Virginia Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting is legal, regulated, and available to customers 21 and older in Virginia.
The Virginia Lottery regulates online sports betting to ensure licensed sportsbook operators adhere to strict consumer protection and responsible gambling regulations.
On this page, you’ll find a comprehensive Virginia online sports betting guide, covering everything from the top sportsbook apps and how to get started to the specific state regulations and laws that shape the market.
Virginia Sports Betting Apps
Virginia bettors have a wide selection of online sportsbooks to choose from, each licensed and in good standing with regulators.
The full list of legal Virginia sports betting sites includes:
- Bet365
- FanDuel
- BetMGM
- Caesars Sportsbook
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- ESPN Bet
- BetRivers
- DraftKings
- Sporttrade
- Bally Bet
- Hard Rock Bet
Several online sportsbooks have withdrawn from Virginia due to obtaining limited market share: Betr Sportsbook (July 2025), Betfred (October 2024), Betway (July 2024), SuperBook (July 2024), SI Sportsbook (June 2024), Unibet (April 2024), WynnBET (August 2023).
Virginia Sports Betting Overview
If you’re new to sports betting, this brief section will walk you through the essentials: who can bet, how to fund your sportsbook account, and which types of wagers are (and aren’t) allowed.
Eligibility & Location
- Must be 21 or older and physically located within Virginia state lines.
- Remote registration and funding allowed; no in‑person verification required.
Deposits and Withdrawals
- All Virginia betting sites support ACH/e‑check, debit card, PayPal, bank wire, and cash at partner casino cages.
- Other standard Virginia sportsbook deposit methods include Apple Pay, Venmo, PayNearMe, and Play+ Card
- Licensed online sportsbooks in Virginia must honor customers’ withdrawal requests within ten days unless there is a pending integrity investigation or unresolved player-operator dispute.
Permitted Wagers
- Professional and college sports (no VA teams), Olympics, and esports
- Pregame and in-play betting
Restricted Wagers
- No betting on Virginia college teams.
- No prop bets on individual collegiate athletes
- No wagers on youth or amateur sports (U‑18).
Responsible Gambling Tools
Licensed Virginia betting apps must support responsible gambling by:
- Providing custom deposit and loss limits
- Offering mechanisms to initiate temporary cooling‑off periods
- Maintaining voluntary self‑exclusion programs
- Prominently displaying the 1-888-532-3500 helpline
Virginia Sports Betting Bonuses and Promotions
Legal betting sites provide a range of promotional offers to attract new customers.
The most common types of Virginia betting bonuses are “Bet & Get” deals (e.g., bet $5, get $150 in bonus bets) and “No Sweat Bet” offers (e.g., get a refund paid as bonus bets if your first wager loses).
Typically, licensed online sportsbooks describe their bonuses accurately and disclose all caveats upfront. You won’t find the blatant types of bait-and-switch bonuses commonly advertised by illegal offshore sportsbooks.
In fact, the Virginia Lottery has established specific regulations to ensure promotional offers are fair, transparent, and advertised responsibly.
Under 11VAC5-70-240 and 11VAC5-80-140, all Virginia sportsbook bonuses and advertisements must:
- Not be misleading or false
- Clearly state all material terms and conditions
- Not suggest the odds of winning are greater than they actually are
- Include responsible gambling messaging
- Not take longer than 90 days to deliver the advertised incentive to new customers
Retail Sportsbooks in Virginia
Virginia law allows retail sportsbooks at casinos, qualifying motorsports race tracks, and professional sports venues.
Currently, three casinos and one stadium offer in-person sports betting:
- Fanatics Sportsbook at Northwest Stadium
- BetRivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino Portsmouth
- Hard Rock Sportsbook at Hard Rock Casino Bristol
- Caesars Sportsbook at Caesars Virginia in Danville
Sportsbooks at Casinos
Separate legislation passed in 2020 approved the construction of up to five brick-and-mortar casinos in Virginia. Each of five cities that met certain population and economic criteria held referendums for voter approval to build casinos.
Five cities met the criteria outlined in the casino law:
- Danville
- Bristol
- Richmond
- Portsmouth
- Norfolk
Land-based casinos are operational or under construction in all five cities, and each may offer in-person sports wagering.
Sportsbooks at Racetracks
Racetracks that host NASCAR may also apply for Virginia sports betting licenses.
Lawmakers originally passed a bill excluding motorsports tracks from participating in sports betting. However, Governor Northam returned the bill with a suggestion that lawmakers rephrase the bill to give race tracks a place in the market.
The General Assembly accepted the governor’s requested amendments and passed the bill into law.
Under the law, two race tracks qualify to apply for licenses or to partner with licensed sports betting operators on marketing:
- Martinsville Speedway
- Richmond Raceway
Sportsbooks at Professional Sports Facilities
Virginia sports betting law allows NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, and NBA franchises, as well as the operators of professional sports facilities in the Commonwealth, to apply for licenses.
Additionally, any franchises headquartered in Virginia and that pay $200 million or more in taxable wages are to be given “substantial and preferred consideration” when applying for sports betting licenses.
Substantial and preferred consideration is also given to facility operators that meet the following qualifications:
- The facility is where a professional sports franchise plays five or more regular-season games per year;
- The facility operator is headquartered in Virginia;
- The facility operator has an annualized payroll of at least $10 million in Virginia; and
- The facility employs more than 100 people
Virginia Sports Betting Laws
Virginia legalized sports wagering in 2020 via Senate Bill 384 and House Bill 896. The full text of the law can be found in the Code of Virginia under § 58.1-4030 et seq.
The VA sports betting law tasked the Virginia Lottery Board with overseeing sports betting, issuing regulations, and processing licensing requests. The Board quickly got to work, approved the necessary regulations to govern sports betting, and issued the state’s first sportsbook licenses within nine months.
The law sets a minimum age of 21 to bet on sports and permits up to 12 Virginia online sports betting licenses not tethered to casinos, plus retail sportsbooks at qualified venues.
The law also allows the lottery to issue additional licenses to any NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, or NBA team that relocates to Virginia and any racetrack that hosts NASCAR races.
Licenses issued to sports franchises or racetracks do not count toward the 12-license maximum. Additional legislation (SB 1254 and HB 1847) approved in Q1 2021 clarified that the Lottery Board may issue up to 12 standalone online betting licenses in addition to licenses issued to casinos and sports venues.
Virginia Sports Betting Taxes and Licensing Fees
Virginia sports betting licenses are issued at a cost of $250,000 and are valid for three years. Licensees must also pay a non-refundable fee of $50,000 for each principal employee, potentially adding significantly to the total licensing cost for operators.
Licensed operators are also subject to a 15% tax on adjusted gross revenue.
Official League Data
Licensed sports betting operators are required to purchase official data from the major sports leagues to settle all in-play wagers, as long as such data is provided on “commercially reasonable” terms.
Virginia Sports Betting Timeline
After Virginia legalized online sports betting, the Lottery Board moved quickly to implement the law:
- July 2020: Virginia online sports betting law takes effect. The Lottery Board releases draft regulations for public comment.
- September 2020: Virginia Lottery Board approves the final sports betting regulations.
- October 2020: Lottery receives 25 sportsbook applications.
- January 2021: Lottery Board begins issuing go-live authorizations, and legal sports betting begins. FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, and DraftKings launch in the following days.
- July 2022: Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Bristol opens Virginia’s first retail sportsbook.
- January 2023: Caesars Sportsbook opens at Rivers Casino Portsmouth. Fanatics Sportsbook opens at the Washington Commanders’ stadium, the nation’s first retail sportsbook at an NFL stadium.
- May 2023: Caesars Sportsbook launches at the temporary Caesars Virginia location in Danville.
- November 2023: ESPN Bet replaces Barstool Sportsbook in Virginia.
- December 2024: Permanent Caesars Sportsbook location opens at Caesars Virginia.
- February 2025: A legislative effort (SB 124) to allow wagers on games involving Virginia colleges fails to advance, keeping the ban in place