Virginia iGaming Bill Advances Out Of Subcommittee After Tweaks
With some responsible gaming enhancements, Locke’s bill heads to Senate Finance Committee
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Persistence has paid off for Virginia state Sen. Mamie Locke as her bill to legalize internet casino gaming in the Old Dominion advanced out of the upper chamber’s General Laws Committee on Wednesday.
Locke made amendments to the responsible gaming provisions of SB 118, which had been voted down 4-3 with one abstention last Friday. Committee Chairman Jeff McPike, who abstained last week, had told Locke prior to the vote he wanted “legislation that really ups the game in terms of problem gaming.”
He got his wish, calling the amendments worked on with Locke “more prescriptive in the statute, probably more than any other state in the United States at this point.”
Locke’s bill advanced by a 9-6 vote as McPike voted in favor of it. Two no votes from the subcommittee, Sen. Adam Ebbin and Sen. Bryce Reeves, again voted against the bill.
The bill now moves to the Finance and Appropriations Committee.
What did Locke amend?
The biggest addition to Locke’s bill comes with the requirement the “Board promulgate rules and regulations that require an internet gaming operator to implement responsible gaming programs.”
That includes implementing a strategic implementation plan that “utilizes player data and technology” and “uses automated triggers to identify and manage accounts of potential problem gamblers.” There are also three phases of intervention and education, which include the operator communicating with the individual to make the person aware of available responsible gaming resources offered, followed by an escalation to include video tutorials on those resources, and ultimately, when warranted, access to a responsible gaming professional offered by the operator on “possible corrective actions to address at-risk behavior.”
McPike noted these practices were taken from New York’s regulatory framework, but Locke’s bill would be the second in the country that would require an operator to utilize player data as a potential trigger to “identify and manage at-risk players.” New Jersey was the first to take such action in 2023.
