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Virginia’s legal sports betting industry is renewing its push to keep player protection at the center of state gambling policy as officials prepare for another expected debate over legalizing online casinos in 2027.
Industry executives, public health experts, lawmakers and treatment advocates gathered Sept. 2 at the Hilton Richmond Downtown for a responsible gambling roundtable hosted by the Sports Betting Alliance, co-moderated by state Sen. Mike Jones, D-Richmond, and SBA President Joe Maloney. Participants examined how to reduce gambling-related harm as betting continues to expand statewide.
The Sports Betting Alliance represents five of the nation’s largest online sportsbooks:
- bet365
- BetMGM
- DraftKings
- Fanatics
- FanDuel
The group has also backed legalizing online casino gaming in Virginia, an issue lawmakers failed to resolve this year. Senate Bill 118 and House Bill 161 would have let licensed casinos offer online slots, blackjack and other games; both chambers passed versions but couldn’t reconcile their differences before adjournment, and supporters expect the issue to return in 2027, according to Virginia Mercury.
“Responsible gaming is not a regulatory obligation to us; it’s the foundation of a sustainable, durable legal market,” Maloney said. “Getting this right takes more than one company working on its own.”
Virginia’s betting market keeps expanding
Virginia legalized sports betting in 2020, and online wagering launched the following year. The market has grown into one of the country’s stronger regulated jurisdictions, with 11 approved permit holders and five operating casinos.
Bettors wagered more than $589 million on sports in June alone, and Maloney said legal sportsbooks have generated more than $400 million in tax revenue since launch. Casinos also reported more than $102 million in adjusted gaming revenue in July, according to Virginia Business.
More than half of online sports bettors now use at least one responsible-gambling tool, such as deposit limits, time restrictions, self-exclusion or age and location verification. Cameron Zuckert, FanDuel’s senior manager of responsible gaming partnerships and programs, said driving awareness of problem-gambling risks is central to the company’s approach: “You don’t want to shy away from that topic. It’s a very real topic.”
Anthony D’Angelo, Fanatics’ head of responsible gaming — which bars wagering on credit — said preventing harmful play is good business: “We can’t do that if customers are on our platform playing irresponsibly, not getting the help they need and then never play again.”
Younger bettors face higher risk
Research presented at the roundtable showed younger adults face a greater risk of developing harmful gambling habits than older bettors. The National Council on Problem Gambling‘s 2024 national survey found that 8% of US adults — nearly 20 million people — frequently experienced at least one indicator of problematic gambling, climbing to 17% among traditional sports bettors and 24% among fantasy sports players.
Adults ages 18 to 34 faced substantially higher risk than older groups, and online gambling participation overall rose from 15% of adults in 2018 to 22% in 2024.
Keith Whyte, founder of Safer Gambling Strategies and former NCPG executive director, said risky gambling behavior climbed during the pandemic alongside depression and isolation, though indicators have since returned to 2018 levels.
He argued gambling education should reach young people before advertising and celebrity endorsements shape their views of betting, and he urged bettors to treat deposit and time limits as routine budgeting tools, not emergency measures.
“You can’t expand gambling without risk, without additional casualties,” Whyte said.
Treatment capacity remains a challenge
A portion of Virginia’s sports betting and casino tax revenue funds the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, which finances treatment, peer-recovery services and financial counseling.
Carolyn Hawley, director of the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the program also trains providers and runs school prevention work, but finding enough qualified clinicians remains one of the state’s biggest hurdles.
“It’s one thing to have money for treatment,” Hawley said. “It’s another thing to have capacity — providers who know how to deliver that treatment.”
Some operators point to data analysis as a way to flag risky patterns early. New Jersey already requires operators to analyze customer data and contact bettors whose activity raises red flags.
Illegal market complicates expansion debate
Supporters of legal online casinos argue Virginians already gamble through unregulated offshore and sweepstakes-style sites. Maloney called that illegal market the most serious obstacle facing licensed operators, saying it offers no meaningful accountability or self-exclusion protections.
Virginia Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles, a former lawmaker long skeptical of gambling expansion, said tax revenue shouldn’t drive the legalization decision, and that any expansion should direct proceeds toward prevention and treatment.
“I don’t think we will stop gambling by keeping it illegal,” Sickles said. “I think everyone needs to … figure out if there’s a way to make it happen — and everybody’s satisfied with it, and it has consumer protections in the law.”
As Virginia weighs its gambling industry’s next phase ahead of the 2027 session, lawmakers will face questions beyond potential revenue: whether the state’s safeguards and treatment capacity can keep pace with a fast-growing market.
