns.

• You must pay income tax on any money your household makes – even if it’s less than $3,000, there’s usually a fee of 2%.
• If you make more than $17,001, generally you’ll have to pay a standard rate plus a percentage, usually around 5.75%.

Remember, you must include gambling winnings as part of your income in returns to the IRS.

What About Physical Sports Betting Locations?

Thanks to the relaxation of sports betting laws in Virginia, there are now several locations where you can physically bet legally in VA. Here are three that I can recommend from experience.

Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, Colonial Downs

This gaming center is based at the popular Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent. Alongside sports betting, it offers hundreds of different on-site games.

Clean! Amazing! Wonderful! I seriously can’t say enough good things about this casino! The workers are some of the best I’ve seen! Incredibly friendly and always smiling. There is never any trash anywhere, and the food is honestly the best I’ve ever had at any casino! Keep it up Rosies!!!

S.B., From Google Review

Buckets Bar and Grill, Chesapeake

This is a famous restaurant, bar, and live music venue that also offers sports betting opportunities. You’ll find it on Battlefield Boulevard North.

Nice place. food was excellent. they have a room just for gambling. pretty cool first restaurant that I’ve been to that has that. plenty of room here.

G., From Google Review

Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, Dumfries

This is another of several Rosie’s locations in VA. This gaming location and betting center is open from early mornings in the Triangle Shopping Plaza.

Enjoyed Rosie’s Gaming Emporium very much, friendly staff and service. OUTSTANDING experience!

W.W., From Google Review

So, Will You Bet from Virginia Tonight?

Now you know all about Virginia’s sports betting laws, where you can gamble, and which sites and physical sportsbooks are worth your time and money. Be sure to use this information to start exploring the different betting experiences that Virginia has to offer the next time you visit! 

Want to know more about how to make the most of your bets? If you’re just getting started with betting in general, make sure to check out our complete guide to betting tools.