Virginia Ban on In-State College Betting Not Likely to End Anytime Soon

The Virginia state House does not support allowing Virginia sportsbooks to take bets on in-state colleges, at least not yet. Multiple House members have voiced opposition to the prospect.

SB 576, advocated by state Senator Monty Mason, was tabled by the House’s General Laws Committee last Thursday after a brief discussion. This was expected by many who were watching the situation. Earlier in February, Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg’s companion bill met a similar fate in a General Laws subcommittee.

The discussion surrounding HB 1127 sparked Del. Barry Knight to declare that betting on in-state colleges would not be supported by him and a few others. This stance was confirmed last Thursday by him and other delegates. They indicated that it could be some time before sportsbooks in Virginia would be able to take bets on Virginia Tech and UVA.

Sportsbooks and sports betting operators in Virginia are looking to be able to book bets on these favorites of Virginia sports fans. However, they did receive some good news. Del. Mark Sickles’ bill to end promo deductions from taxable revenue after 12 months was killed without even a hearing.

During the 2020 legislative session, casinos and sports betting were legalized in Virginia. However, this expansion to gambling in Virginia came as the result of a lot of negotiation. One of the deals that allowed for the expansion was the in-state college betting ban.

Because of this Del. Luke Torian indicated that he felt he needed to keep to that agreement. Del. Barry Knight also spoke on this agreement and his commitment to keeping it.

State Senator Monty Mason was accepting of this reasoning. However, he did state that once casinos are able to open, they will be requesting such a change. Del. David Bulova brought up the fact that the legislation passed less than two years ago and he felt that made it too soon to revisit this particular issue.

Many of those opposed to allowing for in-state college betting feel that this protects students in Virginia. 

Senator Mason knew he would be facing an uphill battle with this issue, especially with what happened with Del. Knight shutting down Del. VanValeknburg’s bill. But, the state senator still make a try at explaining why he feels an in-state college betting ban is ineffective. He made note of how local bookies would still be able to take bets on in-state college games.

There is also the fact that offshore sportsbooks grab at the chance to make their mark by offering these banned betting opportunities. However, illegal betting was not enough to sway the opposition.

Del. David Bulova indicated that illegal happenings will continue at times, but he feels the ban protects Virginia students. He also feels their opposition shows that they do not approve of that kind of activity.

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert.