§ 58.1-4034 — Duties of permit holders

Virginia § 58.1-4034

• Jurisdiction: Virginia
• Title 58.1: Taxation
• Subtitle IV: Other Sources of State Revenue
• Ch. 40: Virginia Lottery Law; Sports Betting
• Art. 2: Sports Betting

Text

A. A permit holder shall ensure that its sports betting operation takes reasonable measures to:

1. Ensure that only persons physically located in Virginia are able to place bets through its sports betting platform, if applicable;

2. Protect the confidential information of bettors using its sports betting platform or placing bets at its sports betting facility;

3. Prevent betting on events that are prohibited by § 58.1-4039, underage betting as prohibited by § 58.1-4040, and bets by persons who are prohibited from sports betting by § 58.1-4041;

4. Allow persons to restrict themselves from placing bets with the permit holder, including sharing, at the person's request, his request for self-exclusion with the Department for the sole purpose of disseminating the request to other permit holders;

5. Establish procedures to detect suspicious or illegal betting activity, including measures to immediately report such activity to the Department;

6. Provide for the issuance of applicable tax forms to persons who meet the reporting threshold for income from sports betting; and

7. If applicable, allow sports bettors to establish and fund sports betting accounts over the Internet on a sports betting platform, which may be funded through methods including automated clearing house payments, credit cards, debit cards, wire transfers, or any other method approved by the Director under § 58.1-4031.

B. A permit holder shall maintain records on:

1. All bets, including the bettor's personal information, the amount and type of bet, the time and location of the bet, and the outcome of the bet; and

2. Suspicious or illegal betting activity.

C. A permit holder shall disclose the records described in subsection B to the Department upon request and shall maintain such records for at least three years after the related sports event occurs.

D. 1. If a sports governing body notifies the Department that real-time information-sharing for bets placed on its sporting events is necessary and desirable, permit holders shall, as soon as is commercially reasonable, share the information required to be retained pursuant to subdivision B 1 of § 58.1-4034 with the sports governing body or its designee with respect to bets on its sporting events. The information shared pursuant to this subsection shall be shared pseudonymously and shall not include personal information associated with any bettor. A permit holder shall not be required to share any information that is required to be kept confidential under federal or Virginia law.

2. A sports governing body shall use information shared pursuant to this subsection only for the purpose of integrity monitoring and shall not use such information for any commercial purpose. A sports governing body shall provide for security measures with respect to such information so as to prevent unauthorized access and distribution.

E. In advertising its sports betting operations, a permit holder shall ensure that its advertisements:

1. Do not target persons under the age of 21;

2. Disclose the identity of the permit holder;

3. Provide information about or links to resources related to gambling addiction; and

4. Are not misleading to a reasonable person.

F. A permit holder shall not sublicense, convey, concede, or otherwise transfer its permit to a third party unless granted approval by the Director. The Director shall charge a nonrefundable fee of $200,000 for a permit transfer. Such fees shall be deposited into the Gaming Regulatory Fund established pursuant to § 58.1-4048.

G. 1. A permit holder may operate its sports betting platform under a brand other than its own but is prohibited from holding itself out to the public as a sports betting operation under more than one brand, and a permit holder shall conspicuously display its utilized brand to sports bettors; however, if a permit holder is a major league sports franchise, it shall not be required to associate the name of its sports betting platform with the name of the major league sports franchise and shall be allowed to hold its sports betting platform out to the public under a separate brand name.

2. A permit holder is prohibited from cooperatively marketing its sports betting platform with any business issued a license pursuant to the provisions of Title 4.1. This prohibition shall not apply to any motor sports facility, major league sports franchise, or operator of a facility issued a permit pursuant to the provisions of subdivision D 4 or D 5 of § 58.1-4032, provided that such motor sports facility, major league sports franchise, or operator of a facility shall be authorized to cooperatively market only on the premises of its stadium. If casino gaming is authorized under the laws of the Commonwealth and a casino gaming operator is licensed by the Department as a permit holder, the prohibition in this subdivision shall not apply to such operator, provided that such operator shall be authorized to cooperatively market only on the premises of its casino gaming establishment. A permit holder shall not be allowed an exemption from the prohibition in this subdivision unless (i) such permit holder complies with any applicable local zoning ordinances and (ii) the local governing body approves by ordinance cooperative marketing with respect to the permit holder's stadium or casino gaming establishment.

H. A permit holder shall not purchase or use any personal biometric data unless the permit holder has received written permission from the athlete's exclusive bargaining representative.

I. Permit holders shall at all times maintain cash reserves in amounts to be established by Board regulation.

Legislative History

2020, cc. 1218, 1256; 2023, cc. 586, 587.