Virginia lawmakers advanced a real-money online casino gaming legalization bill out of its initial committee, a key first step to bringing regulated iCasinos to the state.
- Virginia lawmakers advanced an online casino bill after adding strong problem gambling protections and consumer safeguards.
- The bill allows each of the state’s five casinos to partner with up to three mobile iGaming operators, with $2-million fees and live dealer studio requirements.
- The measure now moves to the Senate Finance Committee, with key debates on financial impact, jobs, and brick-and-mortar casino effects.
Legislators in a Senate committee moved the bill forward Wednesday after narrowly voting not to recommend it during a subcommittee hearing last week. Several members who didn’t vote for the bill advancement recommendation said ahead of the vote that they backed the bill after lawmakers included additional problem gambling protection measures.
Sen. Jeremy McPike said the revised bill’s protections were “more prescriptive in the statute, probably more than any other state.” A supporter of iGaming legalization, McPike abstained from the subcommittee vote but said he could back the measure after the consumer protection and problem gambling elements were added to the bill.
“The legal market is incredibly predatory and must be reined in,” McPike said.
Bill details
The updated bill includes explicit, enforceable statutory duties of state regulators and iGaming providers, including automated detection of problem gambling behavior, McPike said. That includes escalation of interventions and formal licensing plans that require automated triggers for problem gambling alerts set off by player data.
The bill also includes a three-phase intervention process that includes proactive communications about responsible gambling as well as easy access to tutorials for more assistance. Lawmakers earlier removed provisions that would allow players to use prepaid cards or credit cards.
VIRGINIA iGaming: SB 118 advances out of the General Laws Committee on a 9-6 vote. In the last few days the bill was updated with stronger RG protections. The bill now heads to the Senate Finance Committee. #iGaming #ConsumerProtection
— John A Pappas (@yanni_dc) January 28, 2026
If passed, Virginia’s five brick-and-mortar casinos would be allowed to partner with up to three third-party mobile iGaming operators apiece. Lawmakers are considering separate legislation that could allow additional casinos.
Each mobile platform would pay a $2-million fee. The brick-and-mortar properties would also be required to open live dealer studios within the state.
Virginia would be the ninth state to approve real-money iGaming and the fifth with a competitive market, following New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan.
Next steps
The Senate General Laws Committee voted 9-6 to advance the bill to the Senate Finance Committee, which will evaluate the legislation’s financial benefits and consider sending the measure to the full Senate floor. The split vote underscores the divisive nature of online casinos, a gaming offering that has also split the gambling industry.
National iGaming operators Caesars and Boyd Gaming, which both operate Virginia brick-and-mortar casinos, testified in support of the bill earlier this month. The companies said iGaming would attract new customers without hurting existing brick-and-mortar revenues and their accompanying taxes, a key sticking point in iGaming discussions nationwide.
Cordish Companies, another Virginia casino operator, refuted the testimony and argued before lawmakers that iGaming would hurt brick-and-mortar casinos’ taxable income, cost existing jobs, and lead to increased problem gambling. Cordish, operator of Live! Casino Virginia, has led the industry-led campaign against iGaming in statehouses across the country.
Virginia’s other two operators, Rush Street Gaming and Hard Rock International, have not publicly testified.
Organized labor members have said they could back the legislation if additional assurances were included that guaranteed existing job protections. Union opposition was a key factor in a failed Maryland iCasino bill last year.
The Finance Committee will likely take the bill up next month. Should it advance out of committee and through the full Senate, it would still need to pass through the House of Delegates and survive a potential gubernatorial veto.
