Virginians are wild about sports so it’s no wonder they adopted a welcoming approach Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) betting so early on. To discover the backstory behind DFS betting in Virginia, how the locals love to bet and what changes may be in store for DFS gameplay in the state, we recommend you keep reading…

Todd Winkler, Editor at online-gambling.com

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Todd Winkler has been an editor at online-gambling.com for 6 years. His focus is on guides and articles about poker games, blackjack, and DFS. With relatives in New Zealand, he is also well aware of the gambling industry in the country.

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Online Daily Fantasy Sports in Virginia – Overview

When Virginia was the first state to pass a law allowing daily fantasy sports, no one could have predicted the chain it could have set off. Now, most states in the USA have either created similar laws to Virginia’s “Fantasy Contests Act,” or they have simply taken a tolerant stance on in-state DFS activities.

After the bill was first signed, many praised the efforts of the Virginian government for its desire to bring out regulations that would protect consumers from potential abuses. The act also stated that each operator would have to go through two independent audits a year, pay a $50,000 licensing fee to operate, ensure players are over the age of 18 and ban employees of fantasy sites from participating in public contests. These caveats would go on to inspire many current fantasy sports laws around the country.

Not long after DFS’ legalization in Virginia, daily fantasy sports were classified as a game of skill by a federal court, further encouraging more states to allow for a more open attitude to betting on DFS sites. Looking to the future, it appears Virginia is just getting started on the pro-gambling trend that it started in 2016.

Below, we have listed the top sports leagues in Virginia and how they can be played.

Online Daily Fantasy NFL – Touchdown for Virginia!

Virginia may have no teams representing it in the National Football Association but that hasn’t stopped Virginians rushing to draft their NFL fantasy sports every week. In NFL Fantasy League, contestants draft a fantasy team within a salary cap. Points are scored based on the real-life performance of players, for example, if your offense scores a running touchdown you will earn 6 points and if your defense makes an interception you will earn 2 points.

Online Daily Fantasy MLB – Batter Up!

Virginia is the most populous state in the US without a major professional sports league, although the Major League Baseball has still remained to be popular. In MLB Fantasy, contestants are to build a team of 10 players to play against their competition. The players must be playing over that week’s schedule and be scheduled in at least two different MLB games. Scoring is varied, including 10 points for a home run, 5 points for a double, etc.

Online Daily Fantasy MLS – Points Are The Goal!

The MLS Fantasy League requires players to draft a lineup of 8 players from at least two different games. Scoring is similar to other leagues – so where a player can earn 10 points by scoring goals another might lose three points for earning a red card. Because players’ prices increase based on their weekly performance, make sure you are adjusting your drafts often to ensure you don’t go over budget.

Online Daily Fantasy NHL – A Capital For DFS

There may not be any National Hockey League teams bearing Virginia in their names, but Virginia is still home to the training grounds of the Washington Capitals. Perhaps it’s worth recruiting some Capitals, then, for your fantasy team. In the NHL Fantasy League, contestants are to draft teams of 9 players from at least 3 different teams. Points are awarded in a similar manner to other leagues.

College Fantasy Sport – Show The Hokies Some Love!

There is a rich culture of college sports in Virginia, but the most successful athletic collegiate program that competes in the NCAA Division 1 is surely the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s renowned. Yale’s fame as an academic institution also extends to its collegiate athletics program, Hokies football team. Regularly playing to over 65,000 fans in their Lane Stadium, Hokies supporters have been voted to be the scariest crowd to play in front of by ESPN due to their vocal support.

This support has endured through over 700 victories and 25 consecutive bowl appearance, giving the Hokies the best home-field advantage in the country. It seems that the only struggle Virginia’s college fantasy football players will have is that they aren’t allowed to choose a team with only Hokies players.

Timeline of Daily Fantasy Sports Legislation

For most of its history, Virginia’s laws have remained hostile to gambling. While some forms of gambling were legalized, casino-style gambling has long been shirked. In 2019, however, lawmakers began to make moves to introduce more forms of betting, possibly spending the end of a zero-tolerance to gambling era. Below, we’ve created a timeline of Virginia’s gambling history leading up to recent events. For more info related to the gambling opportunities in the state, visit our dedicated Virginia gambling page.

Legal Daily Fantasy Betting Age in Virginia

The laws regarding legal gambling age in Virginia are clear and strict – you have to be at least 18 years old in order to participate in DFS or any other kind of betting activity, including bingo, casino games, lottery and so on. If you choose not to comply, bear in mind that you will be punished according to the law’s Class 1 misdemeanor – a fine of up to $2,500 and at most one year of jail.

• DFS Betting Age
  Players must be over 18 years old to legally gamble in Virginia.
• Alcohol Age
  The legal drinking age in Virginia is 21 years old.
• Weed Age
  Recreational cannabis smoking is illegal in Virginia.

Is Daily Fantasy Betting Legal Outside of the State?

After Virginia broke new ground by regulating DFS, the rest of the country gradually followed – with Daily Fantasy League betting now legal in most states in the USA. There are only nine states with specific policies and legislation that block DFS operators from remaining active in state lines. These include Montana, Idaho and Arizona. While there is hope for some of these states to move toward legalization in the next few years, some of them show little to no sign of changing their attitudes toward gambling any time soon. However, if the speed at which current nationwide legalization efforts have shown us anything, it’s that laws surrounding gambling are unpredictable and could change at any time if public support is great enough.

The Best Fantasy Sports App in Virginia

If you aren’t much of a desktop or laptop computer user and want to play DFS, don’t worry. Many DFS operators have created mobile apps for betting, and if not, most sites are fully mobile optimized. Here, you can make drafts from anywhere with an internet connection, making it the fastest and most convenient way to pick your teams. Based on our experience, we recommend using the DraftKings app the most for DFS betting, due to its sleek design and ease of use.

Taxes on Daily Fantasy Winnings: Legal Overview

The federal tax law includes also winnings from gambling and betting, although this is valid for amounts over $600. The rate according to which they will be taxed is 25% and you will have to include them in your annual tax declaration. For more information, visit the website of the IRS or the Vermont Department of Taxation.

Upcoming Regulation Changes to Be Aware Of

While there have been no regulation changes to DFS announced in recent years, it is still an exciting time to be a gambler in Virginia. After the state held out on introducing casino legislation for years, a new bill was recently signed in by state Governor Ralph Northam that could introduce legal casino gambling, online gambling, and sports betting.

The bill authorizes the state Lottery Board to grant one casino license per city on the grounds that it has experienced some degree of financial hardship or increase in poverty after the Global Financial Crisis. It’s allowances of online gambling and sports betting is a bit vaguer but leaves the ironing out of details to the Lottery Board as well.

It will take at least until June 2020 for the Lottery Board to be able to grant a casino license and figure out how it will roll out the new gambling measures, but the hopes for the rejuvenation of some of Virginia’s financially-struggling towns is still exciting, to say the least.

Daily Fantasy Guides for Nearby States

• North Carolina
• Maryland
• West Virginia
• Tennessee