RESEARCH: PROBLEM GAMBLING RATES DECLINE AFTER LEGALIZATION
Prevalence studies conducted by Rutgers University show that problem gambling in New Jersey has declined since legalization.
From 2017 to 2021, as New Jersey expanded regulation and oversight of online gaming, the problem gambling rate fell by more than 11%.
The takeaway is clear: legalization does not increase problem gambling. It gives states the tools, oversight, and resources to manage it responsibly.
$300 MILLION/YEAR FOR VA SCHOOLS
Legalizing online casinos would deliver $300 million in new annual revenue to support Virginia education.
Every day, Virginians are accessing online casino platforms that operate outside Virginia law, with no state oversight, no enforceable age verification standards, and no responsible gaming requirements.
A legal online casino framework would regulate this activity, require strict age verification and consumer safeguards, and direct new revenue to Virginia schools.
Data released last year from the NCPG confirms problem gambling rates are declining, not rising, as legal online sports betting and casino gaming expand. Problem gambling rates have decreased to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting the temporary increase in problematic play was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Council on Problem Gambling
National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences (2024)
Failure to establish safeguards for an activity as pervasive as igaming in Virginia would be a disservice to the public and an abdication of our government’s duty.
Under our legal, regulated framework, players would have to prove they are 21 years old, they couldn’t use a credit or pre-paid card to play, and platform operators would be required to use data-monitoring tools to identify at-risk or problem gaming behavior, providing a pathway for intervention.
None of those safeguards exist in Virginia today.
Sen. Mamie Locke and Del. Marcus Simon
The Virginian-Pilot
Online Casino Games
Unregulated online casino platforms are exploding in popularity across the United States. A recent Washington Post investigation detailed how unregulated iGaming platforms – like Chumba and VGW, Stake, and WOW – evade U.S. gaming laws and safeguards that prevent minors from gaining access and dodge billions in tax revenue that states could use to fund important priorities.
LATEST NEWS
Virginia's proposed iGaming legislation (SB 118 and HB 161) doesn't just address responsible gaming — the proposed provisions would become the gold standard of consumer protections for the United States
The reality is that these legislative bills would put Virginia at the vanguard of responsible gaming by mandating the most robust consumer protections in the nation
This year, the General Assembly has an opportunity to enact comprehensive legislation — House Bill 161 and Senate Bill 118 — that protects Virginians from predatory platforms, creates jobs and collects new tax revenue from licensed igaming operators
Many sites do not have strong identity verification and are able to advertise on social media with little oversight. Tech-savvy young people in the United States can gamble on them using false identities and readily available software to mask their locations, often unbeknownst to their parents
By last year, was collecting $1.05 billion in taxes from digital casinos, compared with $188 million from sportsbook apps. The revenue from casino games is significant: Pennsylvania’s entire state budget is about $50 billion
Virginia has vastly expanded gambling over the past few years, and another new form, iGaming, was debated at a committee hearing in Richmond Tuesday morning