Title 58.1. Taxation
Chapter 41. Casino Gaming
Article 1. General Provisions.
§ 58.1-4100. Definitions.As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Adjusted gross receipts" means the gross receipts from casino gaming less winnings paid to winners.
"Board" means the Virginia Lottery Board established in the Virginia Lottery Law (§ 58.1-4000 et seq.).
"Casino gaming" or "game" means baccarat, blackjack, twenty-one, poker, craps, dice, slot machines, roulette wheels, Klondike tables, Mah Jongg, electronic table games, hybrid table games, punchboards, faro layouts, numbers tickets, push cards, jar tickets, or pull tabs, or any variation of the aforementioned games, and any other activity that is authorized by the Board as a wagering game or device under this chapter. "Casino gaming" or "game" includes on-premises mobile casino gaming.
"Casino gaming establishment" means the premises, including the entire property located at the address of the licensed casino, upon which lawful casino gaming is authorized and licensed as provided in this chapter. "Casino gaming establishment" does not include a riverboat or similar vessel.
"Casino gaming operator" means any person issued a license by the Board to operate a casino gaming establishment.
"Cheat" means to alter the selection criteria that determine the result of a game or the amount or frequency of payment in a game for the purpose of obtaining an advantage for one or more participants in a game over other participants in a game.
"Counter check" means an interest-free negotiable instrument for a specified amount executed by a player and held by the casino that serves as evidence of the casino gaming patron's obligation to pay the casino and that can be exchanged by the casino gaming patron for the specified amount in chips, tokens, credits, electronic credits, electronic cash, or electronic cards.
"Department" means the independent agency responsible for the administration of the Virginia Lottery created in the Virginia Lottery Law (§ 58.1-4000 et seq.).
"Director" means the Director of the Virginia Lottery.
"Eligible host city" means any city described in § 58.1-4107 in which a casino gaming establishment is authorized to be located.
"Entity" means a person that is not a natural person.
"Gaming operation" means the conduct of authorized casino gaming within a casino gaming establishment.
"Gross receipts" means the total amount of money exchanged for the purchase of chips, tokens, electronic credits, electronic cash, or electronic cards by casino gaming patrons. "Gross receipts" shall not include the cash value of promotions or credits provided to and exchanged by casino gaming patrons for chips, tokens, electronic credits, electronic cash, or electronic cards. "Gross receipts" shall also not include uncollectable counter checks.
"Immediate family" means (i) a spouse and (ii) any other person residing in the same household as an officer or employee and who is a dependent of the officer or employee or of whom the officer or employee is a dependent.
"Individual" means a natural person.
"Licensee" or "license holder" means any person holding an operator's license under § 58.1-4111.
"On-premises mobile casino gaming" means casino gaming offered by a casino gaming operator at a casino gaming establishment using a computer network of both federal and nonfederal interoperable packet-switched data networks through which the casino gaming operator may offer casino gaming to individuals who have established an on-premises mobile casino gaming account with the casino gaming operator and who are physically present on the premises of the casino gaming establishment, as authorized by regulations promulgated by the Board.
"Permit holder" means any person holding a supplier or service permit pursuant to this chapter.
"Person" means an individual, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, stock corporation, or nonstock corporation and includes any person that directly or indirectly controls or is under common control with another person.
"Preferred casino gaming operator" means the proposed casino gaming establishment and operator thereof submitted by an eligible host city to the Board as an applicant for licensure.
"Prepaid access instrument" means a system device that allows a casino gaming patron access to funds that have been paid in advance and can be retrieved or transferred at some point in the future through such a device. In order to transfer funds for gaming purposes, a prepaid access instrument shall be redeemed for tokens, chips, credits, electronic credits, electronic cash, electronic cards, or used in conjunction with an approved cashless wagering system or interactive gaming account.
"Principal" means any individual who solely or together with his immediate family members (i) owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent or more of the pecuniary interest in any entity that is a licensee or (ii) has the power to vote or cause the vote of five percent or more of the voting securities or other ownership interests of such entity, and any person who manages a gaming operation on behalf of a licensee.
"Professional sports" means the same as such term is defined in § 58.1-4030.
"Security" has the same meaning as provided in § 13.1-501. If the Board finds that any obligation, stock, or other equity interest creates control of or voice in the management operations of an entity in the manner of a security, then such interest shall be considered a security.
"Sports betting" means the same as such term is defined in § 58.1-4030.
"Sports betting facility" means an area, kiosk, or device located inside a casino gaming establishment licensed pursuant to this chapter that is designated for sports betting.
"Supplier" means any person that sells or leases, or contracts to sell or lease, any casino gaming equipment, devices, or supplies, or provides any management services, to a licensee.
"Voluntary exclusion program" means a program established by the Board pursuant to § 58.1-4103 that allows individuals to voluntarily exclude themselves from engaging in the activities described in subdivision B 1 of § 58.1-4103 by placing their names on a voluntary exclusion list and following the procedures set forth by the Board.
"Youth sports" means the same as such term is defined in § 58.1-4030.
2020, cc. 1197, 1248; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 7, 351, 352; 2022, cc. 589, 590.
§ 58.1-4101. Regulation and control of casino gaming; limitation.A. Casino gaming shall be licensed and permitted as herein provided to benefit the people of the Commonwealth. The Board is vested with control of all casino gaming in the Commonwealth, with authority to prescribe regulations and conditions under this chapter. The purposes of this chapter are to assist economic development, promote tourism, and provide for the implementation of casino gaming operations of the highest quality, honesty, and integrity and free of any corrupt, incompetent, dishonest, or unprincipled practices.
B. The conduct of casino gaming shall be limited to the qualified locations established in § 58.1-4107. The Board shall be limited to the issuance of a single operator's license for each such qualified location.
C. The conduct of any casino gaming and entrance to such establishment is a privilege that may be granted or denied by the Board or its duly authorized representatives in its discretion in order to effectuate the purposes set forth in this chapter. Any proposed site for a casino gaming establishment shall be privately owned property subject to the local land use and property taxation authority of the eligible host city in which the casino gaming establishment is located.
§ 58.1-4102. Powers and duties of the Board; regulations.The Board shall have the power and duty to:
1. Issue permits and licenses under this chapter and supervise all gaming operations licensed under the provisions of this chapter, including all persons conducting or participating in any gaming operation. The Board shall employ such persons to be present during gaming operations as are necessary to ensure that such gaming operations are conducted with order and the highest degree of integrity.
2. Adopt regulations regarding the conditions under which casino gaming shall be conducted in the Commonwealth and all such other regulations it deems necessary and appropriate to further the purposes of this chapter.
3. Issue an operator's license only to a person who meets the criteria of § 58.1-4107.
4. Issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses before the Board, administer oaths, and compel production of records or other documents and testimony of such witnesses whenever in the judgment of the Board it is necessary to do so for the effectual discharge of its duties.
5. Order such audits as it deems necessary and desirable.
6. Provide for the withholding of the applicable amount of state and federal income tax of persons claiming a prize or payoff for winning a game and establish the thresholds for such withholdings.
§ 58.1-4103. Voluntary exclusion program.A. The Board shall adopt regulations to establish and implement a voluntary exclusion program.
B. The regulations shall include the following provisions:
1. Except as provided by regulation of the Board, a person who participates in the voluntary exclusion program agrees to refrain from (i) playing any account-based lottery game authorized under the provisions of this chapter or Chapter 40 (§ 58.1-4000 et seq.); (ii) participating in sports betting as such activity is regulated by the Board; (iii) engaging in any form of casino gaming authorized under the provisions of this chapter; (iv) participating in charitable gaming, as defined in § 18.2-340.16; (v) participating in fantasy contests, as defined in § 59.1-556; or (vi) wagering on horse racing, as defined in § 59.1-365. Any state agency, at the request of the Department, shall assist in administering the voluntary exclusion program pursuant to the provisions of this section.
2. A person who participates in the voluntary exclusion program may choose an exclusion period of two years, five years, or lifetime.
3. Except as provided by regulation of the Board, a person who participates in the voluntary exclusion program may not petition the Board for removal from the program for the duration of his exclusion period.
4. The name of a person participating in the program shall be included on a list of excluded persons. The list of persons entering the voluntary exclusion program and the personal information of the participants shall be confidential, with dissemination by the Department limited to lottery sales agents licensed under Chapter 40 (§ 58.1-4000 et seq.), owners and operators of casino gaming establishments, and any other parties the Department deems necessary for purposes of enforcement. The list and the personal information of participants in the voluntary exclusion program shall not be subject to disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.). In addition, the Board may disseminate the list to other parties upon request by the participant and agreement by the Board.
5. Lottery sales agents and owners and operators of casino gaming establishments shall make all reasonable attempts as determined by the Board to cease all direct marketing efforts to a person participating in the program. The voluntary exclusion program shall not preclude lottery sales agents and owners and operators of casino gaming establishments from seeking the payment of a debt incurred by a person before entering the program. In addition, the owner or operator of a casino gaming establishment may share the names of individuals who self-exclude across its corporate enterprise, including sharing such information with any of its affiliates.
§ 58.1-4104. Fingerprints and background investigations.The Board, in conjunction with an accredited law-enforcement agency, shall conduct a background investigation, including a criminal history records check and fingerprinting, of the following individuals: (i) every individual applying for a license or permit pursuant to this chapter; (ii) every individual who is an officer, director, or principal of a licensee or applicant for a license and every employee of the licensee who conducts gaming operations; (iii) all security personnel of any licensee; and (iv) all permit holders and officers, directors, principals, and employees of permit holders whose duties relate to gaming operations in Virginia. Each such individual shall submit his fingerprints and personal descriptive information to the Central Criminal Records Exchange to be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal records search and to the Department of State Police for a Virginia criminal history records check. The results of the background check and national and state criminal records check shall be returned to the Board.
§ 58.1-4105. Hearing and appeal.Any person aggrieved by a refusal of the Department to issue any license or permit, the suspension or revocation of a license or permit, the imposition of a fine, or any other action of the Department may seek review of such action in accordance with Department regulations and Article 3 (§ 2.2-4018 et seq.) of the Administrative Process Act in the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond. Further appeals shall also be in accordance with Article 5 (§ 2.2-4025 et seq.) of the Administrative Process Act.
§ 58.1-4106. Injunction.The Department may apply to the appropriate circuit court for an injunction against any person who has violated or may violate any provision of this chapter or any regulation or final decision of the Department. The order granting or refusing such injunction shall be subject to appeal as in other cases in equity.