Virginia Advances Bill to Ban Credit Cards for Sports Betting Deposits

On March 6, 2026, lawmakers in the state of Virginia made a move toward tighter regulation of the sports betting industry when they voted 93 to 4 to accept changes made by the Senate to House Bill 515.

House Bill 515. If the proposed changes go through, players residing in the state won’t be able to fund their sports betting account with credit cards anymore.

The vote came after the Virginia Senate approved the bill on March 4 (40–0) with the added language that sportsbooks have to take “reasonable measures” to block credit card deposits.

This bill has already gone through a few stages earlier in the session. After it was brought to the Senate on January 29, 2026, the bill was sent to the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee for review.

The committee then approved the measure with amendments on February 18 in a 14 to 0 vote, sending it forward to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. That committee put the bill up for a vote again on March 3, and everyone voted for it, 15 to 0. So, the next day, it was on the Senate calendar for final consideration.

With the Senate approving the amended version and the House of Delegates later agreeing to those changes, House Bill 515 now moves to the governor for a decision. If enacted, sportsbooks licensed in Virginia would be required to block credit card transactions used to fund sports betting accounts.

A Wider Shift Away From Credit Funded Gambling

Virginia’s proposal aligns with the changes currently occurring in the U.S. betting market. We examined these changes in greater detail in an earlier analysis of the gradual phase-out of credit-funded gambling in the United States. Over the past two years, changes in laws and gambling company policies have reduced the prevalence of using credit cards to fund gambling accounts.

One of the most significant changes occurred on August 25, 2025, when DraftKings eliminated the option to deposit with credit cards on all its U.S. sportsbook and online casino platforms.

The operator implemented the nationwide change in response to state regulations that began limiting the use of credit cards for sports betting deposits. According to state laws, Massachusetts, Iowa, Tennessee, and Vermont prohibit using credit cards for regulated sports betting deposits. This requires licensed sportsbooks to block credit card payments in these U.S. states.

Since these rules applied only to certain states, operators had to maintain different payment configurations based on local regulations. That fragmentation was eliminated in August 2025 when DraftKings decided to extend the restriction to all its U.S. sportsbook and online casino platforms.

Opinion: Would the Same Logic Apply to Sweepstakes Casinos in Virginia?

Unsurprisingly, the discussion about House Bill 515 has spilled over to other online gaming models that still allow credit card payments, among them sweepstakes casino sites and social casinos. It’s no secret that almost all of these platforms allow players to easily purchase coin packages with credit cards, such as Visa or Mastercard.

This is due to the fact that transactions funded with borrowed capital give rise to the same consumer protection concerns cited by lawmakers in House Bill 515. The bill specifically addresses the risk that players may accrue debt while gambling online.

Consequently, a broader question emerges: Could restrictions on credit-funded betting in regulated sportsbooks eventually pressure sweepstakes platforms to remove credit cards as a payment option?

For now, at least, the answer remains “no”. This is simply because the scope of House Bill 515 is narrower than it initially seems. As a proposal, it only addresses licensed sportsbooks by modifying the deposit rules within the sports betting framework established by Code of Virginia § 58.1 Chapter 40, the statute that legalized sports wagering in the state.

Under the same law, it is the Virginia Lottery that holds regulatory authority, which includes issuing permits to sportsbook operators and defining the operational conditions they must follow. Given that the bill adjusts how deposits may be funded within this licensed environment, its provisions apply exclusively to operators with sports betting permits.

At the same time, sweepstakes casinos and social gaming platforms are not specifically addressed in Virginia’s gambling statutes. They operate under a promotional sweepstakes structure in which players purchase Gold Coins for gameplay. Meanwhile, Sweepstakes Coins are distributed as promotional entries and can be redeemed for prizes later on.

Since Virginia law does not recognize sweepstakes casinos as a licensing category or establish a regulatory framework for them, it is currently not feasible to enforce operational rules, such as deposit restrictions, on these platforms.

Until legislative changes are made, this means that sweepstakes sites operating in Virginia can process credit card payments through standard online payment systems.

Other Sources / References

• Code of Virginia. (n.d.). Title 58.1, Chapter 40: Sports betting. Virginia Law Legislative Information System. Link
• Code of Virginia. (n.d.). Title 58.1, Chapter 41: Casino gaming. Virginia Law Legislative Information System. Link
• Code of Virginia. (n.d.). Virginia Consumer Protection Act (Title 59.1, Chapter 17). Virginia Law Legislative Information System. Link
• Virginia General Assembly. (2026). House Bill 515: Sports betting; prohibition on use of credit cards. Link
• U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (2026, February 6). Letter to DraftKings regarding credit card transactions in sports betting [Letter]. Link