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For those looking to play with regulated online casino games in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, you might be out of luck...for now at least.
HB 161 allows for real money online casino gambling in the commonwealth and it passed through the General Laws Committee and on to the Appropriations Committee.
Great news, right?
Well, then this happened.
An amendment was added to the bill to include a stipulation that it would require passage through full Virginia legislature in both the 2026 and 2027 legislative periods to become law.
It's bad enough trying to get legislation passed through one process, consider the agony of having to do this twice.
The compatible Senate bill at least does not require the two legislative session amendment.
Those in Virginia can still play on sweepstakes casinos (for now) and those real money online casinos licensed outside the US. Neither are regulated by The Virginia Lottery Board.
Virginia has yet to crack down on sweepstakes casinos. Your Chumba and McLuck apps appear safe for the time being.
These platforms operate in a legal gray area — not licensed as gambling operators, but not currently illegal under state law. Some states do incorporate laws against sweepstakes specifically while others, like California, have pushed for outright bans that violate current gambling provisions.
Crypto casinos are the latest craze along with prediction markets as we move forward into 2026. Whether the likes of Kalshi or Polymarket decide to enter into the i-Gaming space remains to be seen. Crypto casinos typically do not require a Know Your Customer (KYC) registration provision, but a lot of these sites are not even licensed outside the U.S.
It's not all doom and gloom for Virginians looking to play casino games on DraftKings or FanDuel as both the House and Senate are moving along measures, and it is still early in the legislative period.
There's one small caveat.
Virginia's legislative session only goes through Mid-March.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
