As sports betting continues to expand in Virginia, many bettors would like to put money down on their favorite college sports and teams. But can they?
The answer is complicated.
While Virginia residents are allowed to bet on college teams from other states, they are prohibited from betting on in-state schools. So though Virginia bettors are still in a better position than those in other states, like North Carolina which is still waiting on platforms like FanDuel Sportsbook North Carolina to launch, that’s still a disappointing fact for sports fans in the state.
Legislators have pushed for in-state college betting
It’s not as if Virginia legislators haven’t tried to get in-state college sports betting legislation passed.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 576, which would let Virginia residents bet on in-state college teams, but the bill didn’t pass the House. It’s now unclear exactly when or how similar legislation will again have a chance to pass, but supporters are hopeful it will happen sooner rather than later.
Some lawmakers view legislation allowing betting on statewide teams as more of a means to stop illegal gambling than anything else.
“People look at this issue backwards,” Sen. Monty Mason said, according to Capital News Service. “I believe that the biggest part of it (the bill) is making sure underground gambling, that has always existed, is eliminated.”
“Whether it works this year or next year, at some point this is going to happen,” he said, per CNS. “Because you got to take the final step to try to do away with the gambling that have always been behind closed doors.”
That view is shared by lawmakers in other states who have pushed, many successfully, for sports betting legalization, as it puts governance in the hands of local officials and helps stave off shady, illicit gambling that isn’t regulated by anybody.
Not all lawmakers have agreed on whether or not college sports betting should be legal, though, as some have favored allowing sports gambling in general, but not on college athletics. Should Virginia sports fans be able to bet on college sports in the future, it would be a huge win for the state’s gaming industry, as that luxury hasn’t been afforded to bettors in some other states.
Sports betting is booming in Virginia
If Virginia residents are eventually able to be on in-state college teams, it would only add to a betting market in the state that is strong and only growing stronger.
According to WRIC, Virginia bettors put down $485,544,417 this past January alone, a 14% increase from the previous month and setting a new single-month record. Virginians spent over $3.7 billion in bets during the state’s first year of sports gambling being legal, WRIC reported, citing a Virginia Lottery report.
Part of that massive first year was the $427 million residents put down on sports betting in October, according to Virginia Business, which was a big deal at the time, and the numbers have only grown as sports betting has flourished in Virginia.
That’s following the trend for other areas, too, as the industry has continued to boom in many states that have legalized and instituted sports gambling, both retail and online.
Allowing residents to bet on local college teams would almost definitely increase the amount of cash wagered, too. With Virginia Tech boasting a strong presence in both football and basketball, and the University of Virginia having its own share of the state’s sports fans, sports bettors would likely flock to the chance to put money down on in-state sports if lawmakers do pass legislation allowing it.
And this past month could have been a boom itself for Virginia sports betting had residents been able to bet on local schools, as four state college basketball teams participated in the NCAA Tournament. One of those was Longwood, which made a name for itself by going from Farmville, Virginia, to the bright lights of March Madness, and exciting sports fans statewide as they hoped for the team’s Cinderella moment.
The Lancers fell to Tennessee in the tournament’s first round, but still showed how fans can rally around a college sports team, the same ones legislators have mulled letting residents bet on.
“Right after the game, I just remember looking up, just looking at how big the arena was, and there’s people all the way at the top,” senior DeShaun Wade said. “I was looking at the scoreboards, looking at my dad and my mom in the stands and the fans and how many people we’ve just impacted. I was like, ‘Man, win, lose or draw, it was a great season.’”
