Sports Betting Sites / Play / Virginia Sports Wagering Sees December Dip

Virginia Sports Wagering Sees December Dip

TwitterLinkedIn

Publish Date: Feb 01, 2026

Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli

The end of the year in the Old Dominion State saw a dip in sports wagering handle.

The Virginia Lottery released its official December report on sports wagering activity on Friday, Jan. 30 with Virginians wagering more than $710.94 million in handle, an $87.93 million decrease than $798.87 million reported in November.

Over the final three months of 2025, the state saw a total sports wagering handle of over $2.341 billion. In October, the state saw a record handle of $831.56 million.

14 mobile sports betting operators, along with three casinos, were authorized to accept wagers in December.

State bettors took home an overall total of $627.53 million for a combined 11.73% hold, a nice 5% increase than last December.

Virginia law implements a 15% tax on sports betting activity based upon each operator's adjusted gross revenue (AGR).

In December, $11.9 million was back into the state coffers.

State tax revenue from sports wagering is allocated to the following: the state's General Fund (97.5%) and the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund (2.5%).

In-State College Sports Wagering Soon?

Virginia allows college sports wagering, but not on in-state collegiate teams. That could change however after a bill was introduced in the state House on Thursday, Jan. 29 by state representative Garrett McGuire (D, 17th District).

HB 1527 would approve in-state college sports wagering on the state's NCAA Division I schools, while taxing the state's operators a 50% tax of the gross revenue that is generated on those wagers.

There are 14 Division I programs in the state: George Mason, Hampton, James Madison, Liberty, Longwood, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Radford, Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia, VMI, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary.

Currently, the bill is awaiting to be assigned to a committee for further discussion.

Looking for more news and updates? Head over to our Ballislife Play page.

Play

NCAA Implements ProhiBet for NCAA Division I Championships

Selection Sunday for both the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments is five days away and the NCAA on Tuesday took significant action to strengthen transparency and integrity for each game that will be played. The governing body for college sports announced they will be utilizing Las Vegas-based Integrity Compliance ...

by Lou Monaco

Mar 10, 2026