Bally Interactive opened its Bally Bet online sportsbook for sports betting in time for NFL Thanksgiving Day betting, becoming the 10th sportsbook now live in the commonwealth.
In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation to legalize sports betting and create the process for the Virginia Lottery to grant online sports betting licenses. Bally Corp. was approved for a temporary mobile sports betting permit by the Virginia Lottery on March 15, but the company had to delay the launch as it closed a deal for Gamesys that was first agreed upon in March, according to reports.
Virginia bettors can sign up and create a Bally Bet account at Va.BallyBet.com and click “Join Now” in the upper right-hand corner. As a new user, you will immediately qualify for a $100 Free Bet signup bonus as well as a Risk-Free Bet up to $550.
Bally Bet joins the Virginia sportsbook market that already has the following sportsbooks live: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, BetRivers, William Hill (became Caesars Sportsbook in August), WynnBET, Unibet, BarStool Sportsbook and Golden Nugget Online Gaming.
FanDuel VA was the first online sportsbook to launch in January. Before Bally Bet, Golden Nugget was the latest to go live, launching at the end of September. Golden Nugget was also approved by the state lotter in mid-March.
After its plan to build a $650-million casino in Richmond was dropped from consideration by the city's evaluation panel in April, Bally's said it was looking forward to providing an online sports betting platform to bettors under their temporary sports wagering permit.
VA is 3rd State for Bally Bet
Bally Bet's entry into Virginia follows the company's successful launches in Colorado and Iowa. The company now has plans to launch in Indiana soon, according to the Bally Bet website. Bally Bet is an authorized gaming operator of MLB, the NHL and the NBA.
During its meeting at the end of October, the Virginia Lottery said more sportsbooks were expected to launch in the coming months. Two of those will be PointsBet and Digital Gaming Corporation VA, LLC, after their temporary permits were approved Nov. 22 and Nov. 24, respectively.
PointsBet has a partnership agreement in Virginia with Colonial Downs Group, which was approved as a permit holder. The Virginia gambling law allows for at least 18 mobile sports betting licenses.
Virginia Sports Betting Soars
Virginia sports bettors have wagered more than $1.9 billion in the eight full months sports betting has been live in the state.
The state had a sports wagering handle of about $294 million in September, up 61% from August ($182.4 million). The September handle was the second best since the state launched sports betting in January. The record for Virginia sports betting handle was in March when the state registered more than $304 million.
It’s likely when the October figures are announced this week there will be a new record for Virginia. Most states have been setting new total sports handle marks because the NFL and college football were in the middle of their seasons in October and the NBA and NHL began their seasons.
As Virginia waits for retail sportsbooks to open in casinos approved in four cities (likely in 2022), the sports betting market in the state is currently all online.
