VA Lottery Approves 2 More Sportsbooks: Betway Virginia And 888
Betway Virginia and 888 Sportsbook are the latest operators to receive approval to operate online sportsbooks in Virginia.
The Virginia Lottery recently issued temporary permits to each entity.
Once live and accepting wagers in VA, they should become the 12th and 13th sports betting operators in the commonwealth.
Now, the question remains: Who gets the final two sports betting licenses in Virginia?
About Betway Virginia and 888 Sportsbook
Last week’s approvals came during the Thanksgiving holiday. They included:
- Nov. 24: Betway Virginia (Digital Gaming Corporation VA, LLC)
- Nov. 25: 888 Sportsbook (VHL, VA LLC)
After going three-and-a-half months without a sportsbook launch, Virginia should soon see five debuts since Oct. 13. Golden Nugget (Oct. 13) and Bally Bet (Nov. 24) recently launched, and PointsBet also recently received approval thanks to its Colonial Downs Group partnership.
Betway Virginia and 888 Sportsbook shouldn’t be too far behind now that they also have approval, though officials haven’t announced a firm date for their launches.
Here’s the full list of VA sportsbook approvals and launch dates:
| Sportsbook | Permit approval date | Launch date |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | 1/20/2021 | 1/21/2021 |
| DraftKings | 1/24/2021 | 1/24/2021 |
| BetMGM | 1/24/2021 | 1/27/2021 |
| BetRivers | 1/26/2021 | 1/27/2021 |
| Caesars (formerly William Hill) | 1/27/2021 | 2/2/2021 |
| WynnBET | 3/4/2021 | 3/11/2021 |
| Unibet | 4/21/2021 | 4/28/2021 |
| Barstool | 3/15/2021 | 8/10/2021 |
| Golden Nugget | 3/15/2021 | 10/13/2021 |
| Bally Bet | 3/15/2021 | 11/24/2021 |
| PointsBet | 11/22/2021 | 12/15/2021 |
| Hard Rock | 3/31/2022 | 3/31/2022 |
| Betway | 11/24/2021 | Q2 2022 |
| SI Sportsbook | 11/25/2021 | Q2 2022 |
Betway is currently live in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 888 is live in just NJ but recently teamed with Sports Illustrated as it plans for US expansion. The SI Sportsbook name could become the primary moniker for the venture.
Only 2 Virginia sportsbook licenses remain
Colonial Downs, Betway and 888 secured three of five additional licenses that regulators made available earlier this year.
A 2021 bill cleaned up language in Virginia’s 2020 sports-betting legislation. With the fix, which involved licenses for Virginia’s future casinos, up to five additional licenses became available for online operators.
With PointsBet, Betway and 888 now locked in, up to two (but at least one) remain.
Regardless of who the winners will be, they and the recent trio of license winners have their work cut out for them. It’s crucial for these sportsbooks to launch in time for the NFL Playoffs (January), Super Bowl (February) and March Madness.
Following that first quarter of the year, the sports schedule hits a slow period. As a result, sportsbooks usually see a much smaller handle during the spring and summer.
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