Virginia to try and legalize online casinos

Virginia is looking to possibly become the latest state that has legalized online casinos in the United States. iGaming legalization has been a difficult proposal to sell to legislators all over the country, with only six states offering online casinos in the country as of 2025.

However, this list may be expanding after news surfaced that Sen. Mamie Locke used the opportunity of the holiday lull to pre-file a new draft law, Senate Bill 827, that seeks to lay the groundwork for the legalization of iGaming in the state.

Virginia looking to capitalize on online casinos

Virginia already has and offers sports betting, so adding online casinos ought to be at least a slightly more familiar process. Challenges abound, as opposition to expanding online casinos is usually fueled by fears that the land-based sector would suffer.

In the meantime, lawmakers in both Louisiana and Maryland seem set to attempt the same thing in 2025, hoping to perhaps sway fellow legislators and pass online casino bills. Back to the draft law in Virginia, however, SB 827 is looking to tie the existing brick-and-mortar casinos to an online license.

This means the Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, CaesarsVirginia, Boyd Gaming Norfolk, and Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia could all get first dips on the market.

The bill argues that each of these properties will be able to hold up to three "skins," the term referred to the number of brands that can partner with each physical property to gain market access.

SB 827 already plans to rake in a good amount of money for the state should it pass, with license fees costing $1 million and any license obtained this way available for a period of five years. The tax, though, may be a little low, set at 15% on the gross revenue of both the website and apps operated by the casino companies.

Casinos split over legalization with some supporting it, and others not

Overall, the passage of the bill would be a hard one. Companies such as Boyd Gaming and Caesars who have experience in iGaming already may be seen as generally better disposed towards the legalization of online casinos but others, such as the Cordish Companies have been long-standing opponents of any such expansion.

This position has been echoed across state borders, with the Cordish Companies also taking aim at the proposed online casino legalization in Louisiana, where the company’s General Counsel, Mark Stewart, has said that the arrival of iGaming options would reduce the available traffic on physical casino floors to unpredictable consequences.

Image credit: Unsplash.com