Born in 1975 in a town in the midwest, Edward is a seasoned veteran in the world of gambling writing. Getting a taste for the scene by getting involved in local poker tournaments, he soon turned his passion into a job by securing a role writing about gaming on a freelance basis. After building up his portfolio, he joined us in 2013 and has since progressed to become our all-knowing editor-in-chief for anything poker or casinos.
Welcome to our guide on all things online gambling in Virginia. This is the perfect place for you to learn more about where you can find the best gambling sites in the Old Dominion.
In this guide, we shed some light on the current state of the gambling laws in Virginia. In addition to this, we help you better understand how you can ensure a safe gambling experience on these sites as well. Read on to make sure that you have the best online gambling experience in Virginia.
A guide for all online gambling lovers in VirginiaÂ
Here at GamblingGuy.com, we create a number of different guides and reviews to help our readers with everything from gambling laws to finding the best online gambling sites in Virginia. This particular guide has been put together to help our readers better understand the current state of gambling in Virginia and how they can find the safest platforms to play with.
That means that this guide is essentially for every kind of gambler. If you are fairly new to the idea of online gambling, our guide can help you better understand what you need to look out for on these sites to ensure that you have a safe gambling experience. For our readers who are seasoned gambling pros, you will still be able to make use of our guide as we show you where to find the latest online gambling sites that we think are making waves in the industry right now. Keep reading our guide to Virginia online gambling sites to learn more.
You need to go pretty far back into the history of Virginia to find a time where gambling is not outlawed. We donât want to go into too much detail on the ins and outs of gambling in ages past of Virginia, but rather how the state got to where it is in more recent times.
Gambling in Virginia as a whole saw its first introduction in 1973 where a few charitable gambling laws were introduced. From there, the state lottery was legalized in 1987. Shortly thereafter, pari-mutuel horse racing became legal. Aside from this, it would take a good long while before any kind of legitimate horse racing gambling could take place legally but it got there in the end as Virginia opened its first and only horse racing track in 1997.
The real question here is still whether or not you can gamble online in Virginia though. For all of you casino gaming fans, you will be left disappointed as there are no plans to introduce online casinos in Virginia just yet. There is hope though as the first land based casino is set to be launched some time in the next two years. When the time comes, we will be able to help you find the best online casino in Virginia.
Where Virginia has finally caught up to the rest of most of the US, is with online sports betting. Sports betting was finally given the green light in February 2020 when the HB4 bill was amended to allow 12 mobile-only sports betting apps to launch in the state in 2021. This amended bill has paved the way for Virginians to get their first real taste of online sports betting. You can expect to see more of these sites launch throughout 2021 and 2022.
Editorâs recommendation – the best place for online gambling in Virginia
There are already a couple of online sports betting options for Virginia gambling fans to choose from. The initial projection of these sites to launch at the end of 2021 was actually brought forward significantly, as the FanDuel launched in january of 2021. More operators soon followed which means that sports betting fans have plenty of options to choose from now.
If you are new to online sports betting, it may be daunting to make that first decision about which of these sites you want to sign up to. As such, we wanted to point you in the right direction of a site that we feel is easily one of the best in the US. Our editorâs choice is the ever exceptional BetMGM.
BetMGM should be your first stop
BetMGM is easily one of the top Virginia sportsbooks in the US and so Virginia residents can count themselves lucky that this is one of their options. That BetMGM sports betting platform is a dream to use, whether you are new to sports betting or a weathered veteran, you can use the site with absolute ease. There is every kind of sport you could ever hope to bet on available on the site, with a number of betting markets to go with them as well. The desktop version of the site is a treat but we also consider BetMGM to be one of the best U.S. gambling apps as well.
In addition to the diverse and comprehensive sportsbook, you will also find a plethora of different promotions and bonuses to claim as well. BetMGM has tons of promotions that players on the site can claim. These promotions range from welcome bonuses and odds boosters to free bet promotions and more. There is something for every kind of sports betting fan available on the site.
Whether you are a high roller or you are just looking to palace a few bets for fun, the BetMGM platform is the perfect place to conduct your betting endeavors. With competitive odds, great promotions and a sportsbook with everything you could ever want, BetMGM should be your first choice for online sports betting in Virginia right now.
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Five tips to make sure your online gambling experience is a safe one
As we have just mentioned, there are plenty of Virginia online gambling sites for you to choose from. And while these sites are more than likely safe to use, there are still a couple of things that you should consider before you create your account on any of these sites. Here are 5 tips to ensure a safe gambling experience online:
Legitimate gambling licenses
First things first, you always need to check that these Virginia online gambling sites have been issued with a legitimate gambling license by the official Virginia gambling commission. This is important because it shows that the suite you are interested in has gone through the necessary steps to be able to operate legally in the state. If the site has been given the green light by the Virginia gambling commission, you know that it is a legitimate one.
Strong website security
The next thing we recommend checking out is how strong the level of security is on these Virginia online gambling sites. Look out for things like whether or not they have the latest SSL-encryption software in place on the site. This software helps to keep your personal data like banking information and login details out of the hands of hackers and other third-parties. You want to know that you are safe to play on these sites so it’s worth checking out how well you are protected on these platforms.
Reputable payment methods
If a sports betting site is what you are after, then you will naturally need to find a site that offers you safe and secure payment methods. Youâll be making frequent deposits into your account so you need to be sure that these sites offer the most reputable payment options. Look out for household names like Visa, MasterCard, Discover, PayPal and more before you sign up.
Professional customer support
This is a facet of an online sports betting platform that we always place importance on. A solid customer support service goes a long way to establishing trust between the player and the platform. Check out the range of contact methods on these sites and even test out the service for yourself to see how quickly they respond to your queries and how helpful they are as a whole.
User reviews
And lastly, it’s a really good idea for you to check out a couple of user reviews of players who have used the site before you. This way, you can paint yourself a broader picture of how well these platforms are run. If you find that most of the user reviews are negative, then you know that you should keep your searching rolling to find a more suitable betting site.Â
How we test these Virginia online gambling sites
Here at GamblingGuy.com, we have a number of important aspects that we consider when we review the top Virginia sportsbook. Here are the most important criteria that we asses on these Virginia gambling sites:
Bonus offers: We always like to make sure that these Virginia online gambling sites are offering their players some decent welcome bonuses. We check out the amount you can claim, the terms and conditions and anything else that we think is important to highlight.
Usability, look and feel: We then take a look at how well these sites are put together to make sure that they arenât a pain to use. We give you our opinion of the layouts, how easy it is to make deposits and withdrawals and how easy it is to actually place your bets on the site as well.
Payment methods: We check that these Virginia online gambling sites have secure and reputable payment methods for you to use. We test out what options are available on these sites, what the processing times might be and whether or not you will have to pay any transaction fees for your deposits and withdrawals.
Customer support: We give you some insight into how you can contact the support teams on these sites. Weâll also test these services out for you and let you know what kind of experience we had using them.
Loyalty programs: In addition to welcome bonuses, we also check out if there are any rewards programs on these sites as well. Weâll let you know how these programs work, what rewards and offers you can claim and what the best way to go about earning more points might be.
Range of sports: We check out the sportsbook on these sites to see how diverse their range of betting opportunities are. We cover all the different sports that are available on these sites from the major leagues and tournaments to the more obscure sports that only a select few enjoy betting on.
Betting markets: The range of sports on the Virginia online gambling sites are only as good as the betting markets that come with them. We see how comprehensive the range betting markets are on these platforms.
Live betting: Lastly, we test out how efficient the live betting features are on these sites. We always make sure that these live betting features run smoothly and without any hiccups. A live betting feature that is laggy and delayed is a nightmare to use and can more often than not ruin your live bets.
Getting started with the right Virginia online gambling sites
Here at GamblingGuy.com, we do everything we can to bring you detailed and comprehensive reviews of the best Virginia online gambling platforms around. We cover every possible aspect of these sites to give you an informed look at which each of them do well and where they could stand to improve. We also give you access to our filtering system where you can pick and choose from our reviews based on your own personal preferences.
With that being said, you do need to think about a few things that your ideal online betting sites Virginia will have available. For example, you might want a site that offers you live streaming for sports or a site that has the best sportsbooks odds.
Whatever your preference, it makes your searching time on our site that much quicker when you have a rough idea about what you want. Once you have a decent idea of what your ideal betting site looks like, you can use that information to filter our reviews. From there, you are only left with sites that offer you exactly what you want.
Conclusion to our guide on online gambling VirginiaÂ
And so, we come to the end of our guide on the best Virginia online gambling sites. As you can see, there are plenty of sports betting opportunities for you to take advantage of in Virginia right now. With the right tools at your disposal and a fine-tuned knowledge of how to make sure you have a safe betting experience, youâll be sports betting in a matter of minutes.
It’s disappointing that you canât play any online casino games in Virginia right now but if you happen to find yourself outside of state lines, we can help you find the best US online casinos around.
A major question on many Virginiansâ minds is whether or not you can actually gamble legally in the state. Our guide on the best Virginia online gambling sites will clear this confusion up for you as we go in-depth into the current state of play in the Old Dominion State. Â Â Â Â
đ± Are their mobile sportsbook apps I can use?
While online sports betting is plenty of fun with your PC or laptop, there is nothing quite like being able to bet on your favorite teams with your mobile devices. Mobile sports betting apps are the pinnacle of convenience and make your sports betting pursuits that much easier. Our review of the best Virginia online gambling sites will give you some indication into what sites currently offer you a mobile app to use for your sports betting.
đ° What kind of promotions are available on these betting sites?
The only thing that will make a mobile sports betting app even better, is being able to claim plenty of valuable promotions along with it. Our review of the best Virginia online gambling sites will shed some light on where you can currently find the best bonus and promotions around right now. Check out the rest of our guide to learn more about where you can claim some lucrative offers.
đŠș Is gambling Virginia safe to do?
Whether or not these sites are legal doesn’t always mean they are safe to use. Our guide on the best Virginia gambling sites will show you how you can make sure the site you want to join is safe to use first.
