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Written by: Filip Gromovic Reviewed by: Nashon Khamala
The state of Virginia has an interesting history when it comes to legal gambling. In this article, we look at the history, the laws relating to legalized gambling and what the future holds. Casino promotions updated: 05/13/2025
The current laws don’t allow for online casino gambling, thus, making Virginia a non-online casino-friendly state. This is despite legalization proposals in the last couple of years to see this work. Going by the action in the legislative wing, it appears that talks on this will extend to the next year, 2026. Whether the outcome would be as expected or not is a topic we look at in-depth in this article.
Just like most states that prohibit casino gaming, Virginia spells out some of the accepted forms of gambling. These are also available across the regulated online gambling sites VA.
It’s worth mentioning that the control of each of these aspects lies with different authorities. That being said, here are some of the legal gambling options open to residents.
One wouldn’t be surprised that horse races are legal in the state. The history dates back to 1996 when the legal nod was given to allow for both pari-mutuel and horse race wagering activities.
At the time, it was limited to physical or offline locations, especially at licensed racetracks. Things looked up for that market when, in 2007, the Virginia Racing Commission, which had been created for this purpose back in 1996, took charge of regulating the now legal online horse racing market. It ensures that residents wager on games held out-of-state and within the state and bets must be placed with licensed operators.
DFS is a popular form of online gambling in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates it.
It became legal in the year 2016 under the Fantasy Contests Act, which ensures transparency and the protection of consumers participating in fantasy contests. This particular Act was enacted in 2016 and made the state of Virginia the first in the United States to recognize the addition of fantasy sports into the legal gambling options.
The latest addition came in 2011, when sports betting on online gambling sites VA became allowed. The gambling options extend to in-game bets, wagering on the outcome of professional sports and college sports.
The Virginia Lottery, the agency tasked with regulating casinos, lottery and sports betting within the Commonwealth, is in-charge here. It was constituted in 1988 and initially started out with offering draw games and scratch-off tickets.
Real money casino games are not permitted at online casinos Virginia. This is because legislative efforts to enact laws haven’t come to pass.
Hopefully, in the 2026 legislative year, things might take a different turn, especially with the SB 827 bill.
Virginia has an interesting rundown of events leading up to the current legislative attempts. Here’s a breakdown:
In a rare move, the Virginia General Assembly, in 1973, recognized charitable gaming. This ended the decade-long gambling restrictions, which restricted most activities to small-scaled gaming activities. The law permitted nonprofit organizations to engage in raffles and bingo gambling.
Over a decade later, precisely in 1987, a referendum saw the approval of a state-run lottery program. This would climax in the institution of the Virginia Lottery a year later to oversee these activities.
Then, in 1996, horse races were legalized and bets were allowed. It’d be followed up by the creation of the Virginia Racing Commission to regulate both the pari-mutuel and horse racing markets.
The 21st century marked the beginning of a more positive tone for online gambling in Virginia. It started with the legalization of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) in 2016, and the legalization of retail casinos in 2020.
Hopes for Virginia online casinos mounted after the legalization of online sports betting in 2021. This is why, in December 2024, the first bill seeking to recognize online casino Virginia operations was pre-filed by Senator Mamie Locke. The Senate Bill 827 also aimed to regulate online casino activities in the state.
A month later, in January 2025, the bill proposed a timeline for implementation, but didn’t see the light of day because it was halted.
It’s hoped that the 2026 legislative year brings something positive, especially for the application commencement and launch of the online casinos seeking to operate in Virginia.
Online sports betting, which became legal in 2011, is allowed on many operator online gambling sites VA, including FanDuel, Hard Rock Bet, BetMGM, Bally Bet and DraftKings.
It must be mentioned that these platforms are allowed to offer everything else except for youth sports and college sports team bets.
This is the first legalized gambling market in Virginia, dating back to 1973. Nonprofit organizations are permitted to host anything from duck races to bingo and raffles.
Bets on horse races are allowed. This must be done on licensed online gambling sites VA and wagers can be placed on off-track betting facilities too.
Lotteries, under the regulation of the Virginia Lottery, are available for multi-state games, scratch-off tickets and daily draws.
Casino Gambling – Traditional casino games offered at physical locations are allowed. The approved brick-and-mortar casinos began springing up between 2023 and 2024 in selected cities. They’re permitted to offer casino gambling services.
Traditional casino games offered at physical locations are allowed. The approved brick-and-mortar casinos began springing up between 2023 and 2024 in selected cities. They’re permitted to offer casino gambling services.
The place of skill-based games, especially those modeled after casino games, is under contention. While not yet legally recognized, they hold a place in the hearts of Virginia residents who want to tap into online slots Virginia and other such markets.
Some online casinos Virginia operate in the state and even though not yet recognized, offer some of the best game collections. In this section, we look at some of the best online casinos in Virginia.
Hello Millions operates on a sweepstakes model, which allows for no real money commitments. Rather, players are selected and allowed to play casino-style games without requiring payment.
As a sweepstakes online casino Virginia, it serves as an alternative for residents in Virginia to play games like blackjack, slots and poker, even in an unlicensed jurisdiction.
The game categories cut across jackpots, slots, megaways and cascading reels. Unlimited play, which allows unending action and extended playtime, is available with these two titles:
The online casino Virginia also has Exclusive GC Slots, which are three slot games playable with Gold Coins (GC). The titles are:
Play Spree Limited owns Spree, a social casino incorporated in the Isle of Man and optimized to offer extensive online slot game selections to Virginia players.
This is the hub to hundreds of slots, including the new titles and classics like:
These slots are sourced from leading software companies that provide titles for online casinos Virginia, such as 3 Oaks Gaming, Relax Gaming, Microgaming and Habanero.
Up to 10 Spree Coins are offered when any of your friends sign up when they sign up with your referral link.
Turn to Ignition if you want to have all online casino games in one place. Bamboo Media operates it. Ignition Casino is licensed and regulated as a brand under the name of Arachis Media Limited. The Anjouan Gaming Board licensed and regulated it.
For the content, the platform has a choice selection and boasts of over 300 slot titles and a host of other games, including poker tournaments at this online casino Virginia and table games.
Other categories are:
Tao Fortune is the online casino Virginia for bonuses, including free Gold Coins. Up to 100,000 units of Tao Coins are up for grabs when you make an account.
Signing up is simple. Use any of the provided options:
Those who wish to purchase more coins can do so for $19.99, which fetches 600,000 units of Tao Coins.
Slots of Vegas is an online casino Virginia operating primarily to bridge the gap between U.S. residents, especially those who are unable to access money online casinos. From Virginia, you can use this site to play anything from slots to table games. The over 240-game catalog promises to offer some of your favorite titles and a collection of new ones you’d love to check out.
This online casino Virginia is the best for prize pools for these reasons:
For improved gameplay, it has a dedicated mobile application and desktop application, which allows you to play on the go.
To get started, one needs to pick from our list of online casinos Virginia. Choosing a trusted platform is important and it often narrows down to your expectations.
Go for Spree if you want to play and wager on an abundance of online slots in Virginia. Otherwise, pick Slots of Vegas for access to a larger prize pool. Others are Hello Millions if you plan to play casino-style games, Ignition for all the casino games or Tao Fortune for more bonuses.
Now that you’ve chosen the best site, let’s proceed to the next stages.
Create an online casino Virginia account with basic information, such as email address, telephone number and full name, if the site requires that. Thereafter, confirm the email by clicking on the activation link sent to the registered email address.
There’s no real money on most of these online gambling sites VA. All you get are free Gold Coins (GC) or the native coins peculiar to the sites.
While some are offered freely, others may require you to make a minimum deposit to qualify.
Armed with the GCs, you can now play the games for fun. If you have sweep coins, which are native to the platform, you can use those to enter sweepstakes. That’s where you get a chance to win some money from participating in blackjack, slots and some other table games.
The amount won can then be converted into prize money withdrawn from Virginia online casinos. It’s also possible to redeem the winnings in the forms of:
Despite the fact that real money online casinos are not yet available in the state, residents can still rely on casino-style games offered at sweepstakes, social casinos and land-based casino facilities.
Generally, you can play and bet on anything from table games to slot machines at brick-and-mortar casinos. On social casinos and sweepstakes online casinos Virginia, you have the options to do that on:
On the website, the Virginia Lottery, the sole regulator of gambling in the state, classifies the types of games one can also play. They include:
As of the time of writing, there are three (3) casinos currently operating in Virginia, not counting these Virginia online casinos. It’s to be noted that the facilities began springing up just two years ago, with the first being Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which opened on January 23, 2023.
Ever since then, two others have opened. The second was the opening of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol on November 14, 2024. It was closely followed by Caesars Virginia, which opened up its doors to residents on December 17, 2024.
Currently, some other facilities are under construction, preparatory to opening their doors to the public to come and play. Leading the pack is HeadWaters Resort & Casino, which would be located in Norfolk. It’s set for a temporary opening in November 2025 and a full-scale operation from September 2027.
Below is a full list of what the three functional land-based casinos in Virginia offer:
| Name of Land-Based Casino | Location | What It Offers |
| Rivers Casino Portsmouth | 3630 Victory Blvd., Portsmouth | Six electronic table games, 1,400 slot machines, a poker room with 24 tables and a sportsbook featuring football, MMA racing and hockey. |
| Hard Rock Hotel & Casino | 500 Gate City Hwy, Bristol | This casino opened in November 2024 and has since offered a plethora of entertainment options ranging from over 1,500 slot titles to 12 table games with different variations attached. It also offers live poker action. |
| Caesars Virginia | 1100 W. Main St. Danville | This is the latest land-based casino in Virginia, opened in December, 2024. The 100,000 square feet gaming facility houses 1,500 slot machines, 79 table games and a poker room that operates for 6 hours every day. |
As the rules set out by the Virginia Lottery, the laws and regulations guiding the operations of gambling facilities and operators in the state are strictly followed through. In this section, we look at some of the applicable laws and why they matter.
The organization stipulates that online casino Virginia gaming activities shall not be legal in the country, except some important requirements are met. These include:
Only residents who are twenty-one years of age at the time will be allowed to participate in online casino Virginia gaming when it’s legalized.
The Virginia Lottery recognizes the illegality of online casino gambling at this time. As such, the organization requires residents to refrain from participating in it, pending when a referendum is done and a bill enacting it into law is passed.
Consequent to that, the following actions constitute illegal online casino Virginia gaming:
Only licensed online casinos Virginia are allowed to offer online gambling in the state. The land-based facilities need approval from the Virginia Lottery to operate. This is, of course, after a referendum tilts towards the favor and the law permitting the same is enacted.
Let’s look at the differences between offshore and on-shore or legal gambling sites in Virginia.
Legal gambling sites in the state are regulated by the Virginia Lottery. The offshore ones are regulated not in Virginia and most probably not in the United States, but in other jurisdictions.
Legal online gambling sites VA offer sports betting, horse races, daily fantasy sports and prohibit youth sports and online casinos. This is unlike offshore sites that offer casino-style games, including video poker, slots and table games like blackjack and craps.
Virginia is one of the states with an unregulated gambling market, especially as it pertains to online casinos. Billions of dollars in annual revenue flow into the pockets of sportsbook operators and offshore casino operators.
As such, the few online gambling sites VA legally operating in the state report their winnings, at the expense of many unreported incomes from illegal operators.
Real money wagers are obtainable at sports betting sites and land-based casinos. The online sites don’t offer such.
Therefore, residents are either limited to the few available options or throw their hat into the ring and seek out other websites where they can play for real money.
Offshore betting online gambling sites VA allow users to connect from anywhere, even with a smartphone. Except for online legal sportsbooks in Virginia, residents need to be physically present at the locations to wager.
You already know that the floor is open to accept wagers from residents from the age of twenty-one upwards. What are other applicable gambling laws that promote responsible gaming on online gambling sites VA?
Lotteries are legal in Virginia, but while it’s accepted, parents and guardians must be careful not to misuse the opportunity. The Virginia Lottery encourages responsible gifting in these ways:
Residents who participate in lotteries and other forms of accepted gambling options on online gambling sites VA must do the following:
The Virginia Lottery has a handful of resources to guide players through the phase of beating gambling addiction. These include:
Residents are also asked to be mindful of when gambling begins to interfere with their daily activities, for it might spiral into affecting their work life and relationships if not managed.
Senate Bill 827 (SB 827) was stalled, putting up the question of whether online gambling in Virginia will be extended to online casinos.
The tabulation in the early months of 2025 was to see the swift application of the laws to help kick-start the process of issuing licenses to online casino operators. If it had passed, the bill proposed a September 2025 deadline for the launch of operations and the empowerment of the Virginia Lottery to regulate the market.
Now, the outlook is for the 2026 legislative year. If passed, Senate Bill 827 proposes a direct enlistment of the four licensed casino operators to start offering online casino Virginia gaming services too. These operators are Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Caesars Virginia, Hard Rock Bristol and Golden Eagle Corporation.
The future of online casinos in the state is also subject to taxation, as proposed in SB 827. Operators are required to pay a 15% tax on annual gross revenue.
Filip Gromovic is a senior slots reviewer here at FreeSlots99 with over five years of experience evaluating the latest drops in the world of iGaming.
Being a slot fan himself, Filip approaches slot ratings just the way we like it – professionally, but also from a player’s standpoint.
That enables him to give his unbiased take on the slot’s features, gameplay and design, while only recommending top-tier releases to our readers.
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Having served FreeSlots99 for more than 5 years as a senior content editor and reviewer, Nashon Khamala has extensive knowledge in game slots and iGaming.
His membership in the Editorial Freelancers Association helps him deliver content that reaches both editorial excellence standards and an engaging information level.
By using his expertise in slots games combined with player-focused analysis, Nashon delivers a professional evaluation of slot features and player experiences in his reviews.
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