Virginia To Present Sports Betting Bill In January

The state of Virginia is at a crossroads – there is a new climate that seeks to adopt the growing tide of sports betting that has swept across the whole of USA. This new “appetite for change”, as evidenced by Delegate for Virginia's 53rd District, Marcus Simon, claims that the state should capitalize before others do.

Jumping The Bandwagon

Simon wishes to press ahead with sports betting legislation – perhaps in time for the beginning of Virginia's legislative session in January 2019, which would be vital if the officials want to regulate this branch of gaming during next year.

Losing out on another year of sports betting could be a big blow for Virginia whose neighboring Maryland already has sportsbooks in $1.4 billion MGM Resort casino. Some of the other states that have also missed out on timely regulation are Washington D.C. and New York.

In an interview for Fox 5 DC, Simon raised his concern that MGM National Harbor in the Old Line State is taking a lot of dollars away from Virginia whose residents go to Baltimore in order to give a shot at sports betting.

He proposes direct measures in order for the state to take back that money:

“We already see a lot of our residents’ dollars go across the river to MGM. We lose out on a lot of opportunities to capture some of that revenue,” Simon said. "I think there is an appetite for this. I think there is certainly a revenue opportunity in Virginia.”

No Casinos? No Problem!

Virginia is one of the few states that do not have any land-based casinos, which could potentially be a small issue with legalization of sports betting, but Simon doesn't see that as an obstacle.

“I think you can probably find a way to combine sportsbooks with the existing horse racing and off-track betting that exists, and there is probably a way to facilitate online sports gaming as well.”

He also added that he wants to get the ball rolling right away as the process may take longer than expected – he said General Assembly representatives may decide they would need an entire year of study. Otherwise, sports betting in Virginia could take off from next July.

What About The Naysayers?

One bigger hurdle could be the political opposition – Simon has the support of Mayor Muriel Bowser and councilmembers, the stance of Virginia's Governor Ralph Northam is yet unclear.

Spokesperson for the Governor, Ofirah Yheskel, stated:

“Governor Northam believes any future proposal to expand sports gaming here in Virginia should be considered with the input of the General Assembly and the communities that will be impacted.”

Source:

“Virginia Set For January Sports Betting Bill”, igamingbusiness.com, October 31st, 2018.