Virginia NASCAR Tracks Boosted By Sports Betting Bill
Virginia’s two largest motorsports tracks could open online sportsbooks if Gov. Ralph Northam’s recommended adjustments to a sweeping sports betting bill are upheld by the legislature.
Northam added outdoor motorsports facilities that hold NASCAR races to the list of eligible professional sports venues that can open digital sportsbooks under SB384, which would legalize mobile sports betting for eligible bettors physically within Virginia state lines. If approved, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway could apply for sports betting licenses.
Lawmakers are set to return to Richmond for a special session beginning April 22 to consider the sports betting legislation, among a host of other issues. If the General Assembly upholds Northam’s race track inclusions, along with several other minor changes, regulators can begin rolling out sports betting in Virginia, with the first bet possibly by the end of the year. The bill permits up to 12 online licenses, or “skins,” not counting those allocated to professional sports venues or those for casinos in a separate measure also under consideration.
If lawmakers reject the changes, the bill goes back to Northam’s desk, where he will have to sign or veto the legislation in its previous shape. Passed overwhelmingly by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly, there seems to be enough support to override a veto from Northam, also a Democrat. That’s all that remains to be settled for what would be the 24th U.S. jurisdiction to take a legal bet.
Virginia would be just the third jurisdiction to specifically allow professional sporting venues to take bets, following Washington D.C. and Illinois.
Other Virginia Gambling Expansion Bill Details
Northam also adjusted an even more comprehensive bill that would permit five jurisdictions to hold referendums this November that would permit commercial casinos. The most significant change directed casino tax revenues specifically to school construction projects.
Like the sports betting bill, the casino measure had widespread bipartisan, bicameral support. The relocation of gambling dollars toward school construction projects won’t likely be enough to derail the entire bill.
As with the sports betting bill, lawmakers will have to determine whether or not to accept Northam’s amendments in their entirety, as they can’t make line-item alterations. If the changes are rejected, the governor would be faced with either signing the original bill or issuing a veto, which could be overridden by two-thirds majority votes in both chambers.
Assuming General Assembly confirmation, the bill will allow the cities of Portsmouth, Richmond, Norfolk, Danville, and Bristol to hold referendums as part of this November’s elections to approve the casinos in their respective jurisdictions. Officials in Bristol already have a deal with Hard Rock International for a casino should voters approve the resolution. The other localities have also weighed casino deals before the bill has technically been passed into law.
If the casino bill is approved, each of the facilities would also be able to open digital sportsbooks. The sports betting-focused bill gives casinos “substantial and preferred” consideration to earn sports betting licenses, behind only professional sports franchises and certain sporting venues.
Virginia Gambling Nears Finish Line
If elected officials can agree to these final tweaks, Virginia will have its first legal casinos after centuries of opposition.
Like its northern neighbors, Virginia has warmed politically to commercial gaming, following Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, all of which launched full-scale commercial gaming centers within the past few decades. Following the 2019 elections, Virginia Democrats, who have typically been more amenable to legal gambling, took control of the governorship and both houses of the General Assembly for the first time in a generation. That helped push through the massive casino and sports betting proposals, the most substantial gaming expansion since the Virginia Lottery was approved in 1987.
There’s little indication this will be enough to tank either proposal entirely, though Northam’s amendments could further delay legal gambling. The COVID-19 outbreak, which has effectively shut down all the world’s professional sports leagues and led to widespread social distancing measures, could also postpone a digital sportsbook launch or casino groundbreaking.
But even in a best-case scenario, any new entity would be months from launching. Sportsbooks and casinos would have to wait for rule promulgation by state regulators, then would have to pass reviews and inspections, a process that has typically ranged from three months to a year in other states.
That means that if the coronavirus threat dissipates and lawmakers and voters remain supportive, sports betting and casino gaming could be on pace for a launch as early as the end of this year and likely by 2021.
Ryan Butler is a legislation analyst for BettingUSA.com specializing in US sports betting legislation. Ryan breaks down the latest bills in each state to ensure our readers are up-to-date on where their states sit on sports betting. You’ll often find Ryan listening to committee hearings or preparing for the latest legislation based conference.
