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Virginia Sports Betting

Virginia Sports Betting FAQ’s. Below are answers to the most popular questions we get surrounding the Virginia sports betting market. Virginia should be a fairly straight-forward launch for sportsbooks, as many of their policies mirror what we saw in other states. “Vendor or sports betting vendor” means a person within the Commonwealth of Virginia who is engaged by, under contract to, or acting on behalf of a permit holder to provide sports betting-related goods or services that directly affects sports betting in Virginia.

When will VA sports betting sites launch?

The first app to launch in Virginia was FanDuel Sportsbook. The site went live on Jan. 21, 2021. DraftKings Sportsbook opened up three days later. There are now five betting apps to choose from:

  • BetMGM
  • BetRivers
  • DraftKings
  • FanDuel
  • William Hill

Virginia lottery officials, which are in charge of regulating online sports betting in VA, remained tight-lipped about which sportsbook operators have applied for licensure in the state. Given the lottery’s secrecy around the process, the launch of FanDuel came as a huge surprise to just about everyone.

Sports

While the Lottery won’t confirm which applicants they are considering, several sportsbooks have announced their intentions in Virginia:

  • PointsBet: Mentioned its Virginia application during an October 2020 earnings call
  • WynnBET – Announced plans to partner with NASCAR at its tracks and indicated that the company had applied
  • Hard Rock : Confirmed as sports betting partner for future casino property in Bristol
  • theScore Bet: As reported by Legal Sports Report

Other sportsbooks that could potentially launch

Several other sportsbook operators have indicated some level of interest in Virginia as well, though they have not confirmed an application. The following operators issued at least one comment to the Virginia Lottery during its public comment period for its published rules:

  • Penn National Gaming (Barstool Sportsbook)
  • USBookmaking
  • Handle 19
  • IGT (technically a technology provider, but certainly a stakeholder)
  • Kambi (technically a technology provider, but certainly a stakeholder)
Va sports betting rules

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. The tribe will be the force behind the Norfolk casino and will partner with the owners of the eventual casino in Richmond. Although it’s unknown exactly how or when the tribe will come to the table, it is certain to do so.

What to expect from VA Sportsbooks

According to Virginia state law, lottery officials must choose at least four applicants to operate as online-only sportsbooks. They could license as many as 12, and those licenses are in addition to the five casino licenses and the one sports franchise license.

When you decide you want to give online sportsbooks in Virginia a try, you will be able to access them through either your phone or your computer. Every sportsbook worth its salt now has app versions for both Android and Apple users. They also maintain a browser version for the computer folks to use.

Regardless of how you choose to access your site of choice, the first thing that you’ll have to do is confirm your physical location inside the state of Virginia. Sportsbooks use sophisticated software to carry out this task, so let’s discuss how geolocation verification works.

How geolocation verification works and what it means

Both state and federal law prohibit placing sports bets across state lines. Believe it or not, this prohibition stretches all the way back to the Kennedy Administration in the early 1960s.

Virginia Sports Betting Law

Authorities place the burden for confirming your location in Virginia squarely on the shoulders of each sportsbook operator. So, the betting sites in VA each use geolocation verification software to pinpoint the physical location of your device.

If you are using a smartphone or tablet, the app will likely use your onboard GPS to aid in this task. If you are using a computer, you will likely be required to download a program called GeoComply or something similar so that the sportsbook can confirm your location.

This requirement may seem a bit invasive and off-putting to you. However, each sportsbook has their licensure on the line with enforcing this requirement, so you’ll either comply with the request, or you won’t be allowed to wager.

Virginia Sports Betting News

Virginia sports betting features and options

Despite the fact that competition will be extremely fierce between the different sportsbooks, each operator’s app will share many different attributes with every other sportsbook. Ironically, it makes more sense this way because it reduces the learning curve for customers who are making the switch.

So, almost every sportsbook will have this format:

Virginia Sports Betting Launch Date

  • Top banner(s): Tabs for the most popular sports, live betting, and odds boosts. You may also be able to see an option for promotions here.
  • Left column: A list of the sports onsite. At the very least, the most popular sports will be listed, and the list will either be completely comprehensive or will have an option entitled “Sports A-Z” that will lead you to the full list.
  • Middle column or area: Featured wagers or live betting options will be in this region. If the game(s) you wanted to bet are quite popular options, such as the Super Bowl or some other championship, you’re likely to find them here, and you won’t have to do any searching.
  • Right column: Almost always, the right side of your display will contain your betslip. It will auto-populate as you make your selections. If you plan on making a parlay wager or one of its variants, you’ll be able to do so here. The betslip is also where you can take advantage of any Cash Out options the sportsbook offers.

Now, there may have been a few terms in those descriptions that give you pause.

Live betting is a form of wagering that takes place on games already in progress. They are, by definition, proposition wagers, but they offer you the chance to increase your exposure and/or hedge against bets that are making you nervous. Sportsbook technology means that you could potentially see more than 100 bets for every single game, including options for the outcome of individual plays.

A cash out option is a feature that may appear while a game is still happening and your bet hasn’t settled. The sportsbook will offer you a slightly reduced payout in exchange for closing the wager out early. The sportsbook wants to do so in order to save money – it is already anticipating that you are likely to win. However, you may want to take the reduced pay because it helps you to guard against any kind of late collapses or comebacks that could spoil your bet.

Only the most unknown professional sporting events will not be available somewhere in Virginia. Even esoteric options like Irish hurling, futsal, and bandy are staples of online sports betting site.

Virginia Sports Betting Launch Date

You will also be able to use a variety of methods for banking with the site. Credit cards, e-checks, e-wallets like PayPal or Skrill, online bill pay, or prepaid cards are just some of the options that you will have. Some sportsbooks may even offer options to use cash for an online deposit.