Virginia House passes bill to ban credit card use for sports betting
House Bill 515 has now moved to the Senate.
US.- Virginia’s House of Delegates has passed House Bill 515, which seeks to ban the use of credit cards for sports wagers in the state. The bill proposed by delegate Marty Martinez received 94 votes in favour and only 3 against. It now moves to the Senate.
Under the proposal, sports betting operators licensed in the state would be required to update their payment processing systems to block credit card transactions. Bettors would still be able to fund their accounts using debit cards, bank transfers or electronic wallets.
Supporters said the legislation would mitigate gambling-harm, but opponents have raised concerns about the potential impact on the competitiveness of the legal market compared to unregulated offshore sites.
Virginia Senate subcommittee rejects online casino and skill game bills
Earlier this week, the Senate General Laws and Technology Subcommittee on Gaming rejected Senate Bill 118, a proposal to legalise online casino gambling in the state, and Senate Bill 661, which sought to establish a regulatory framework for electronic skill games.
Senate Bill 118 had been proposed by Mamie Locke. It received 4 votes in favour, 3 against and 1 abstention. Opponents said the proposal didn’t include adequate gambling-harm-related measures and could potentially impact the state’s iLottery sales. The bill could be revisited before the Senate crossover deadline on February 17.
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 661 was rejected in a 3-5 vote. Skill games in Virginia were banned in 2020.
