Virginia legislators have actually presented legislation to create the state's first-ever gaming commission in a relocation that could help speed up additional video gaming growth.

- Lawmakers presented legislation to create the Virginia Gaming Commission, shifting oversight from the state lotto.

- Separate legislation would legalize real-money online gambling establishment video gaming, allowing brick-and-mortar gambling establishments to partner with up to three third-party iGaming operators.

- While the gaming commission expense currently has bipartisan support, iGaming faces political and industry opposition that could complicate passage in 2026.

The costs presented in both chambers today would reassign oversight of Virginia's casino, sports wagering, daily fantasy sports, and historic horse racing industries from the state lottery game to the brand-new Virginia Gaming Commission. This would have a negligible direct influence on Virginia sports bettors or DFS gamers, but it might assist stimulate further market development in a state that had opposed gambling for centuries.

Established in 1987, the Virginia Lottery was the very first modern type of "betting" legislated in the Old Dominion because its founding more than 400 years earlier. It was the logical government body to supervise the boom in new betting kinds in current years, and now lawmakers hope to expand oversight.

The Virginia Lottery would continue to exist. The new commission would oversee most other types of managed gaming.

Online casino capacity

The reorganization bill comes as Virginia is set to again consider real-money online casino gaming legislation. In a different proposal, Virginia would permit third-party iGaming operators to partner with brick-and-mortar casinos to use digital slots, table games, and poker.

If both bills are passed this year, the new commission would be set to manage Virginia's latest betting type. Virginia might be the ninth state to legalize real-money online video gaming and the second to do so this year, after Maine.

The Virginia Gaming Commission would also supervise prospective new brick-and-mortar casinos. The expense establishing the commission likewise lays out how new casinos could be authorized.

Virginia legislators have presented a bill that would legislate real cash online gambling establishment video gaming in the Commonwealth; would enable as much as 15 different iGaming operators, 3 to each of the 5 existing brick-and-mortar gambling establishments

In 2020, citizens in Danville, Bristol, Norfolk, and Portsmouth authorized the first 4 licensed in-person gambling establishments in Virginia history. After Richmond voters declined a casino, voters in Petersburg authorized the state's fifth video gaming center in 2024.

Several other Virginia jurisdictions, including Roanoke and Tysons, have actually considered casinos of their own. Any such growth would similarly require regional citizen approval.

The iGaming legalization bill allows brick-and-mortar casinos to partner with as numerous as three third-party mobile operators each. New in-person gambling establishments could possibly create an opportunity for much more iCasinos.

Passing bills no sure thing

The video gaming commission currently has bipartisan and bicameral assistance and may show noncontroversial as the state deals with a comparatively quick gambling growth after years of little activity. Passing another form in iGaming might prove more tough.

Online gambling establishment video gaming has dealt with stiff opposition in the majority of statehouses. Virginia lawmakers passed on major consideration in 2015 and deal with much of the very same political headwinds in 2026.

Some Democrats in your home of Delegates and Senate oppose gambling over fears it harms consumers, especially lower-income bettors. Democrats have bulks in both chambers and flipped the guv's mansion last fall.

Conservative anti-gambling voices also remain strong in the legislature, specifically among Republicans. Any iGaming legalization costs would likely require bipartisan support to advance.

The costs also faces opposition from some Virginia betting stakeholders.

Cordish Companies, which holds the Petersburg casino license, has vocally opposed iGaming, arguing it funnels residents' dollars to out-of-state companies at the expense of existing in-state jobs at the brick-and-mortar residential or commercial properties. The operator of a Maryland casino, its opposition helped tank a comparable legalization effort in Virginia's northern neighbor in 2015.

It stays to be seen whether Virginia can continue its gaming advancement with iGaming expansion. But gaming-related costs presented in the early days of the state's 2026 legal session highlight lawmakers' growing interest in the industry.