Virginia Casino and Card Room Gaming 1n594a

In November 2020, voters approved the launch of Virginia casinos in the cities of Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, and Norfolk. Hard Rock opened a temporary casino in Bristol in July 2021. Rivers Casino in Portsmouth was expected to open in February 2023.

In January 1995, SB1042 was introduced in an effort to establish a Riverboat Gaming Commission and authorize riverboat gaming. The bill never made it past committee.

In January 2013, the Senate introduced SB1369, again trying to establish a Riverboat Gaming Commission (RVC) and legalize riverboat gambling. The bill died in committee.

Prompted by Maryland legislation that approved a new casino in Prince George's County, which neighbors Virginia, Senate Bill 687/689 was pre-filed on 16 July 2012, to be introduced into the 2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly. The bills were similar to the riverboat legislation, and if ed would have legalized casino gaming and established the Virginia Casino Gaming Commission (VCGC) to regulate it. The legislation died quickly in committee.

In February 2019, one of the seven gambling-related bills that would allow casinos in select areas across Virginia ed the state General Assembly.

In March 2019, Governor Ralph Northam signed SB 1126 into law, establishing a framework for the Lottery Board to oversee gaming in certain localities that must further approve via voter referendum. Locations would be limited to Danville, Bristol and Portsmouth, with Richmond and Norfolk as potential sites for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe — which won federal recognition as a sovereign entity in 2015 — to open a $700 million casino resort under commercial laws.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened on January 23, 2023, becoming Virginia's first full-service permanent casino. Hard Rock Casino Bristol opened its permanent facility on November 14, 2024, replacing the temporary casino that had operated since July 2022. Caesars Virginia in Danville opened on December 17, 2024. The Norfolk casino project is now advancing with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe partnering with Boyd Gaming, with plans to open in 2027.