Is sports betting legal in Virginia?

The short answer

Yes. Virginia allows online sports betting, according to the official source linked in the status box above.

Virginia law bars accepting a sports bet from a person under 21.

What you see in the checklist above was read on official pages, and the link on each item shows where. Not verified yet means we found no such page for that item, and no estimate stands in for it.

Key facts from official sources

Minimum age

Virginia law bars accepting a sports bet from a person under 21.

a person under the age of 21 years

Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

State tax rate

Virginia taxes sports betting adjusted gross revenue at 15 percent.

There shall be imposed a tax of 15 percent on a permit holder's adjusted gross revenue.

Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

College sports

Virginia prohibits bets on Virginia college sports.

No person shall place or accept a bet on Virginia college sports.

Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

Where you must be

Virginia law requires permit holders to ensure only people physically in the state can place bets.

only persons physically located in Virginia are able to place bets

Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

Self-exclusion

The Virginia Lottery runs a Voluntary Exclusion Program that covers sports betting.

sports betting, account-based lottery as well as gaming activities

Source: valottery.com

Help line

The Virginia Lottery page lists the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling helpline at 888-532-3500.

Call/Text/Chat: 888-532-3500

Source: valottery.com

Taxes on the operators

Virginia taxes sports betting adjusted gross revenue at 15 percent.

A rate in one state and a rate in another can apply to different things, so a straight comparison can mislead. The state hub charts the rates we verified in one place.

Where you have to be

Virginia law requires permit holders to ensure only people physically in the state can place bets.

College sports

Virginia prohibits bets on Virginia college sports.

Read the source for the full rule, because it can have exceptions that a one line summary leaves out.

If betting stops being fun

The Virginia Lottery runs a Voluntary Exclusion Program that covers sports betting.

The Virginia Lottery page lists the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling helpline at 888-532-3500.

How to find the licensed apps in Virginia

The regulator publishes its own list: see the page for licensed sports betting operators. That list is the authority on which apps may take bets in Virginia, and it is more reliable than any comparison site, including this one. Individual apps are not listed on this page, since no app-level fact for this state has been verified.

Where betting is legal, the app decides at the moment of the bet whether you are inside the state. Read the rules for the place you are standing in, and get any app from an official store or straight from the operator.

What we could not verify

A fact appears here only if an official page says it and we can quote the words. Nothing below met that test, so it stays out:

• The date betting started, because no official page we could read states it.

Rules move, and a page can change after we read it. Our reading date for this state is October 30, 2026.

Betting responsibly in Virginia

Treat any bet as money spent on entertainment. Pick your limit before the first wager, set it in the app, and step away when the fun is gone. The Virginia Lottery page lists the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling helpline at 888-532-3500. Help is always open on 1-800-GAMBLER, and the responsible gambling page lists tools.

Related reading

• All verified states on one page.
• Neighbouring pages: Indiana, New York, Iowa.
• American odds explained, before you read a price.
• The parlay calculator and what a parlay is.
• What a moneyline bet is.

Frequently asked questions