A Senate finance meeting in Richmond got heated Tuesday morning as Governor Abigail Spanberger’s Secretary of Finance faced hard questions from senators about revenue holes in the state’s budget. Could new taxes on gambling and gaming, all but dead legislatively, fill in the gaps?
A representative for Governor Spanberger said during the 2026 session there would be no new gaming before a new state commission to regulate it was established. But efforts to create that commission failed. Meanwhile, revenues from new gaming were included in both Senate and House budgets.
Now, facing concerns over revenue shortfalls, Charlottesville Senator Creigh Deeds asked this at Tuesday’s Senate Finance meeting: “You’ve taken skill games off the table… what’s on the table?”
