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You still won't be able to bet on in-state school teams or games that feature them in the Commonwealth of Virginia, unless of course you have a local bookie or you bet with a popular offshore sportsbook.
The House General Laws Committee voted to table Senate Bill 576, 18-4. The legislation had passed the state Senate earlier this month, 23-17.
This means you can't place bets on your beloved Cavs, Hokies or those dastardly Richmond Spiders in college basketball through a state-regulated app. These include DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, Wynn, Unibet and PointsBet.
But State Sen. T. Montgomery Mason, a Democrat and main sponsor of the bill, assured Virginians would eventually be able to bet on in-state schools using one of these apps some time in the future, even if it is not this year.
Mason, who says he is not a gambler, realizes the commonwealth is losing out to the offshore sites and local bookies.
“I don’t give a lick about revenue,” he said, adding he wanted to ensure all bets were “traced.”
VA lawmakers are also attempting to push through a bill that would make it a violation subject to a $50,000 fine to promote a bastardized version of the beloved slogan "Virginia is for Lovers" as "Virginia is for Bettors".
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
