Virginia releases full draft of sports betting regulations

The draft is open for public comment until September 9.

US.- Virginia Lottery has released its first full draft of proposed sports betting regulations in the state.

The draft is open for public comment until September 9 and the board is then due to approve it by September 15.

The Lottery Board was given regulatory responsibility for both sports betting and casinos in the Commonwealth by the 2020 General Assembly.

It has said it will offer up to 12 licences for internet sports betting platforms.

The draft regulations permit betting on most major league and college sports, however betting on Virginia college leagues will not be permitted.

The guidelines require operators to verify users’ ages and physical location, ensuring they are legally wagering within Virginia.

Already approved casinos will be able to launch mobile and retail sports betting, while new casinos must be approved by local voters.

Applications for licences will be accepted by early October and the expectation is for sports betting to be officially launched in the state early 2021. The state still needs to create a regulatory board.

Kevin Hall, Virginia Lottery Executive, said: “The Virginia Lottery takes very seriously its role assigned by the General Assembly to appropriately and responsibly regulate sports betting in the Commonwealth.

“The regulatory framework we are building now is vital to the process, and we are committed to doing so with transparency to allow stakeholders and the public to weigh-in on these preliminary rules-of-the-road for sports wagering in Virginia.”

Virginia legalised sports betting early July, and is one of many states to be changing legislation to accommodate sports wagering.