Virginia is picking up two more sports betting sites, including its first tied to one of the state’s planned casino resorts.
Both BetMGM, a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain PLC, and BetRivers.com, the sports betting arm of Rush Street Gaming, announced plans Wednesday to launch in Virginia. The state became the nation’s 20th with legal sports betting last weekend.
Rush Street is planning to build the $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth, one of four gaming properties approved by Virginia voters last November. BetRivers.com, which is operated by Rush Street Interactive, received approval from the Virginia Lottery, which is regulating the sports betting activity, because of its ties to the casino.
BetMGM was approved by regulators for one of the licenses that do not include a casino or sports franchise.
FanDuel became Virginia’s first sports betting operator last week through a partnership with the NFL’s Washington Football Team. DraftKings was approved over the weekend. The company received a license similar to BetMGM.
The state will now have at least four sports betting sites available to its residents in time for Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7 between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.
States near Virginia, including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, as well as Washington D.C., all have legal sports betting.
Maryland voters approved legal sports betting in 2020 and the state is expected to launch this year.
Virginia becomes the eighth state for Rush Street Interactive, which operates sports betting in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan.
“We are pleased to add Virginia to the growing list of states,” said Rush Street Interactive President Richard Schwartz. “We are confident Virginians will come to appreciate the differentiated and transparent user experience.”
For BetMGM, which is operated by Roar Digital, Virginia becomes its 12th state and its 10th with mobile sports betting. The company said Virginia sports bettors will gain access to customer benefits at the neighboring MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
BetMGM recently announced plans to open a retail sportsbook at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. in partnership with Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals.
“Virginians are passionate sports fans, and we’re thrilled to provide them a user-friendly sports betting experience,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt.
As many as 12 companies could eventually offer sports betting in Virginia. The activity was approved by the state’s General Assembly which tasked the lottery to investigate the interested companies.
The Washington Football Team, FanDuel’s partner, is headquartered in Virginia, although its games are played at FedEx Field in Maryland.
In addition to Rush Street’s deal in Portsmouth, the three other approved casinos are in Bristol with Hard Rock International, Danville with Caesars Entertainment, and Norfolk with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.
Caesars operates sports betting through its partnership with William Hill US.
WynnBet, the sports wagering arm of Wynn Resorts, and Barstool Sports, which is the sports betting partner of Penn National Gaming, have also applied for a sports betting license in Virginia.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
