A bill that would allow betting on college sports teams based in Virginia has been referred to the House Committee on General Laws after passing the state’s Senate last week.
The bill, titled Senate Bill 576, was read in the Virginia House of Representatives today (February 22) and referred to the Committee on General Laws.
Before this it, passed through the General Laws and Technology Committee and the Finance and Appropriations Committee in the Senate. It was first filed on January 12 2022.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Monty Mason and Senator Todd Pillon.
Sports betting is legal in Virginia, including betting on most college teams, but betting on college teams located within the state is currently prohibited.
If passed into law the bill, would amend a number of stipulations in the Code of Virginia and the 2020 Acts of Assembly.
It would remove Virginian college sports as a prohibited betting circumstance, leaving only youth sports and other college sports as banned. Accepting or placing bets on these would continue to be illegal.
In turn, placing or receiving bets on Virginian college sports would no longer result in a Class 1 Misdemeanor offence, which is punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of $2,500, or both.
Sports wagering in Virginia reached $426.6m in December 2021, just short of the state’s all-time high of $427.3m set in October 2021.