Thursday is set to be the inaugural day of legalized sports betting in Virginia, with FanDuel Sportsbook being the sole operator confirmed to participate. Through their partnership with the Washington Football Team, they have secured a first-mover advantage in the state, leaving other applicants sidelined.
VA Lottery officially approves FanDuel Sportsbook
Officials have recently updated the VA Lottery website, adding the initial entry under the category of “Approved Permit Holders” on Wednesday.
On January 20, 2021, a temporary permit was approved for Betfair Interactive US LLC, also known as FanDuel, in partnership with the Washington Football Team.
FanDuel gained an early advantage over its competitors in Virginia due to its partnership with the Washington Football Team, as reported by Richmond.com. While other applicants are still awaiting a decision on their applications, FanDuel was able to take the lead. This is because Virginia grants significant and preferred consideration to applicants who collaborate with professional sports teams that have a presence in the state, and since Washington’s corporate offices are situated in Ashburn, Virginia.
What we know about FanDuel and VA sports betting
On Wednesday evening, FanDuel Sportsbook, one of the 25 operators vying for a Virginia sports betting license, unveiled the debut of its VA sports betting app.
In the tweet, it was initially announced that the launch would take place on Thursday. However, the tweet was subsequently removed and the wording was modified to indicate that the launch is now scheduled to happen at a later time, with the term “coming soon” being used instead.
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On Wednesday, a video was shared on social media, and in addition to that, customers of FanDuel took to Twitter to report that they had received promotional emails from the company. These emails also mentioned that Virginia was scheduled for a launch on Thursday.
Richmond.com has finally confirmed the story, putting an end to approximately 12 hours of confusion and uncertainty regarding the launch.
Virginia’s first online sportsbook
This marks the initial confirmation regarding potential launchers in Virginia.
PlayVirginia did not receive an immediate response from VA Lottery officials. Furthermore, the lottery officials have yet to disclose the operators who have been officially granted licenses to operate.
In the beginning, it was anticipated that Virginia would have a minimum of four sportsbooks and a maximum of 12. However, the possibility of having 19 licensed sportsbooks in Virginia is now being deliberated by lawmakers through a new bill, projecting the growth of the market.
Market maturity is anticipated to occur in 2022 and 2025, coinciding with the expected opening of the first legal Virginia casinos in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth. There is a possibility that Richmond may also join this group, depending on the outcome of a voter referendum later this year. Initially, Virginia’s market will be solely online, but the casino-resorts may eventually provide physical locations and their own online applications once they commence operations.
Regarding the upcoming launch, no other operator has confirmed their license to go live in Virginia on Thursday. However, FanDuel’s recent announcement suggests that they are prepared for the launch whenever it takes place.
Licenses for vendors and suppliers
The list of approved vendors and suppliers has been posted by the VA Lottery. It consists of data suppliers, payment processors, marketing affiliates, and other related businesses.
On October 15th, the vendor and supplier companies initiated the process of applying for licenses. Finally, on January 13th, the lotto executives officially sanctioned 27 companies, granting them the licenses.
Included in the list of licensed companies are well-known names like PayPal, Facebook, Sportradar, Topgolf Media, and other recognizable brands. Approval was also granted to Catena Operations Ltd., the parent company of PlayVirginia.
The full lineup includes:
| Aristotle International Inc. | Lineups.com, Inc. | Paysafecard.com USA Inc. |
| Better Collective USA Inc | Media Players US LLC | Sightline Payments LLC |
| CAMS, LLC | MediaTroopers Inc. | Simple Bet Inc. |
| Catena Operations Ltd. | Occupy Fantasy | Skrill USA, INC |
| CBS Interactive Inc. | Onfido Inc | Sportradar Solutions LLC |
| Continent 8 LLC | Outkick Media, LLC | SportsContentCo, LLC |
| Cyxtera Communications Inc. | PayNearMe MT, Inc. | SWIMA |
| Facebook Inc. | PayPal Inc. | The Action Network, Inc. |
| Kax Media America, Inc. | Paysafe Merchant Services Corp. | Topgolf Media, LLC |
Recently, the Virginia Lottery has given its approval to two testing and certification labs, namely Gaming Laboratories International, LLC and Bulletproof Solutions, Inc.
Applications for vendors and suppliers will be accepted by the lottery continuously. Unlike sportsbook licenses, there is no limit to the number of vendor/supplier licenses.
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