When Could Online Casinos Launch in Virginia (March 2026 Update)

Online gambling in Virginia is currently listed to sports betting. However, Virginia online casinos may not be far behind. While online casinos in Virginia are not currently legal, efforts are being made by state lawmakers to change that.

With current bills progressing in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, iGaming in the state is closer than ever to becoming legal. Here’s a dive into what is currently legal in Virginia, what isn’t, and what other options are available to residents of the Old Dominion.

Are Online Casinos Legal in Virginia? (2026)

As it currently stands in March 2026, online casinos are illegal in Virginia. That means you cannot play real money casino games from your phone or computer in the state. However, the state has had legal online sports betting since January 21, 2021. Virginia sports betting currently has a dozen different online sportsbooks operating.

Legalizing iGaming in Virginia seems closer than ever, as some real momentum has picked up when it comes to legislation that was introduced to start the 2026 legislative session. Currently, Virginia House Bill 161 and Virginia Senate Bill 118 both call for online casino gaming to be legalized.

Each of the respective bills have passed through their chamber. HB 161 needed two attempts, but passed 67-30 to advance to the Senate. SB 118 also needed two attempts, but passed 19-17, to advance to the House.

What Current iGaming Legislation Includes

Each bill calls for Virginia’s three-land based casinos to be able to issue up to three online casino licenses to different operators. Two retail casinos that will be opening later in 2026 would also be eligible to issue three licenses, each. Virginia would institute a 20% tax on each online casino operator’s adjusted gross revenue (AGR). Originally, these bills called for a 15% tax rate. Oversight of Virginia casinos online would be done by the Virginia Lottery.

Each retail casino will be issued a $2 million platform fee and each operator would be required to pay a $500,000 licensing fee. Licenses would last for five years, with the option of renewing at half the cost.

In HB 161, tax revenue from Virginia iGaming would largely go to the Virginia General Fund. It would receive 89% of the revenue until January 2037. From there, it would jump up to 95%. A Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund would receive 5% of the revenue. An Internet Gaming Hold Harmless Fund would receive 6% of the revenue until Jan. 1, 2037.

For SB 118, 3% of tax revenue would go to the Gaming Regulatory Fund, 2% allocated to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, and 95% allocated to the Modern Public Education Fund.

The one main difference between the bills is that HB 161 calls for legislation to pass through both the Virginia House and Virginia Senate in 2026, as well as 2027. The original Senate Bill did not call for that, however the Virginia House has now added it to the bill as a substitute upon considering it.

Problem Gambling, Cannibalization Concerns from Virginia iGaming

Previous efforts to legalize VA online casinos have been met with a fair amount of opposition. SB 118 was essentially introduced in 2025, but delayed into 2026 as the Senate subcommittee on Gaming wanted to further study the impact online casino expansion could have on the state.

Multiple lawmakers and advocacy groups have stressed iGaming would create greater problem gambling issues and more gambling-related crime. The Cordish Companies, which has rights to one of the upcoming Virginia land-based casinos, has also publicly opposed expansion over concerns of cannibalizing the retail sector.

Proponents of online casino expansion cite the additional tax revenue the state could receive from the industry. Projections say iGaming could generate around $800 million in additional revenue after five years.

Likelihood of Virginia Online Casinos Passing in 2026

Virginia is making good progress toward legalization. However, there is clearly still some resistance.

The advancement of both bills out of their chamber indicates that many lawmakers see the benefit in legalizing iGaming. Should an agreement not be reached in 2026, there’s definitely momentum building for it to happen in an upcoming year.

The House will continue to push for its provision, even wanting to see it added to the Senate Bill should it move over to the House for a vote. The fact that these bills are both moving through means the state is seriously considering legalization, but 2027 seems like a more realistic goal.

What VA Online Casinos Would Include

Should the state of Virginia eventually legalize online casinos, residents can expect to have access to a wide variety of games. That includes online slots, progressive slots, table games, and live dealer games.

When it comes to different slots, most legal states feature thousands of options. That includes classic slots, video slots, multi-payline slots, progressive jackpot slots, and more.

For table games and live dealer options, most legal states include the following options:

• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Buffalo Blitz
• Coin Flip
• Craps
• Crazy Time
• Dice
• Roulette
• Sic Bo
• Three Card Poker
• Ultimate Texas Hold’Em

Virginia Online Casino Bonus Offers

Currently, there are no available Virginia online casino bonuses as iGaming is not yet legal in the state. However, should VA online casinos become legalized in the future, there will certainly be bonus and welcome offers available to new users upon launch.

Virginia online sportsbooks have a wide variety of welcome offers available to new customers, as well as promos for current customers. Online casinos in Virginia would follow suit.

When it comes to promo code offers and bonuses from online casinos in the US, most include things like deposit matches, bonus spins, casino credits, 24-hour loss back credits, and more. You’d also be eligible for loyalty rewards if an operator has an existing program. Many US online casino operators automatically enroll customers into programs that crossover with retail casino play.

Available Online Casino Options for Virginia Residents

While Virginia doesn’t have legalized online casinos, seven states currently do offer legalized iGaming. That includes neighboring West Virginia. Currently legal iGaming options include:

• Connecticut online casinos
• Delaware online casinos
• Michigan online casinos
• New Jersey online casinos
• Pennsylvania online casinos
• Rhode Island online casinos
• West Virginia online casinos

Along with these seven states, Maine online casinos were just legalized early in the 2026 legislative session. Though there is a current legal battle over who will be allowed to offer iGaming, Maine should eventually become the eighth state to launch online casino gambling in the US.

In the meantime, if you find yourself in a legal online casino state and are looking for a welcome bonus to utilize, consider these options below.

Legal Action Against Unregulated Virginia Gambling

Virginia is making a strong push to keep all forms of gambling regulated and taxed in the state.

Sweepstakes Casinos are currently operating in Virginia under the current legal framework, but that could change if the Virginia Gaming Commission is established. Many lawmakers would like to see a stricter form of regulation put in place than what the Virginia Lottery currently upholds as the state regulator. Should a gaming commission be created, sweepstakes casinos could see harsher regulations, or get forced out of Virginia altogether. Should iGaming ever become legalized, sweepstakes casino will likely see an eventual exit.

Another growing gambling platform, prediction markets, are also active in Virginia despite legal battles around the US. These platforms, like Kalshi, are regulated under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal establishment, as opposed to being under the watch of Virginia regulators.

Currently, SB 661 is being considered in the state Senate. This bill would define what skill game machines are considered while also calling them into regulation for taxing.

Virginia is a legal online lottery state as well. The regulator offers online purchases of draw games and instant games.

Online Casinos in Virginia Timeline

Though progress is being made on legalizing iGaming in Virginia, there’s a difference between getting online casinos legalized and when a Virginia online casino launch would occur.

In most cases, the time from legalization to launch has been around 1 year.  This is because once legalization occurs, the state still needs to establish regulatory requirements with its governing body, as well as issue licenses to each operator.

Operators will need time to get their online casino apps and platforms up to the requirements of the state, while also establishing proper geofencing to limit play of their casinos to people only located in Virginia.

As a reference, here is a look at how long it took each state to launch online casinos after legalizing them.

Only two of the seven states managed to launch their online casinos in the same calendar year as legalizing them. With the current legal debate, should Virginia pass online casinos at some point in 2026, it’s likely an official launch wouldn’t be until 2027. Should legalization not occur until 2027, launch of online operators likely wouldn’t be until 2028.

Legal Gambling Options in Virginia Today

While iGaming isn’t quite yet legal, there are a lot of available gambling options to Virginia residents right now.

Online Sports Betting

Virginia currently offers 12 online sportsbooks. Should online casinos become legal in Virginia, many of the same operators would be available for iGaming.

• Bally Bet Sportsbook
• Bet365 Sportsbook
• BetMGM Sportsbook
• Betr Sportsbook
• BetRivers Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook
• Sporttrade Sportsbook
• theScore Bet Sportsbook

Retail Sports Betting & Casinos

Along with online options, the current retail sportsbooks and casinos are also available for in-person wagering in Virginia.

• BetRivers Sportsbook: Located at Rivers Casino Portsmouth
• Caesars Sportsbook: Located at Caesars Virginia Casino in Danville
• Fanatics Sportsbook: Located at Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent and Riverboat on the Potomac in Colonial Beach
• Hard Rock Sportsbook: Located at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol

Virginia Online Lottery

Virginia is one of over a dozen US states that offers legal purchases of online lottery tickets through their state lottery.

The Virginia Lottery website and mobile app offers residents and people located within the state to purchase tickets for draw games like:

• Mega Millions
• Powerball
• Cash 5
• Cash 4 Life
• Pick 5
• Pick 4
• Pick 3
• Cash Pop
• Keno
• Bank a Million

On top of that, customers also have over 150 different online instant games available to choose from.

West Virginia Online Casinos

Of the neighboring states, only West Virginia has legalized iGaming in its borders.

Should residents want to opt for making a drive across the border, they have a wide range of available operators. That includes top names like:

• BetMGM
• BetRivers
• Caesars Palace
• DraftKings
• Fanatics
• FanDuel
• Golden Nugget
• Hollywood Casino

Each operator will have its own respective online casino bonus for new users. Some of the top available offers include the Hollywood Casino bonus and the Golden Nugget Casino bonus.

Virginia Online Casino FAQ (March 2026)