While Virginia may hold diverse meanings for different individuals, it is not regarded as a favorable destination for gamblers by lawmakers, at least not officially.
VA lawmakers unanimously supported a rather unusual piece of legislation.
It might not necessarily be required.
However, legislators are not willing to take any risks when it comes to the Virginia state slogan. Consequently, they have unanimously decided to prohibit Virginia sports betting and VA casino companies from utilizing the advertising slogan “Virginia is for Bettors.”
Virginia lawmakers are not willing to take any risks, even though the state’s travel and tourism slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers,” has been modified and mocked in various ways throughout the years.
A lawmaker’s gripe with ‘Virginia is for Bettors’
After being influenced by a promotional advertisement with the slogan “Virginia is for Bettors,” Virginia Senator Tommy Norment, who represents James City County, submitted Senate Bill 96.
He expressed his annoyance, stating that he felt it was trespassing on the official motto, which the commonwealth had been using since 1969.
If the bill receives approval from the House of Delegates and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, sportsbook and casino companies may be subjected to a significant penalty.
As the bill reads:
Sports betting and casino gaming operators, along with their affiliates, are not allowed to include the name of Virginia or the Commonwealth in any advertisement related to their products or services. Failure to comply with this rule may result in a civil penalty of a maximum of $50,000.
This week, the bill was passed by the Virginia Senate with a unanimous vote of 40-0. According to the Virginia Mercury, it seems that no gaming companies have opposed the bill.
Do we really need to protect ‘Virginia is for Lovers’?
It seems that Norment values his state slogans highly, as evidenced by his reaction when he turned on his radio. Despite the possibility that the bill is unnecessary due to existing trademark protections, he still went ahead and filed it.
As he stated:
To be honest, it bothered me. We’ve dedicated a significant amount of time and effort to promote ‘Virginia is for Lovers.’ I simply felt that this action was encroaching upon it. … I prefer it to be openly displayed rather than expecting people to search through the federal code and trademark and patent registrations.
According to the Virginia Mercury, it may appear peculiar to engage in this particular battle. This is because there seems to be no resistance whatsoever, either from within or outside the gambling industry. Additionally, the Virginia Tourism Corporation and non-government organizations have either already registered or are attempting to register various alternative options (although it is unlikely that Norment would endorse all of them).
- Virginia is for Ballers
- Craft Beer Lovers
- Film Lovers
- Grubbers
- Hustlers
- Stoners
- Wine Lovers
After facing opposition from gaming operators, fellow lawmakers understandably showed less interest in an earlier version of Norment’s bill, which aimed to completely ban the use of the term “Virginia” by gaming companies.
In an unexpected turn of events, Norment supported the legalization of sports betting in Virginia in 2020.
However, it is evident that he favors lovers over bettors.
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