HB 911

Abstract

Virginia Lottery; repeal prohibition against sale of lottery tickets over the Internet; electronic sports betting; Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund; Sports Betting Operations Fund; penalties. Directs the Virginia Lottery (the Lottery) to regulate electronic sports betting. Under the provisions of the bill, betting on amateur sports, including youth sports and college sports, is prohibited, and betting on professional sports is allowed. The bill provides protections for vulnerable populations and protections of a sports bettor's rights to self-exclusion, data privacy and security, recourse, and integrity and transparency of gameplay. The bill prohibits betting by Lottery employees, participants in athletic events on which the bet is placed, and persons under age 21. The penalty for engaging in prohibited betting is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill directs the Lottery to establish a voluntary exclusion program, which would allow individuals to request that the Lottery exclude them from buying lottery tickets or participating in electronic sports betting.The bill imposes a 10 percent tax on a permit holder's adjusted gross revenue, defined in the bill. The Lottery would retain three percent of the tax revenue to defray its costs of administering the program. The bill creates the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The Fund would be used to provide counseling to compulsive gamblers, implement problem gambling treatment and prevention programs, and provide grants to organizations that assist problem gamblers. The Fund would be funded by 97 percent of the revenue generated from the 10 percent tax on a permit holder's adjusted gross revenue.The bill authorizes the Lottery to sell tickets over the Internet, which is prohibited under current law. This bill was incorporated by HB 896.