A Senate committee is exploring a new casino location and allowing college sports wagers
In recent legislative debates regarding adding new a casino in Virginia, Richmond is out of the running, while Petersburg is in, and Northern Virginia is still up in the air. A Virginia Senate panel voted on the first group of gambling bills on Wednesday, indicating what lawmakers could decide about future gaming in the current session.
The Senate General Laws and Technology Committee voted 15-0 to permanently take Richmond off the list of cities qualified to host a new casino after casino referendums in 2021 and 2023 were rejected by voters.
The plan to move a proposed central Virginia casino to Petersburg looks positive after the committee approved legislation to add the struggling city south of Richmond to the list of potential casino sites. Sen. Lashrecse Aird believes her city meets all the benchmarks set by lawmakers when they passed legislation in 2020 to permit casinos in areas needing a revival, like Danville, Bristol, Norfolk and Portsmouth.
Northern Virginia wasn’t in the initial discussions for a new casino. Still, lawmakers are contemplating a bill to begin the process of possibly bringing a facility to Tysons Corner in Fairfax County.
The Senate committee also backed a bill permitting cruise ships off the Virginia coast to operate casinos. The bill would only apply to traveling cruise ships and wouldn’t authorize floating casinos that won’t move.
The committee also approved sports betting on college games involving Virginia schools, excluding prop bets. Virginia, like New Jersey, currently doesn’t allow betting on in-state college teams.
The Senate gambling committees haven’t yet worked out how they’ll manage skill games, which are similar to slots and were available at Virginia gas stations and restaurants. Those devices were previously banned, but the gaming industry hopes to tax and regulate them this time around.
