Too often are problems like gambling addiction overlooked. Too often do we let these vices poison our youth. We must remember to care for the least, last, and lost among us.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed bipartisan legislation to create a new committee tasked with reducing the harmful effects of problem gambling.
The Republican governor signed SB 836 into law earlier this month. One of the bill’s two primary sponsors, Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania), tweeted that he was “honored” to have Youngkin’s support.
“Despite the economic benefits of these casino ventures, we need to take a hard look at the negative effects they have on our communities,” Reeves said in a post to the platform on April 19.
“Too often are problems like gambling addiction overlooked. Too often do we let these vices poison our youth. We must remember to care for the least, last, and lost among us.”
The bill will become law on July 1.
Del. Paul Krizek (D-Mount Vernon) introduced SB 836 with Reeves in December 2022. An identical bill, HB 1465, was also filed in the Virginia General Assembly.
The bill calls for establishing an entity called the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Advisory Committee (PGTSA), which would operate within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
According to the bill’s summary, the PGTSA will be responsible for “[enabling] collaboration among prevention and treatment providers and operators of legal gaming in the Commonwealth on efforts to reduce the negative effects of problem gambling.”
Virginia has many gambling options, and more are coming.
The state launched online sports betting in January 2021 and currently has 16 online sportsbooks. According to the Virginia Lottery, five operators — BetMGM Sportsbook, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, and FanDuel — had each accepted their first wager by early February 2021. Another five books — Bally Bet, Barstool Sportsbook, PointsBet, Unibet, and WynnBET — started operations later that year.
Betway, Hard Rock Sportsbook, and SI Sportsbook launched in Virginia in 2022. Two UK-based sportsbooks, bet365 and Betfred, launched earlier this year.
Golden Nugget holds the 16th license but halted its operations in May 2022 after DraftKings closed on its acquisition of Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG).
Meanwhile, in November 2021, voters in four Virginia cities — Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth — passed referendums to build land-based casinos in their communities. A temporary facility opened in Bristol in July 2022, while a permanent facility opened in Portsmouth in January 2023.
A fifth referendum to build a casino in Richmond fell just short of winning voter approval. That has led to calls to hold another vote, but Youngkin signed a bill forbidding localities that held an unsuccessful casino referendum in 2021 from holding another vote in 2022.
Since the Richmond vote failed, lawmakers have been trying to give the city of Petersburg a chance to hold its own referendum.
Virginia also has legal wagering on horse racing and a vibrant state lottery.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have cited the results of a 2021 survey by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) as a call to act on responsible gaming efforts. The survey revealed disturbing gambling trends among young people.
According to VDH’s Virginia Youth Survey, more than 21% of high school students said they had gambled or placed a bet in the past year. It also found that 64% of young adults aged 18-25 had gambled in the past 30 days.
