Virginia Gaming Subcommittee Advances Regulatory Bills, Blocks iGaming and Skill Games
Virginia lawmakers advanced a series of gambling oversight, casino, and limited gaming bills while stopping broader expansion proposals during a meeting of the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology’s Gaming Subcommittee.
Bills That Passed: Gaming Commission, DFS, Fairfax Casino
SB 195 / SB 558 — Virginia Gaming Commission
Lawmakers have repeatedly emphasized that creating a centralized Virginia Gaming Commission to take over gambling oversight from the Virginia Lottery is a top priority.
This session saw the introduction of multiple such bills, such as SB 195 and SB 558. SB 558, sponsored by Sen. Bryce Reeves, was folded into SB 195, with Reeves added as chief co-sponsor. The subcommittee passed SB 195 unanimously with an 8–0 vote. Sponsor Sen. Aaron Rouse emphasized that the bill is structural, not expansionary.
“This bill does not authorize any new forms of gaming. It is a clean, direct Gaming Commission bill.”
The subcommittee referred the bill to the Senate Finance Committee.
SB 129 — Fantasy Sports (DFS) Regulation
SB 129 tightens Virginia’s fantasy sports framework by closing a loophole allowing certain operators to offer house-banked contests resembling sports betting. The bill establishes a $50,000 application fee and imposes a 10% tax on fantasy contest revenue.
Sen. Adam Ebbin said some operators were operating outside the intent of the fantasy sports law, “essentially functioning like sports betting operators outside of our sports betting system and law.”
The bill passed with a 7–0 vote (1 abstention).
SB 756 — Fairfax County Casino Authorization
In a close 5-3 vote, the subcommittee passed SB 756, which would authorize a casino in Fairfax County, subject to voter approval via referendum. The bill mirrors legislation introduced last year. That proposal cleared the Senate but stalled in the House.
Supporters argued the measure would prevent gaming revenue from flowing to Maryland, while opponents said Fairfax County had not requested casino authorization and raised land-use concerns.
Last year’s proposal drew opposition from local lawmakers and advocacy groups, including the No Fairfax Casino Coalition. An October survey from Global Strategy Group found that 75% of Fairfax residents oppose a casino.
The 2026 bill was introduced as Virginia opened a temporary facility for the state’s fifth and final approved casino in Petersburg.
SB 756 has been referred to the Finance Committee.
Other Gambling-Related Bills Advanced
The subcommittee also advanced several narrower gambling measures with limited or technical scopes.
Lawmakers voted 5–1, with two abstentions, to advance SB 604, which allows qualifying 55-and-older common-interest communities to conduct bingo games under Virginia’s charitable gaming laws.
SB 159, which reallocates a portion of historical horse racing proceeds to the Great Meadow Foundation and the Shenandoah County Agricultural Foundation, advanced unanimously, 8–0.
The subcommittee also voted 7–1 to advance SB 701, which extends anonymity protections to all Virginia Lottery winners, regardless of prize size.
Skill Games and iGaming Bills Failed
SB 661 — Skill Games Regulation
With a 3–5 vote, the subcommittee rejected SB 661, which would have established a regulatory framework for skill games. Virginia banned skill games in 2020, a prohibition later upheld by the state Supreme Court. In 2024, lawmakers passed legislation to regulate them, but then-Governor Youngkin vetoed it.
Opponents raised concerns about consumer protection and the expansion of gambling into everyday retail settings. Sen. Adam Ebbin questioned the broader direction of state gambling policy.
“If you want to gamble and you go into a casino, you know what you’re getting into. But if you’re going to buy milk, bread, or eggs and you just see these glitzy machines in your neighborhoods, that it can be enticing.”
SB 118 — Online Casino Gaming (iGaming)
The subcommittee also blocked SB 118, which would have legalized online casino gaming in Virginia.
Sponsor Sen. Mamie Locke argued that iGaming is already occurring illegally and should be regulated rather than ignored.
“We can either keep it illegal. Or we can put guardrails around it… We can sit here and, you know, clutch our moralistic pearls all we want to… but it’s already being done, so we can keep it illegal or we can put some guardrails.”
Chairman Jeremy McPike signaled sympathy for eventual regulation. Still, he added that the bill lacked enough responsible gaming protections. He ultimately abstained.
“It is something that needs to be regulated at some point. We gotta figure this out. I’m going to abstain on this one, because I do want to see legislation that really ups the game in terms of problem gaming.”
The motion to report SB 118 failed on a 3–4 vote, with one abstention, halting iGaming legislation at the subcommittee level. Notably, this is not the end of iGaming proponents in the state. The bill could be picked up once again before the Senate crossover deadline on Feb. 17.
Additionally, there’s a House iGaming proposal, HB 161, which is awaiting a committee hearing.
What Comes Next
All measures that passed the Gaming Subcommittee now move to the full Senate General Laws and Technology Committee, with several also referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
The votes do not represent final passage but provide an initial signal of where lawmakers are currently willing — and unwilling — to expand gambling in Virginia.
Image credit: Morgan Riley via Wikimedia Commons (license)
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