Virginia Bans Credit Card Deposits for Sports Betting

Bettors across the state will no longer be able to fund their Virginia sports betting accounts with credit cards starting this summer.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger approved HB 515 on April 13, 2026, and the measure was enacted as Chapter 926 of the 2026 Acts of Assembly. The new law takes effect July 1, 2026 and bars the VA Lottery from approving credit cards as a funding method for sports betting accounts.

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How HB 515 Got Approval

Del. Marty Martinez introduced HB 515 for the 2026 session, and the bill was formally offered on January 14, 2026. Within two weeks, the House passed it 94-3, then the Senate passed it 40-0 with an amendment on March 4. The House later agreed to the Senate amendment 93-4 on March 6 before the bill was sent to the governor.

The amendment added one of the law’s key compliance provisions: betting apps in Virginia must take "reasonable measures" to prevent credit cards from being used to fund betting accounts. The statutory text does not list every method that might be covered, but it clearly puts responsibility on licensed sportsbooks to prevent credit card funding rather than simply turning away direct card transactions.

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Virginia Joins a Broader Trend

Virginia is not the first state to take this approach. A growing number of jurisdictions have moved away from allowing credit cards to fund betting accounts, either through statute or regulation.

In Illinois, the Gaming Board adopted rules in April 2025 prohibiting credit cards for sports wagering accounts.

In Massachusetts, a similar restriction has already been enforced through regulation. That rule drew national attention when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission fined DraftKings $450,000 after regulators found the company accepted more than $83,000 in credit card deposits from over 200 customers.

Sportsbook operators have also been tightening their own policies. DraftKings was the first operator to announce it would no longer accept credit card deposits on its platform. FanDuel did the same a few months later, and just over the past few weeks, bet365, BetMGM, and Caesars have all followed suit.