Virginia Lottery Regulations Approved for Sports Betting

The Virginia Lottery Board has approved sports betting rules, paving the way for the licensing process to commence next month. The passage of a bill earlier this year by Virginia lawmakers has legalized online and mobile sports betting, allowing wagering on professional collegiate sports events, with the exception of Virginia-based college and university teams. In order to develop the rules for the market, lawmakers began accepting written suggestions from sports leagues and sportsbook operators in June. Preliminary draft regulations were made available online for public comment from July 15 to September 9. The Virginia Lottery Board was required by the Virginia General Assembly to give its approval to the regulations by September 15. Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kevin Hall stated, “We have received and evaluated numerous comments and suggestions from citizens, sports betting and casino operators, as well as the major professional sports leagues including the NFL, MLB, NBA, and PGA.”