Official Website of the Virginia Player's Alliance
Monthly Newsletter
Follow us on Twitter @virginiaplayers or at our Virginia Players Alliance Facebook page
July 2024 Newsletter
​
Welcome Back Players!
​
It’s been a busy month for Virginia’s players with everything from “skill games” to casino selection contention in Petersburg.
If you want to keep up with the work Virginia Players Alliance is doing to fight for fair gaming practices, please follow us on Twitter @VirginiaPlayers or find us on Facebook at Virginia Players Alliance.
Localities Win Big on Casino Revenue
After just a few of Virginia’s cities began permitting casinos in 2021, tax revenue started pouring into local governments’ coffers. The Rivers Casino, which opened in early 2023, added over $18 million in tax revenue for the City of Portsmouth, which went towards funding public schools, retirees, and regional development, as well as providing a tax cut for local homeowners. Last month, we provided some updates on the construction of a Danville casino. Their temporary casino has already enabled the City Council to use the revenue to fund capital projects, infrastructure, and competitive pay raises for city employees. Additionally, Danville lowered the personal property tax rate in the city, supported by revenue from enterprises like the Caesars Casino. Bristol’s casino brought in over $800,000 for the city and surrounding counties, which funds regional transportation, education, and public safety initiatives.
In other parts of the state, proposed casinos could help local governments fund local initiatives. The General Assembly gave approval to Petersburg to hold a referendum on a casino that would boost the city’s economy. In Fairfax, the proposed Tysons Casino would help plug the “tax hole” from declining real estate tax revenue, attributed to the many ghost offices emptied by the pandemic. Now, as the county government considers more drastic measures like a meals tax or raising property taxes, a casino could be better suited to cover the increasing costs of services & schools.
Virginia Rakes in Revenue from Casinos
The Virginia Lottery’s monthly report for May was recently released. The Commonwealth’s three operating casinos, HR Bristol, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and Caesars Virginia in Danville collectively brought in $62.7 million in revenue; $45.7 million came from slots and $17 million from tables.
In May, Virginia’s sports betting operators made over $50 million in revenue, and players made a total of over $445 million on their bets. $8 million was collected in state taxes on this revenue, which will go to the state’s general fund and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
“Skill Games” Take The Stage
Throughout the summer, several legislators have discussed bills seeking to settle the “skill games” issue that has kept businesses and communities in limbo after a Virginia Supreme Court ruling upheld the 2021 ban on the slot machine-like games.
For context, “skill games” are machines, often at convenience stores and gas stations, that allow users to bet on random outcomes, like a slot machine. But operators, in an attempt to skirt regulations, claim the bets have skill-based player input, making them skill, rather than chance-based. Compared to established casinos, “skill games” have lower payout odds, less security (meaning higher risks of underage use), and are more difficult to avoid for those who want to keep their distance from gaming.
After the General Assembly passed a bill changing the legal status of “skill games” during this year’s main session, Governor Glenn Youngkin offered restrictive amendments on the proposal that the legislature refused to accept. When the General Assembly reconvenes in January, they are likely to consider “skill games” legislation that could affect communities throughout the Commonwealth.
Who will bring home the most Gold Medals from Paris?
When this year's Olympics begin on July 26, over ten thousand athletes will compete for gold across 329 events in 32 sports. The events will range from breakdancing to wrestling to swimming in the Seine (if authorities can clean it up in time). While America’s teams are the favorites, there will certainly be fierce competition for the athletic prestige of winning the Olympic games.
The site below has the odds for which country will take the most medals overall:
DraftKings Sportsbook
USA (-2500)
China (+900)
Japan (+5000)
Great Britain (+5000)
France (+8000)
Brazil (+50000)
This site has bets for the most Gold Medals:
FanDuel
United States (-600)
China (+430)
Japan (+5500)
Great Britain (+4200)
Germany (+12000)
This site has bets for the over/under on each competitor’s Gold Medal count:
BetMGM
USA winning 39
Over (-150) / Under (+110)
France winning 26
Over (+140) / Under (-200)
China winning 33
Over (-165) / Under (+120)
Canada winning 5
Over (-140) / Under (+100)
Reply to this email with your bets on the Olympics, whether you’re putting money on an event or if French President Emmanuel Macron will take his promised swim. We hope everyone had good luck on any wagers from last month’s Stanley Cup and NBA Finals.
​
Thank you signing up for our newsletter, and we wish you many payouts ahead,
Virginia Players Alliance
June 2024 Newsletter
Welcome Back Players!
​
A lot has happened in the Commonwealth’s gaming community in the past few months. There are currently two casinos under construction and drama in Richmond surrounding “skill games”.
If you want to keep up with the work Virginia Players Alliance is doing to fight for fair gaming practices, please follow on Twitter at @Virginiaplayers and find us on Facebook at Virginia Players Alliance.
Players Alliance In The Community
Recently, our members showed up at the KORUS Festival in Annandale, ViVa! Vienna over Memorial Day weekend, and the Taste of Springfield Festival to talk fair gaming practices with members of the community. We heard a lot of positive feedback and answered many questions about the proposed Tysons casino, the future of “skill games”, and the NOVA Gaming Coalition.
The Virginia Players Alliance tent at the Taste of Springfield Festival on June 8, 2024
If you see the Virginia Players Alliance at future events, please stop by to say hello and ask about gaming practices in the Commonwealth, from “skill games” to how casino tax revenue returns to communities. Thank you to everyone that’s shown up to our tent, and we look forward to seeing you again!
Virginia Reports $60.1 Million in Casino Revenue for April
The Virginia Lottery released its monthly report on gaming activity at the Bristol, Portsmouth, and Danville casinos. Gaming revenue totaled $60.1m, down from 7% compared to March ($65m). Slot revenue for the month reached $43.m, while table game revenue was $16.2m. The state collected $10.8m in taxes in April alone.
​
​
Casinos Under Construction in the Commonwealth
The permanent Danville Casino is nearing completion at the end of this year, following a groundbreaking ceremony in August 2022. The $650m project will include a 500-room hotel, a gaming floor hosting over 1,300 slots, 85 live table games, 24 electronic table games, a WSOP poker room, and a Caesars Sportsbook. Meeting and convention space will total 40,000 square feet with an entertainment venue accommodating up to 2,500 guests. The temporary Danville Casino has already brought in around a hundred thousand guests a month.
The permanent Bristol Casino is due to open in summer 2024. The casino will be open 24/7 and is expected to generate about 1,200 to 1,500 jobs. It will also include two hotel towers, a pool, concert venue, and more.
Last month, the Petersburg city council chose Cordish Companies to build a Petersburg casino, contingent on whether voters approve the casino in a referendum this fall. This is following a General Assembly vote on April 17 which allowed for the City of Petersburg to decide if they want a casino via referendum.
Governor Youngkin Vetoes “Skill Games”
Despite extensive lobbying efforts and economic pressure from convenience stores, Governor Youngkin vetoed the Legislature’s proposal for legalizing “skill gaming”. Hundreds of convenience stores have halted sales of Virginia Lottery tickets to put pressure on the Governor. Convenience store owners argued that “skill games” have become a critical source of revenue that helped them weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Skill games” are machines, often located at convenience stores and gas stations, that allow users to gamble with slot-like machines that avoid regular gaming restrictions by claiming players have a skill-based choice in what random option they bet on. Because of their casual locations, they don’t have the same level of security, players’ rights & payout chances, and age/ID verification as Virginia’s casinos do.
Youngkin wanted higher tax rates, as well as a 35-mile radius around any casino, racetrack, or gambling site as well as religious centers or schools, in which “skill games” would be banned, which effectively meant most of the state. The Virginia Senate rejected these amendments.
The General Assembly voted to ban “skill games” back in 2020, around the same time lawmakers were clearing the way for casinos for the first time in the Commonwealth. Legislators involved in the legalization effort of “skill games”, Democratic Sen. Aaron Rouse and Republican Del. Terry Kilgore, said that they planned to work “quickly” with Youngkin’s administration on a compromise bill. Del. Kilgore said he hopes skill machines can still become legal on July 1, the date “skill game” supporters have been aiming for despite uncertainty in negotiations.
Who will take the Stanley Cup?
The Florida Panthers took Game 2 of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers last night, giving them a 2-0 lead going into Game 3 on Thursday night. This marks the fourth year in a row in which a Florida team has played in the Cup finals, and should the Panthers win it all, it would be the organizations first Stanley Cup in team history. An Oilers win would be the teams first Stanley Cup since 1990, and the first Cup for a Canadian team since Montreal took it in 1993.
The sites below have the odds for each team
Florida Panthers (-450)
Edmonton Oilers (+360)
Florida Panthers (-490)
Edmonton Oilers (+365)
Florida Panthers (-550)
Edmonton Oilers (+400)
Who will win the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals are continuing this week, with the match up set between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, with their next game in the finals coming up tomorrow at 8:30 PM ET.
The sites below have the odds for each team
Boston Celtics (-800)
Dallas Mavericks (+550)
Boston Celtics (-950)
Dallas Mavericks (+640)
Boston Celtics (-1000)
Dallas Mavericks (+650)
Reply to this email with your favorite prop bet for this Thursday – if it’s a long shot and you get it, we’ll give you a shoutout in next month’s newsletter!
​
Thank you signing up for our newsletter, and we wish you many payouts ahead,
Virginia Players Alliance
​
