GAMBLING

Virginia lawmakers consider restoring part of tax deduction for sports betting apps

BY: - March 14, 2023

When Virginia stopped letting sports betting companies deduct free-bet promotions from their taxable revenue last year, the state saw a significant bump in tax dollars. The industry wasn’t happy with the change, arguing policymakers were inhibiting the long-term potential of legal betting platforms by making it harder to attract new bettors and keep existing ones. […]

After controversial start of charity poker, Virginia might change the rules yet again

BY: - February 6, 2023

During a recent hearing on charity poker in Virginia’s General Assembly, one state senator said she was under the impression a bill to rewrite the state’s poker rules wasn’t all that concerning because the games wouldn’t involve too much money. Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Loudoun, asked if her understanding — that charity poker players would pay […]

Youngkin said to back push to reauthorize so-called skill machines in Virginia

BY: - January 18, 2023

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is tentatively backing a top Republican lawmaker’s proposal to reauthorize so-called skill machines in Virginia and use some of the money they generate to crack down on illegal gambling, according to multiple Capitol Square sources. That stance could potentially mean another reprieve for the slots-like games the state has spent years […]

COMMENTARY

As legislature mulls aid for problem gamblers, consider sweetening the pot

BY: - January 11, 2023

I’m not a betting man. I have little faith that the fates will bless me. I could put $10 on the sun setting in the west and somehow lose. But if I were, I’d wager that one of the easiest bills to pass in the 2023 General Assembly will be bipartisan legislation to create and […]

Virginia lawmakers want to create new state committee on gambling addiction

BY: - January 3, 2023

It’s gotten a lot easier to gamble in Virginia as the state and local governments chase extra tax dollars from the lottery, casinos, sports betting, horse racing and slots parlors. But that change has come at a cost for Virginians who struggle with impulse control or have a full-blown gambling addiction, according to a bipartisan […]

Lawsuit challenging Virginia’s skill game ban will continue into 2023

BY: - December 5, 2022

EMPORIA — A judge on Monday declined to dismiss a lawsuit claiming Virginia’s ban on slots-like skill machines violates free speech and indicated a state senator’s involvement in the case means it won’t go to trial until after the 2023 General Assembly session is over. At a hearing Monday morning in Greensville County Circuit Court, […]

Amid a surge of slots, bingo’s last gasps in Virginia

BY: - September 20, 2019

Two hours into a Sunday afternoon session at Pop’s Bingo World, the hall is less than a quarter full and the charity running the game is on track to lose more than $1,500 after all the jackpots are paid out. Everyone in the room knows bingo — once Virginia’s only legalized form of gambling and […]