VA Sports Betting Bills Clear Key Committees with Senate Finance as Next Hurdle
In Virginia, the House and Senate bills continue to advance in the opposite chambers. This week the House General Laws and Appropriations Committee amended the SB 118, conforming with the House-passed version HB 161. It can now be brought to the House floor for final passage.
The Senate General Laws Committee passed the House-passed version without amendment, sending it now to Finance. Since the Senate did not amend the House bill, this likely could means it will languish in the Senate without going to conference, essentially dying for the year. The Finance Committee’s next action could be a critical indicator of whether the bill moves forward.
Legislative leadership has consistently signaled that sports betting legalization is a priority for the following session, making 2027 the most likely target for passage. Between now and then, the focus shifts to direct engagement with lawmakers during the summer and fall — providing education on the issue and countering opposition narratives ahead of the next session.
The iDEA team and our lobbyist have been extremely active to engage lawmakers over the past several weeks, which played a significant role in the success of getting these bills passed. The team is on the ground meeting with lawmakers again and will have an active presence during the next wave of public hearings (and private discussions) which will occur over the next 2 weeks.