Real Money Gambling in Virginia
The gambling business in Virginia is about to take off. The state is getting closer and closer to not only allowing, but actually regulating sports betting, along with other types of betting and land-based casinos.
Along with the current Virginia online gambling sites accepting real wagers in the state of Virginia, a new wave of online casinos is about to launch. If you want to play online for real money, now is the time to take a closer look.
Rank | Gambling Site | Exclusive Bonus | Products | Get Started | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 |
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50% Up To $250 |
|
Visit Site | Bovada |
#2 |
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280% Up To $14,000 |
|
Visit Site | Las Atlantis |
#3 |
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125% Up To $2,500 |
|
Visit Site | BetUS |
#4 |
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60% Up To $1,000 |
|
Visit Site | BetOnline |
#5 |
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100% Up To $1,000 |
|
Visit Site | SportsBetting.ag |
The structure and elements of the source material are retained exactly as they appear in the original text, with no meaningful changes in phrasing, structure, or order: The VA gaming landscape is about to change. There are currently no casinos in the state, but not only will there be casino gambling in Virginia, online sports betting is a done deal.
These projects are being spearheaded by the Virginia State Lottery. The land-based venues will be located in five different cities, while the VA Lottery will make between 4 and 12 mobile sports betting licenses available.
This is in addition to the out-of-state gambling sites for VA that you can join.
You can also participate in daily fantasy sports and deposit-only betting, which are two different types of online gambling available in the state. The state lottery also operates an online subscription program.
Things are looking bright for real money gambling in Virginia.
The Appeal of Gambling Online in Virginia
Why does the state want to regulate online sports betting so badly? And why do people in the Commonwealth want to bet on sports online? What is the lure?
Every online gambler has their own personal motivations for betting on the Internet. But here are a few things that most real money players in Virginia enjoy.
Online Gambling is Accessible to All Virginians
When it comes to online gambling, convenience is king. You do not have to go all the way to a casino or other brick-and-mortar venue to find a slot machine or place a bet. Instead, you can find pretty much the same kind of action in the comfort of your own home on your laptop or in the palm of your hand on your mobile device.
For some people, online gambling is a solitary option. They may be incapacitated by medical conditions or have other pressing obligations, such as caring for young children or other relatives. However, some of us gamble online simply for the thrill of it, and it is this single segment of the total web-based gambling population that is of concern to medical experts.
Gambling Sites Fill a Void
Gambling for real money in Virginia was something the state had long banned, so its residents had to travel to neighboring jurisdictions if they wanted to bet. Until 2020, the only place to do it legally in Virginia was on a riverboat. But then the people of Virginia voted for, the Virginia General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed into law (after a riverboat court case that went all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court) a statewide authorization of onshore casinos.
The internet enables you to stay and gamble from home instead.
And there will be holes in the games you can play or bet on even after the Virginia State Lottery finally gets around to launching its land-based casinos.
Gaps in offerings don't exist within the best Virginia online gambling sites, which tend to have a larger selection of poker and casino games, as well as an expanded range of betting markets.

Gambling Sites are Safer
If you tell a land-based casino that you have a problem, they will almost certainly stop you from playing any of their games. But how many people have the courage to tell these profit-driven establishments that they have a gambling problem?
It's probably not as much as you think. After all, it's pretty embarrassing to admit that you got carried away, or worse, that you can't control yourself.
That is why we like to play games of chance on the Internet in Virginia. The safest Virginia online gambling sites offer controls that help you manage your real money gambling. For example, you can set a limit on how much you can bet. You can also limit the amount of money you can spend on gambling in a given period of time.
This enables you to not only enjoy gambling, but to enjoy it responsibly.
Virginia Gambling Site Bonuses
Many types of promotions are run by land-based casinos. For example, you can enter a slot tournament, earn free meals or hotel rooms, or earn points that can be exchanged for free games.
However, there is one type of promotion that the top-ranked online gaming sites in Virginia are allowed to offer, and that is deposit bonuses. Land-based casinos cannot offer this type of promotion.
Deposit $1,000 (or more) and receive an additional $1,000 in actual cash to bet with. This alone is enough of an incentive to bet online in Virginia.
Better Gambling Banking Options
We have one more reason to prefer playing for real money in Virginia, and that is the banking options you can use.
Cash is the primary currency of land-based casinos. If a person forgets to bring cash to a land-based casino, they must use a nearby ATM to withdraw funds and invariably pay high service fees. This is not the preferred or convenient means of funding a casino experience.
No thanks.
Gambling sites accept a much wider range of banking options. They don't accept cash, but you can use other common banking methods instead.
Here the banking methods that most Virginia gambling sites accept.
- Credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and others;
- Bitcoin and various other cryptocurrencies;
- MoneyGram;
- Western Union;
- Wire transfer;
You will have a greater selection of banking options, and the top Virginia online gambling sites will offer a wide range of deposit and withdrawal limits, with fees that are quite reasonable.
These are just a few of the countless reasons why I prefer online gambling in Virginia over brick and mortar casinos. But even these good arguments aren't worth much if you don't choose a good site to play at.
Why You Must Join a Legit VA Gambling Site
You might be tempted to join a VA online casino right now, make a deposit, and start placing some actual bets for real money. And we wouldn't blame you.
We want to emphasize that it is crucial that you register with a safe, secure and reputable Virginia gambling site.
If you get this wrong, you will negate all the benefits we have discussed on this page. That is the best-case outcome of not doing this right. You don't even want to think about what could happen if you get this wrong and the worst-case scenario plays out.
Okay, so what does a legit gambling site look like? Well, they have the following traits in common.
- Permission;
- A favorable status;
- RNG that has been tested and certified
- Responsive customer support;
- Website and software security implemented;
- Fair terms and conditions;
If you are completely new to online real money gambling in Virginia, it can be difficult to find a gaming operator that checks all of these boxes.
But that’s why we’re here.
Our group of specialists has been doing this for years. They have tested games, researched operators, and written this set of Virginia online gambling site reviews.
The result of all that work is our list of recommendations.
Reviewing the Best Virginia Online Gambling Sites

You now need to work to gain access to the safest gambling sites in Virginia. And you have a good idea of what a safe gambling site looks like.
As previously mentioned, it is indeed possible to find a gambling site yourself. But know that doing so will sap your time and money - resources you would probably have preferred to allocate to a real money Virginia casino instead.
We recommend that you become a member of one of our recommended sites. We have compiled a list of recommended sites to make it easy for you to choose one and get started.
How do you know that you can trust our recommendations? Because we thoroughly review every single site we recommend.
We research and test gambling sites very carefully. No stone is left unturned.
What do we look for? In the previous section, we discussed perhaps the most important factors we look for - reputable, secure, fair sites. And we look for much more before recommending a place to play.
It is also important that each site we review allows real money players from Virginia. They should accept a wide range of payment methods, with credit cards and Bitcoin being our top choices.
Next, we look for a range of gambling promotions, the number and caliber of casino and poker games, a wide range of betting markets, and a mobile gambling app or website.
This work is difficult. It can take us hours, even days, to complete our work. But we do it because there is a flood of false information on the Internet about where to go for authentic online casino gambling in Virginia.
We don't want you to be a victim of misinformation. We want to be your Virginia online gambling lighthouse, helping you navigate to the most trustworthy and secure online gambling sites.
The Evolution of Gambling Laws in Virginia

You might be amazed at how much expansion is going on when it comes to all things gambling in Virginia these days, especially when you consider the state's earlier take on gambling.
For many years, we've observed that Virginia is one of the few states without casinos. That is about to change, however, as up to five different venues in select cities throughout Virginia will soon be offering their own versions of casino gambling, including slots, table games and other betting favorites.
It’s taken quite a while to get to this point, though.
Lawful Gambling in Virginia Started in the 1970s
Aside from clandestine card and dice games and unregulated parimutuel betting, there was nothing on the books until 1973. That was a year of great significance to a few writers and a great many readers.
First there was charitable gambling, where bingo, pull tabs, seal cards and raffles could be used to raise money. But it would be another 15 years before the state had a revenue-generating program that could actually offset a portion of the annual budget.
Virginia Online Gambling Emerged in 2004
The Virginia Lottery began in 1988 and quickly grew into a multi-billion dollar business. That same year, the state's pari-mutuel wagering law was finally blessed with an official seal of approval, although the first races had to wait until 1991. Off-track betting began in 1992.
But the racing story doesn't end there. In 2004, Advance Deposit Wagering came to Virginia and was the first online gambling option that Virginians had.
A year later, daily fantasy sports and lottery came along. Now, at least until the sports betting program is finalized, ADW, DFS and online lottery sales are the big three when it comes to Virginia online gambling sites.
Online gambling is indeed taking off in the Old Dominion. Several casino, poker, and sports betting sites have already opened their virtual doors to Virginians. When it comes to your security, some sites are beyond reproach.
- Virginia Online Casinos
- Virginia Sportsbook Sites
- Virginia Poker Sites;
No matter what you want to gamble on for real money in Virginia, we have you covered.
Overview of Legal VA Gambling | |
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Type of Gambling | Legal Status |
Land-Based Casinos | Recently approved for five locations; details pending |
Online Casinos | Through out-of-area providers only |
Land-Based Pari-Mutuel | One racino and OTBs |
Online Pari-Mutuel | Advance deposit wagering websites |
Land-Based Lottery | Retailers across the state |
Online Lottery | Subscriptions available through the Lottery website |
Land-Based Charity Gaming | Approved for bingo, pull tabs, seal cards, and raffles |
Online Charity Gaming | None |
Land-Based Sportsbooks | None |
Online Sportsbooks | Officially approved for up to 12 starting in July 2025 |
Other Gambling in Virginia | Daily fantasy sports, historic racing |
Ready for Real Money Gambling in Virginia?
Virginia has kept a low profile when it comes to wagering and virtual wagering. Few people probably knew that the Commonwealth had three online destinations where you could place legal wagers - an ADW, a DFS, and an online lottery.
But as the state gears up for its first land-based casinos and online sportsbooks, the business of legal gambling is taking center stage.
Although all betting options are available to Virginians through out-of-state providers, it won't be long before you can bet in person. You'll soon be able to enjoy land-based slots, keno, video poker, blackjack, craps, poker, baccarat, and a host of other betting options.
In the meantime, you can play for real money in Virginia by signing up with a safe, legal and highly recommended online gambling site that operates in Virginia from our list above.
