The legal options online in Virginia are sports betting, horse racing wagering and daily fantasy contests. Online casino and poker aren’t legal here yet. This guide covers what’s legal, who’s licensed by the Virginia Lottery, and what lawmakers are debating next.
Virginia was an early mover in online sports betting and remains one of the most efficient markets in the country. Mobile wagering launched in January 2021, and a 15% tax and a deep, competitive operator field make Virginia a strong, stable market. Lawmakers came close to adding online casino in 2026, and the fight resumes in the 2027 session.
In this article 16 sections
- Virginia gambling in numbers
- Is online gambling legal in Virginia?
- What you can play in Virginia
- Virginia rules you should know
- The best Virginia sportsbooks
- Popular bets and Virginia sports
- A mature, online-first market
- Bet types explained
- How to start betting in Virginia
- Online casinos in Virginia
- Sweepstakes casino offers in Virginia
- Horse betting in Virginia
- Virginia gambling taxes
- Responsible gambling in Virginia
- Virginia online gambling in 2027
- Virginia
Virginia gambling in numbers
| Online sports betting | Yes, since January 21, 2021 |
| Retail sports betting | Yes, at the Commonwealth’s casinos |
| Legal age | 21+ for sports betting and casinos |
| Regulator | Virginia Lottery (racing: Virginia Racing Commission) |
| Sports betting tax | 15% of adjusted gross revenue |
| Online casinos | Not legal; 2026 bills failed in conference |
| Sweepstakes casinos | Available; a ban bill was carried over to 2027 |
| Helpline | 1-888-532-3500 |
Is online gambling legal in Virginia?
Yes, for sports betting. Virginia legalized sports betting in 2020 and launched online wagering on January 21, 2021, regulated by the Virginia Lottery. You must be 21 or older and physically located in Virginia to bet, confirmed by geolocation. The market is overwhelmingly mobile, with retail sportsbooks at the state’s casinos. Real-money online casino (iGaming) is not yet legal, though it is actively debated.
What you can play in Virginia
Sports betting
Mobile betting on every major sport from around nine major licensed operators, led by FanDuel and DraftKings. Operator table, college rules and tax detail: Virginia sportsbooks.
Horse racing
Pari-mutuel wagering at Colonial Downs in New Kent, at off-track Rosie’s Gaming Emporium locations, and through licensed ADW apps. AmWager does not currently serve Virginia, so check each racebook’s state list before signing up. Our horse racing hub explains how ADW apps work.
Daily fantasy sports
Legal in Virginia, with DraftKings and FanDuel leading and pick’em apps such as PrizePicks and Underdog alongside.
Sweepstakes casinos
Available for now. SB 579 would ban online sweepstakes casinos with civil penalties of $10,000 to $100,000, but the Senate Courts of Justice Committee voted 14-1 in February 2026 to carry it to the 2027 session and asked the Virginia Lottery Board to study the industry. Partner offers are below.
Prediction markets
Kalshi-style exchanges sell event contracts under federal CFTC oversight rather than Virginia Lottery licensing. Federal appeals courts split in 2026, and Virginia sits in the Fourth Circuit. Our prediction markets guide follows the cases.
Lottery
The Virginia Lottery sells draw games, scratch-offs and multistate jackpots, and it offers online lottery play.
Virginia rules you should know
Virginia taxes operators at 15% of adjusted gross revenue, with 97.5% going to the General Fund and 2.5% to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund. The big rule for bettors: Virginia’s 2020 law barred bets on in-state college teams such as the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, and lawmakers have revisited the restriction since, so check each app’s current markets. The state also bars wagering on youth sports. Betting is built around mobile: the retail sportsbooks at the Bristol, Portsmouth and Danville casinos make up only a sliver of handle.
The best Virginia sportsbooks
Virginia licenses a deep field including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, Fanatics, BetRivers, Hard Rock Bet and theScore Bet. None of our sportsbook partners currently operate in Virginia, so there are no partner offers here; compare each book’s own promotions and terms.
Popular bets and Virginia sports
Virginia bettors play the standard markets: moneylines, point spreads, totals and parlays or same-game parlays. With no in-state major pro franchise, action concentrates on the nearby Washington Commanders, Capitals and Wizards, the wider NFL and NBA, college sports, and NASCAR at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway. The NFL drives the most handle.
A mature, online-first market
Virginia built its market around mobile from day one. When wagering launched in January 2021 there were no retail sportsbooks at all, and even today, after casinos opened in Bristol, Portsmouth and Danville, retail accounts for only a sliver of activity. That digital-first design helped Virginia scale fast and keeps the Commonwealth firmly in the upper tier of US markets despite its modest size. The competitive field has shifted over time (Betfred exited in 2024), but a deep field of operators remains.
The next frontier is online casino. In the 2026 session, SB 118 and HB 161 would have authorized real-money iGaming and eliminated online sweepstakes casinos. A conference committee was formed to reconcile the two versions, but it did not report anything before the session ended on March 14, so both failed. The state already has historical horse racing machines and a growing land-based casino footprint, which both strengthens the case for online casino and complicates it. For now, sports betting, DFS and horse racing remain the only regulated online options, so stick with Virginia Lottery-licensed operators rather than any unregulated offshore alternative.
Bet types explained
Most Virginia bettors get by with a few wager types. The moneyline backs a winner straight up, the Commanders for instance, and a point spread adds a margin to balance favorite and underdog. A totals bet shifts the focus to combined scoring, parlays reward players who tie several picks together on one slip (every leg must hit), same-game parlays do that within a single game, and futures plus live betting round out the menu as the odds move during play.
How to start betting in Virginia
Getting started takes minutes: confirm you are 21+ and physically in Virginia, choose a licensed app, and register with real details so identity checks clear. Deposit, set your limits before your first wager, and withdraw once any rollover terms are met.
Online casinos in Virginia
There is no way for Virginia online casino sites to run legally yet. That may change once lawmakers agree on a bill: in 2026 both chambers passed iGaming legislation but couldn’t reconcile their versions.
Online casino brands to watch
If Virginia legalizes, the first movers would likely be brands already running regulated casinos in nearby West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, such as FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, BetRivers and bet365. Our West Virginia online casinos guide shows what a regulated market next door looks like.
Land-based casinos in Virginia
The law allows a limited number of casinos in cities that approved them by referendum:
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, on the Tennessee line.
- Rivers Casino Portsmouth, run by Rush Street Gaming.
- Caesars Virginia, in Danville.
- HeadWaters Resort & Casino, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s project in Norfolk.
Colonial Downs and the Rosie’s Gaming Emporium network add historical horse racing machines across the state.
Sweepstakes casinos in Virginia
Until lawmakers act, Virginia residents can play casino-style games at sweepstakes casinos. You play for free with Gold Coins or similar, and Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for prizes under each site’s rules. No purchase is necessary. Some brands have already pulled back from the market ahead of possible legislation.
Sweepstakes casino offers in Virginia
Funrize AK · AL · AR · AZ · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MD · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OK · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
Welcome gift: 125,000 coins
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- FU
FunzCity AK · AL · AR · AZ · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MD · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OK · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
Welcome wheel: 125,000 Fun Coins
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- NO
NoLimitCoins AK · AL · AR · AZ · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MD · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OK · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
100,000 Gold Coins on sign-up + 10,000 for email
GET! code applied automaticallyRead our NoLimitCoins reviewVisit NoLimitCoins →No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Gold Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at NoLimitCoins.
RealPrize AK · AL · AR · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
100,000 Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins after verification
GET! code applied automaticallyRead our RealPrize reviewVisit RealPrize →No purchase necessary. 18+ (21+ where required). Not available in AZ, CA, CT, DE, ID, IN, LA, MD, ME, MI, MT, NJ, NV, NY, OK, TN, WA, WV. Full terms at RealPrize.
These are our sweepstakes partners that accept Virginia players:
- Funrize: welcome gift of 125,000 coins. No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; free-coin mode only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at Funrize. Read our Funrize review.
- FunzCity: welcome wheel of 125,000 Fun Coins. No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Fun Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at FunzCity. Read our FunzCity review.
- NoLimitCoins: 100,000 Gold Coins on sign-up plus 10,000 for email. No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Gold Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at NoLimitCoins. Read our NoLimitCoins review.
- RealPrize: 100,000 Gold Coins plus 2 Sweeps Coins after verification. No purchase necessary. 18+ (21+ where required). Not available in AZ, CA, CT, DE, ID, IN, LA, MD, ME, MI, MT, NJ, NV, NY, OK, TN, WA, WV. Full terms at RealPrize. Read our RealPrize review.
Horse betting in Virginia
Virginia online horse betting is legal through licensed advance deposit wagering, and pari-mutuel wagering in Virginia has been active for decades. Residents can bet in person at the track and at off-track Rosie’s locations, and the rise of ADW sites has let the online side flourish.
Colonial Downs
There is one racetrack open for live racing in Virginia. Colonial Downs in New Kent, between Richmond and Williamsburg, opened in 1997 and has held thoroughbred and harness racing during its history. It closed for five years before reopening in 2019, and its summer meet is known for its wide turf course. It also offers simulcast wagering year-round.
The Virginia Derby is the meet’s headline race for three-year-olds and draws leading owners, trainers and jockeys from up and down the East Coast.
Types of horse racing bets in Virginia
- Win: back the horse to win.
- Place/Show: back a horse to finish in the top two or three.
- Exacta/Trifecta: name the first two or three finishers in order.
- Quinella: name the first two finishers in either order.
- Multi-race bets: the Daily Double and Pick 3 to Pick 6 ask you to find winners across consecutive races.
Virginia gambling taxes
Report all gambling winnings. They count toward your Virginia income tax, which tops out at 5.75%, and your federal return, and larger wins trigger a W-2G. Federal withholding of 24% applies to many wins over $5,000. From the 2026 tax year, the federal deduction for gambling losses is capped at 90% of losses.
Responsible gambling in Virginia
The healthiest approach to Virginia betting is a fixed budget and the mindset that it is fun, never income or a way to win back losses. Licensed Virginia books build in deposit and time limits, cool-offs and self-exclusion, and the Virginia Lottery’s Voluntary Exclusion Program lets you bar yourself from every licensed sportsbook and casino. Free, confidential help is available 24/7 at 1-888-532-3500, the Virginia problem gambling helpline.
Virginia online gambling in 2027
iGaming gets another shot
SB 118 and HB 161 failed in conference in March 2026. The 2027 session opens on January 13, and an online casino bill is expected to return, likely paired with sweepstakes language again.
The sweepstakes study
SB 579 was carried to 2027, and the Virginia Lottery Board’s study group has research due December 1. If it recommends a ban, the earliest action would come in the 2027 session.
Prediction markets in the Fourth Circuit
With the Third, Sixth and Ninth Circuits split on Kalshi’s sports contracts, a Fourth Circuit case or a Supreme Court decision would decide whether Virginia can treat them as unlicensed betting.
Is online casino legal in Virginia?
No. Real-money online casino isn’t legal yet. Both chambers passed iGaming bills in 2026, but the conference committee failed to agree before the session ended on March 14.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Virginia?
For now. SB 579 would ban them, but it was carried over to the 2027 session pending a Virginia Lottery Board study.
Can I bet on Virginia or Virginia Tech?
Virginia’s 2020 law barred bets on in-state college teams, and lawmakers have revisited that rule. Check each app’s current markets before game day.
What is the sports betting tax rate in Virginia?
15% of adjusted gross revenue, with 97.5% going to the General Fund and 2.5% to problem gambling treatment.
Can I bet on horse racing online in Virginia?
Yes. Licensed ADW apps accept Virginia customers, and Colonial Downs runs a summer thoroughbred meet with year-round simulcasting.
Where can I get help for a gambling problem in Virginia?
Call the Virginia problem gambling helpline at 1-888-532-3500, free and confidential, 24/7, or enroll in the Virginia Lottery’s Voluntary Exclusion Program.
