Online gambling, and gambling in general in the US is still and will probably continue to face restrictive laws in many states. Today, we will talk about the legality of online casinos in Virginia.
Online casinos aren't legalized in Virginia but fret not because sweepstakes casinos are still legal in this state. We will be reviewing our top choices for the best sweepstakes casinos. We'll also delve into how sweepstakes casinos work, particularly how its virtual currencies work and how to redeem SC winnings for prizes. We’ll also be focusing on the gambling legislation in Virginia.
Online casinos in Virginia aren’t legal. This is not to be confused with West Virginia, a different state where online casinos are legal.
While online casinos are yet to be legal, there are other gambling activities that the Virginia Lottery (the body that regulates betting in this state) has legalized. This includes:
Below is a table outlining gambling in Virginia.
| Are online casinos legal in Virginia? | No |
| Are retail casinos legal in Virginia? | Yes |
| How many retail casinos are there in Virginia? | Five |
| Legal gambling age in Virginia | 21 years |
Although online casinos in Virginia aren’t legal, all hope isn’t lost. You can still play at sweepstakes online casinos in Virginia with real money prizes.
Contrary to online casinos, sweepstakes casinos operate with virtual currencies. There are two main virtual currencies that you can use: Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. Various sweepstakes casinos have different names for these two currencies, but their functions and how they work remain the same across all sweepstakes casinos. Here’s more on how each of these currencies works.
Gold Coins are the basic currency people use to play games in sweepstakes casinos. They have no value outside of sweepstakes casinos, meaning they’re only used to play games. However, you can purchase Gold Coins on the sweepstakes casino website you’re playing on, though this is non-obligatory as sweepstakes casinos have bonuses that provide free Gold Coins, allowing you to essentially play for free.
Sweepstakes Coins are another currency individuals use to play games on sweepstakes casino websites. Unlike Gold Coins, you can redeem Sweepstakes Coins for real cash or gift card prizes after meeting the site’s playthrough and eligibility criteria. Contrary to Gold Coins, you cannot purchase Sweepstakes Coins. Instead, you get them for free as bonuses or as part of the Gold Coin packages you purchase.
Let’s take a look at our top choices for sweepstakes casinos.
Stake.us is considered by many as one of the top US online casino alternatives. This sweepstakes casino offers the full casino experience, which is perfect for Virginia residents since real money online casinos aren’t legal.
Stake.us has a huge library of over 1,000 games, with a wide variety, including slots, live dealer games, table games, scratch card games, and some inside-developed games like Craps, Mines, and Plinko.
Bonuses are also plentiful at Stake.us, with the most notable being the welcome bonus offering 260,000 Gold Coins, 55 Stake Cash (Sweepstakes Coins), and a 5% rakeback when using the exclusive promo code PROMOBOY.
While Stake.us has no exclusive mobile app, the website works well on mobile phones.
Stake.us is legal in 43 US states including Virginia.
WOW Vegas is also another top sweepstakes online casino in Virginia. If you love playing slots, then you’ll like playing at WOW Vegas, as it has over 1000 slots. There are also a handful of table games in its game collection.
Like Stake.us, WOW Vegas also has some of the best casino bonus offers. We especially like its signing-up bonus of 250,000 WOW Coins (Gold Coins) and 5 Sweepstakes Coins. There’s also a first WOW Coin purchase discount offer, which provides 1.5 million WOW Coins and 30 free Sweepstakes Coins for $9.99.
WOW Vegas is legal in 44 states, including Virginia.
RealPrize offers a little over 300 games, including slots, instant-win games, video poker, bingo, and scratch card games. While it doesn’t have as wide a range of games as you’ve seen at Stake.us, WOW Vegas, and High 5 Casino, it does have a nice variety of casino games.
The bonus offers at RealPrize are also decent, especially its welcome bonus offering 100,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweepstakes Coins.
RealPrize is legal in 46 states, including Virginia.
While Clubs Casino is still a fairly new website, it is still a considerable sweepstakes online casino in Virginia.
Like RealPrize, the game collection at ClubsCasino isn’t as wide. There are a little over 200 games, with game options like slots, table games such as blackjack, Plinko, and scratch card games.
The bonuses at this sweepstakes casino are fairly decent. As a new player you can claim 10 free spins on the Zombie Circus slots plus a first Gold Coin purchase discount, offering a 100% matchup bonus on your first Gold Coin purchase.
Clubs Casino is legal in 44 states, including Virginia.
Sweepstakes casinos are designed in a way that you can’t win real cash on the website, like in real money online casinos. Instead, you can win Sweepstakes Coins and later redeem them for real cash prizes.
When it comes to redeeming Sweepstakes Coins, only those that have been won while playing games are eligible to be redeemed for prizes. Therefore, when you receive your free Sweepstakes Coins, you have to use them to play games in your sweepstakes casino then, the Sweepstakes Coins you win during gameplay can be redeemed for cash prizes or any other available prizes on the sweepstakes casino website.
Most of our choices for the best sweepstakes casinos in Virginia have no apps. However, the upside is that these websites work great on mobile phones.
Here’s a list of our top choices for the best sweepstakes casino apps
| App name | App store rating | Play Store rating | Number of games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stake.us | N/A | N/A | 1000+ |
| Wow Vegas | N/A | N/A | 1000+ |
| High 5 Casino | 4/5 | 3.5/5 | 1000+ |
| RealPrize | N/A | N/A | 200+ |
| Clubs Casino | N/A | N/A | 200+ |
Gambling laws in Virginia have changed significantly over the past few years. The Virginia Lottery recently gave the green light for some other forms of online gambling and betting in general to be legal in this state.
Here’s an outline of how Virginia gambling laws have changed over the years.
It’s safe to say that online casinos might become legal in the near future. The legality of online sports betting gives hope that the Virginia Lottery and the legislature will soon pass a bill that will explicitly legalize online casinos.
While an online casino in Virginia is yet to be allowed to operate, there are other forms of gambling that have been given the go-ahead to operate in this state. These include:
The legal gambling age in Virginia is 21 years. So, land-based casinos, online sports betting, and other permitted forms of gambling (except lottery whose age limit is 18 years) don’t allow persons under the age of 21 to participate.
Yes, gambling winnings received from any form that’s legal in Virginia is subject to a 25% Federal tax cut and up to a 5.75% Virginia state tax deduction.
Also, if your winnings obtained from sweepstakes casinos or lotteries exceed $5,000, the 25% federal tax cut is automatically withheld.
Sweepstakes casinos are similar to real money casinos in several ways, including the games they offer. This is an upside since you can still enjoy casino games in sweepstakes casinos. Some of the games you’ll find in sweepstakes casinos that you’ll still find in real cash casinos include slots, live dealer table games, like blackjack, roulette, poker, and baccarat.
Here's a table outlining the games you can find sweepstakes online casinos in Virginia.
| Game name | RTP | Provider | Where to play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slots | 97-99% | Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, BGaming, Evoplay |
|
| Blackjack | 96-99% | NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Hacksaw Gaming, among others |
|
| Roulette | 94-97% | NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Hacksaw Gaming, among others |
|
| Poker | 91-97% | NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Hacksaw Gaming, among others |
|
| Baccarat | Up to 99% | NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Hacksaw Gaming, among others |
|
Once again, sweepstakes casinos and online casinos often offer similar bonuses and promotions. Here are some of the common bonuses you’ll find at sweepstakes online casinos in Virginia.
Sweepstakes casinos also have payment methods that you can use to purchase Gold Coins or redeem Sweepstakes Coins winnings for real money prizes.
Here’s a table outlining the common payment methods you’ll find at sweepstakes online casinos in Virginia.
| Payment method | Redemption times | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover | Up to 3 business days | Dependent on the Gold Coins purchased and Sweepstakes Coins being redeemed |
| Online bank transfers | Up to 3 business days | Dependent on the Gold Coins purchased and Sweepstakes Coins being redeemed |
| PayPal, Neteller, Skrill | Instantly | Dependent on the Gold Coins purchased and Sweepstakes Coins being redeemed |
| Cryptocurrency | Instantly | Free |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | Instantly | Dependent on the Gold Coins purchased and Sweepstakes Coins being redeemed |
Virginia currently has five land-based casinos across five cities that have been legalized to operate. Richmond was to be among the cities that would have a land-based casino, but it was voted against twice.
Here’s a table outlining these approved brick-and-mortar casinos
| Casino name | Address | Contact information | Owner | Number of games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HeadWaters Resort and Casino in Norfolk | 112 Granby Street Suite 300 Norfolk, VA 23510 | 757-303-4593 | Indian Tribal Gaming Authority |
|
| Hard Rock Casino in Bristol | 500 Gate City Hwy Bristol, VA 24201 | 1-276-696-3660 | Seminole Tribe of Florida |
|
| Rivers Casino in Portsmouth | 3630 Victory Boulevard, Portsmouth, VA | (757) 840-2278 | Rush Street |
|
| Caesars Casino in Danville | 1100 W Main St, Danville, VA 24541 | (434) 483-4500 | Caesars Entertainment |
|
The fifth land-based casino is set to be built in Petersburg. The owner of this casino is The Cordish Companies, which already has a number of established casinos across the US. We can expect an equally big casino to be built by this organization.
We take pride in extensively reviewing the sweepstakes online casinos in Virginia. Some of the features we touch on include:
When reviewing a sweepstakes casino, we always focus on the number of bonuses on offer. We also explore its welcome bonus by mentioning whether or not it has a sign-up bonus and a first Gold Coin purchase offer. We also explore whether there is a dedicated VIP program for existing players.
When reviewing we focus on a sweepstakes casino’s game selection, including the number and variety of casino games, the providers of the games, and the overall quality of the games.
Another feature we use to rate a sweepstakes casino is its website functionality. We look at its ease of use, especially on mobile phones, and we also focus on its mobile app, if it has one.
Our sweepstakes reviews also focus on the sweepstakes casino’s legality. We mentioned the number of states where it’s legal to operate. Additionally, we examine a site’s security tools that ensure players’ safety when playing.
When reviewing a sweepstakes casino, we consider the available payment methods for GC purchases and SC redemptions, paying special attention to the selection of reputable and secure payment providers.
Customer service is another feature we focus on when rating and reviewing a sweepstakes casino. We look for available contact options such as live chat, email or phone support and also examine the response time and general helpfulness of the support team.
We are always keen to endorse and review legal sweepstakes casinos. Most of these websites have tools, like self-exclusion features, that promote responsible gaming. Additionally, reputable brands will offer information on resources that can help players practise and maintain responsible gambling habits.
The state of Virginia offers information, which is linked to the Virginia Lottery, to organizations that help people deal with gambling addictions and maintain responsible gambling habits. Some of these organizations include:
You can find more information here.
To conclude this guide on online casinos in Virginia, we can say that the residents in this state see some light at the end of the tunnel regarding the legality of online casinos. Virginia laws pertaining to gambling, particularly online gambling, are constantly changing nowadays. Therefore, online casinos may be legalized soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the best casino experience in our recommended sweepstakes casinos, Stake.us, WOW Vegas, RealPrize, High 5 Casino, and Clubs Casino–all of which offer exciting game selections, generous welcome offers and super easy-to-use websites.
It is legal to bet on professional sports on online sports betting websites. However, it’s not legal to play in online casinos in this state.
The Virginia Lottery regulates land-based casinos and sports betting and operates the state lottery.
Virginia legalized land-based casinos in 2020. However, it is yet to legalize online casinos.
21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Daily picks from betting experts on odds boosts and casino promos
