In January 2021, Virginia online sports betting was launched officially as a legal activity. That opened the door to countless possibilities for the fans of this activity who reside in the state. The best Virginia betting sites are eager to offer wagers at a good price for both newcomers and veterans.

And so, for its short history, betting on sports online in Virginia has had a tremendous impact on the gambling industry there as a whole. So much so that we did our research to find out which bookmakers stand on top. The best sportsbooks in the state:

Matt Speakman, Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

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Matt Speakman is a Connecticut-born and raised betting expert with a soft spot for the Patriots. He is also a proud member of the online-gambling.com team. You can read his articles on a broad range of topics, including sports betting and DFS.

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Top-Ranked Virginian Betting Sites by Category

Even though there are just a couple of them for the moment, Virginia sportsbooks can be put into unique categories that showcase their strength. We did exactly that with the two operators we introduced earlier. Here are the best Virginia online sports betting sites by category:

These two successfully emphasize the most important aspects of sports gambling. They enable you to place bets on mobile and to watch high-quality streams in the process. Along with that, there are a sufficient number of live and pre-match betting markets on Virginia betting fans’ favorite sports.

The Sports and Leagues Available for Betting in Virginia

College sports are among the legal markets, but there’s a twist. Bets on college or university teams based in the state are a no-go. When it comes to men’s sports, there are virtually no limitations to stop you from placing wagers on whichever of the markets you see available in your sportsbook.

We will go through the five most popular sports leagues Virginians opt for when they bet online. What we won’t do is get overly busy with the details around each VA sports betting opportunity because there are so many of them.

1. Football Betting – NFL, NCAA & More

As we stated earlier, legal sports betting in Virginia doesn’t allow for wagers on college and university clubs based in the state. George Mason Patriots, Hampton Pirates and Lady Pirates, James Madison Dukes, and Longwood Lancers constitute four of the teams you won’t be able to bet on.

On the other hand, you’ll have the best professional football teams in the country at your disposal: Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams. As you may know, part of the betting mastery is to predict who will rise and who will fall, so you will need to stay sharp and change tack often.

2. Basketball Betting – NBA, Euroleague & More

First, let’s start with the basketball events you cannot bet on. Those would be Olympic basketball meets and the ones involving a local college team. If you adhere to these rules, you will still have plenty of room for creative bets thanks to the numerous NBA and Euroleague markets on offer.

With the sportsbooks we recommend, you will get three-sixty coverage of the best basketball leagues of at least a dozen countries, WNBA included. We can’t promise you more than outrights on the WNBA, but the Euroleague and the NBA get a play-by-play coverage and premium odds prices.

3. Baseball Betting – MLB & More

While not one of the most popular betting options, baseball is certainly a legal one. We searched through the best Virginia sportsbooks only to see the only baseball league that’s priced up with odds is the MLB. As always, college and university teams from Virginia cannot be subject to betting on your part.

However, VA sports betting involves a range of other teams you are more than free to place a wager on Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Socks, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, and others. Moreover, being in the most competitive league means that these teams benefit from great odds!

4. Golf Betting – PGA, US Masters, US Open & More

You have to be pretty familiar with the calendar of the professional tour to be able to choose an auspicious time with good betting opportunities. Golf is not your typical college sport, so your only concern should be if, by any chance, you are not wagering an event from the Olympics schedule.

The most prominent tournaments you’ve got a chance to speculate on the outcome of all Majors, including the US Open, the PGA Championship, the Masters, the Open Championship. The more knowledgeable punters can even make predictions about team events such as Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup.

5. Tennis Betting – ATP, WTA & More

The tennis calendar is brimming with sporting events – both low and high tier. This sport is one of your best moves if you want to wager all-year round. You cannot wager only on Olympic tennis. Everything else tennis you could bet on, thanks to the top Virginia sportsbooks.

For every punter who’s also an ardent sports fan, the US Open (tennis) is one of the most anticipated annual tournaments. The other three Grand Slams aren’t that unpopular either. Grand Slam tennis comes with great odds and crystal-clear live streams you can safely enjoy from Virginia.

Top Virginia Sports Betting App

Having access to a mobile-friendly version of the site you gamble at is no longer a luxury. As a matter of fact, both online bookmakers in the review have designed their own mobile applications that very closely imitate their original betting platforms. Here is what caught our eye.

Which of the two betting apps is better is a very close call, but in the end, the user experience on iOS tipped the scales in favor of our top pick. Below we share more details about the best mobile offering online sports betting Virginia currently brings to the table.

Sports Gambling Virginia: Bonuses and Promotions

Don’t be surprised if the promo sections of the best Virginia sportsbooks is cluttered with promotions and bonuses that require opt-in. This is not one-time hospitality, but something bettors can enjoy on a regular basis. Here are the best sports betting promotions in Virginia at this moment:

It’s a relief to know that you can lean on such an inclusive promotions plan where all American-favorite sports are accounted for in one way or another. Let’s not forget that your first encounter with a sports betting bonus comes when you make a deposit for the first time. This is the top welcome bonus sports gambling Virginia can offer you right now.

Free Sports Betting Virginia – Are There No Deposit Offers?

Presently, the best Virginia betting sites are not prepared to accommodate new customers with a no deposit deal. Both welcome bonuses we discuss on the page have a minimum deposit requirement of at least $10, which is pretty low already. Plus, you get equal money for your deposit, which is great.

What’s important to note is there are no bonuses you can claim from Virginia without having made at least one deposit first. We will keep you updated on that, and if there comes a time when sports betting no deposit bonuses become available for Virginia, we will let you know.

Deposits and Withdrawals at Virginia Online Sports Betting Sites

There’s a good number of stable payment methods you can find at a top Virginia sports betting site. First and foremost, players are content with depositing by their personal PayPal accounts, thus taking advantage of the speed and security of the transactions. This is the best PayPal betting site for Virginia:

Other widespread payment methods that are used by VA sports bettors are bank transfer and Play+. But, of course, opportunities for legal sports betting in Virginia are also available to online banking users. The minimum for an authorized money transfer is $10 across all methods of payment.

Live Sports Betting in Virginia

Live sports betting in Virginia brings much greater satisfaction to the modern-day punter, and here’s why. The platform for live bets of an online sportsbook is laid out in such a way that enables you to monitor the changes in odds of the markets in real-time and react quickly.

But that’s not all. Usually, in a special sub-section, you will find the sporting events that are broadcast live. Yes, an HD-enabled streaming service is provided by both of our recommended operators. To see what’s on the watch list, go to the live section and choose ‘Live Streaming’.

Virginia Land-Based Sportsbooks & Locations

There are things Virginia online sports betting cannot provide due – the feeling of cosiness and festivity you get at a sports bar with other bettors in it. Luckily, venues like this are commonplace in the state. We gathered in one place the names of the most visited Virginian sportsbooks.

These are great venues for someone to go to with a group of like-minded friends and enjoy responsible Virginia sports gambling and good food. If the sportsbook was retrofitted into a casino, you would have even more gaming options. Those, most commonly, include real-money games such as blackjack, slots and roulette.

Sports Betting Law in Virginia

March 2020 is when the Virginia General Assembly and Senate approved bills SB 384 and HB 896, with a view of legalizing sports betting in the state. Lawmakers said their final word on Apr 22nd, 2020, thus making it officially legal to bet on sports in Virginia. There were other legal forms of online gambling in Virginia predated that decision.

It took until January 2021 until the first legal online bookmakers started arriving at the scene. Presently, there are both land-based and online fully legalized sportsbooks in Virginia. The Virginia Lottery was entrusted with the responsibility to regulate land-based casinos and Internet sports betting.

VA Legal Online Sports Betting Age

As with all gambling, the online sports betting age in Virginia has been set at 21 years. That requirement corresponds with the minimum drinking age, which also is 21. What’s more interesting is that medical marijuana can legally be obtained by people with a doctor’s recommendation who are 18 and above.

• Legal Sports Betting Age
  The sports betting age in Virginia is 21 years.
• Legal Drinking Age
  The legal drinking, according to Virginia law, is 21.
• Legal Age for Marijuana
  Medical and marijuana is available to patients with a doctor’s recommendation at the age of 18

Taxes on Your Winnings: Do You Have to Pay Anything?

Suppose you accumulate winnings of more than $600, you will be taxed at a 24% rate. For winnings smaller than $600, tax ranges from 2% to 5.75%. You might be surprised to learn that other states, too, tax winnings on sports betting. Mississippi imposes 6% tax on gambling winnings. It’s important to keep your own copy of the form you fill in and to mark your income from betting as ‘other’ on Form 1040.

Legal Sports Betting in Virginia: Benefits

Online betting was a major step for Virginia for two reasons. First, people were already in the know of how to find an online sportsbook that would accept their bets, and now it’s way safer thanks to the regulations. The second big benefit is the taxes paid by operators. They go directly to the state’s treasury and benefit the whole community.

For the average user, legal sports betting Virginia equals undisputable benefits. From the comfort of betting from your home to the fact that there’s the opinion of an official regulator to point the punter in the right direction. The last but not least benefit of the new outlook on sports betting is that it will create employment.

Local History of Sports Betting

As mentioned, due to its colonial history Virginia is rather strict about its ban on gambling. For years legislators and Reps of the state have been pursuing bills and legislation to allow for gambling as well as sports betting in Virginia. This is exemplified by the continuous discussion about a riverboat bill and commission to allow for this type of gambling. The first attempt at forming a commission was in 1995, and the second failed in 2013.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal Outside of the State?

A number of states have passed bills legalizing sports betting. On Aug 1st, 2018 2 MGM Grand Casinos had the honor to get the show on the road for Mississippi sports betting. Wagers must be carried out in person. Online sports betting is currently illegal in Mississippi.

West Virginia was the fifth state to offer sports betting legally, with the West Virginia Lottery Commission serving as oversight and regulator. The Hollywood Casino was the first venue to offer sports betting when it opened its doors on Aug 30th, 2018.

Upcoming Regulation Changes

The only future change that remains to be seen is who will fill the remaining spots for licensed sports betting operators in Virginia. We are sure the names of those will already be well-known by punters from other states. That means you could get valuable insight into those operators from our other reviews.

We have good news for the fans of daily fantasy sports in Virginia. This pseudo-gambling sports game is among the legal ways to wager online. The lottery is another good and legal alternative to Virginia sports betting. The only thing yet missing is online poker.

Sports Betting Guides for Nearby States

• West Virginia
• Tennessee
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania