A Virginia Senate committee killed a House bill that would create an independent body to regulate various gambling industries Monday, as state lawmakers seek to corral the sprawling industry.
Casinos, horse racing and “charitable gaming” like bingo are all regulated by different state-level bodies. Skill games, slot machine-like devices found in convenience stores, and iGaming — a form of casino gambling on mobile phones — are technically illegal in Virginia, but widespread.
“I think it’s time that we bite the bullet and put it all into one. We’ve got too many agencies regulating gaming as it is right now,” said Del. Paul Krizek (D–Fairfax) at a meeting of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Resources.
The subcommittee voted to continue the bill Monday morning, which pushes it to next year’s session, and the full committee heeded that recommendation later in the day. The 11–3 vote had two Democrats and a Republican voting against continuing.
Separate approaches had emerged in the two chambers. The Senate’s bill — which is in conference, with members of both chambers engaged in negotiations — would have the Virginia Lottery regulate most of the gaming industry, whereas the House bill killed Monday would create a new, independent gaming commission.
“We already have a structure in place that we can work with, so why stand up another?” said Sen. Louise Lucas (D–Portsmouth), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
The urgency of creating a new regulatory structure also has potential tax dollars on the line.
Budgeters are leaning on new gaming revenue to pad the state budget in a year where there’s little apparent political will to raise taxes or impose new ones.
While the House and Senate’s competing budget proposals include different gaming provisions, both would bring in tens of millions of dollars the state could use to pay for other priorities.
But Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier told a House committee that Gov. Abigail Spanberger was “deeply concerned about” gaming expansion without merging oversight agencies.
Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin also set red lines when it came to gaming expansion, saying that he wanted a single entity to exist before expanding options for gaming.
This year, bills to legalize iGaming and skill games and tax fantasy sports, are being considered. A budget amendment to raise casino taxes was also introduced.
The debates over regulating gambling in the commonwealth have also pushed the industry to give millions of dollars in campaign contributions. The gaming industry gave over $14 million to Virginia political candidates from both parties in 2024 and 2025, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project. Donors in the industry gave Spanberger over $1 million.
Speaking to VPM News, Krizek indicated he was sticking to his consolidation approach.
“The lottery was set up to sell lottery tickets, essentially for K–12 education, and they do a great job,” he said. “But a gaming commission could be focused on regulation, licensing, enforcement and keeping a neutral and consistent approach [across] all gaming sectors, and that’s what we need. The battle’s not over yet.”
Krizek and Lucas are both negotiators on SB609, a separate bill introduced by Lucas that would establish the Virginia Lottery and Gaming Authority to regulate all legal gambling.
Copyright 2026 VPM
