Virginia’s Proposed Gaming Authority Stalls Again

A pair of lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to establish a regulatory agency to oversee Virginia’s burgeoning gaming industry, but their efforts have been stymied yet again, and its future is uncertain.

Legislative Setback

Virginia Senator Bryce Reeves and Delegate Paul Krizek have returned to the legislative table with a familiar bill, the establishment of the Virginia Gaming Commission (VGC). The proposed gaming authority was the subject of a comprehensive study to determine where the tax revenue collected on casino and sports betting would go, the length and breadth of the authority’s oversight, and what resources would be funded for problem gambling.

Earlier this month, the bill was seamlessly approved by a subcommittee, and the sponsors were optimistic about its passage. However, the plan was ultimately incorporated into the state budget rather than becoming law, which means its future as a stand-alone bill is murky at best.

Currently, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDAC) oversees charitable bingo in the state, but with a new entity governing gaming, its tenure is uncertain. Despite its failure to pass via the legislature, it may evolve through the budget process, but that has yet to be determined.

Political Challenges

Senator Reeves blamed “politics” on the bill stalling and said, “We allow the bad players, the illegal games, to continue, to not be taxed, not be licensed, not be regulated, which is a real problem. We’re also not giving those entities like VDAC the ability to start that transformation to get to the VGC.”

The silver lining is that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin asked for the bill to be included in his budget. “Well, we’ll see if it’s a good idea if we get it through,” Delegate Krizek noted. “And if it goes to the Governor, then it was a good idea. And if it doesn’t, then it’s a bad idea.”

Casino Revenue Shows Increase

The Virginia Lottery announced that the state’s three commercial casinos, Hard Rock Bristol, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and Caesars Virginia, combined for $72.3 million in adjusted gaming revenue (AGR) in January. This was a marked increase from January 2024’s adjusted gross gaming totals of $52.8 million, a 36% increase.

Although it was a slight decrease from December’s $74.9 million AGR, it still portends a more robust start to the year than last. Caesars Virginia, in its first full month in its permanent Danville location, led the way with an impressive $28.5 million AGR, an increase of nearly 66% from last year at its temporary facility.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol showed a marked increase over last year, with its slot AGR spiking 52.9% from $9.9 million in January 2024 to $15.1 million this January. Table games generated $3.3 million, nearly a 55% year-over-year increase, for a total AGR of $18.4 million.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth posted $25.2 million in adjusted gross revenue, which was only a 7.2% year-over-year increase.

The Virginia Lottery reported it had collected north of $13 million in taxes from the three casinos’ January 2025 AGR, $8.5 million of which was earmarked for the Gaming Proceeds Fund, while host cities received $4.3 million, and $100,000 was directed to the Problem Gambling Treatment Support Fund. The Family and Children’s Trust Fund received $26,000.