Sports Betting Bill Sent Back To Virginia Legislature For Final Amendments

• SB 384 / HB 896 would have become law without the action of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.
• Instead, Northam requested that the lawmakers modify the tax money allocation.

RICHMOND, Va.- Sports betting may still be coming to Virginia despite Governor Ralph Northam sending VA SB 384, VA HB 896, and VA HB 4 back to the legislature for final modifications.

The bills spent a few weeks on Governor Ralph Northam’s desk and reached the deadline for Northam to act on the measures. Without his signature or a veto, the bills were set to become law at midnight on Saturday night.

However, Northam put his impact on the measure, asking for the lawmakers to revisit where the sports betting funds head. Northman requested that the benefits of the sports betting tax would go to “school construction, renovation, and repairs”.

Assuming The Changes

With the legislature likely to approve this modification, Virginia will be yet another state with approved laws regarding sports wagering. Online sports betting operators would be able to apply for a three-year sports betting permit costing $250,000.

The bills would bring regulated mobile and online sports betting to Virginia making the state a prime destination in the DMV area for sportsbooks once the COVID-19 pandemic is settled and sports return.

So far there has been no official word on which sportsbook operators will be making a deal with Virginia. However, as Virginia does not host any land-based casino operators, anything is possible as there are no previous relationships or contracts.

Still, residents may be waiting for a while for the lawmakers to get together and approve Northam’s changes. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down the nation and the legal sports betting industry in general, there is no telling when the final nod will be granted.

News tags: HB 896 | Ralph Northam | sports betting | VA | Virginia