Content on this page may include affiliate links. If you click and sign up/place a wager, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Virginia online casino bill advances in House of Delegates
HB161 has advanced in Virginia House of Delegates after a committee gave its approval to the bill which could authorize iGaming in the commonwealth.
A bill that could add Virginia to the list of US states in which there is a legal framework for online casino play has survived scrutiny from the Virginia House of Delegates General Laws Committee and will now undergo the same from the Appropriations Committee. Although the bill was narrowly approved, the proposal is a similar result away from potentially coming up for a vote on the Delegates floor during the short 2026 legislative session.
HB161 moves on in Virginia House of Delegates
Although members of the General Laws Committee inserted a substitute for the original language of HB161, they voted 5-4 to send the bill to Appropriations on Feb. 3. The substitute contains additional language focusing on responsible gaming and diverting tax revenue to support brick-and-mortar casinos in Virginia.
Appropriations meets three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, meaning HB161 could be up for consideration there as early as Feb. 6. Still, the narrow vote in General Laws suggests that HB161's future is anything but certain, especially if the proposal reaches the full House of Delegates.
Should HB161 see defeat in Appropriations or the full House of Delegates, the prospect of legalizing a path for online casino sites for real money in Virginia for 2026 would not be over. Another piece of legislation could revive the debate but time is running short for instant withdrawal casinos and other sites to come to Virginia.
Shortened legislative calendar puts emphasis on committee votes
A companion for HB161, SB118, has also advanced in the Virginia Senate, although similarly narrowly. That proposal from Sen. Mamie Locke has had an identical substitute inserted with the problem gambling support and physical casino revenue sharing provisions.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has not specifically commented on the premise of legal iGaming in the commonwealth. The time to get HB161 or SB116 to her desk is precious.
In even-numbered years, the Virginia legislature meets on a shortened calendar. The crossover deadline, the date by which legislation must be approved by its chamber of origin (the House of Delegates or the Senate) in order for it to be considered by the other chamber, was Feb. 17 for 2026.
That means every vote on these bills is even more crucial, as time to accommodate various members' concerns and redraft legislation is short. So far, conversations have been sufficient to remove obstacles to making it possible for Virginians to redeem offers like the DraftKings Casino promo code for new players. Whether payment methods like PayPal casinos would be allowed remains to be seen.
The House of Delegates Appropriations Committee will be the next testing ground for the appetite to expand gaming in Virginia to include licensed iGaming apps. So far, Virginia is on pace to become the ninth US state with legal online casino apps.
