Virginia could be the latest state to discuss the idea of banning the use of credit cards for online sports betting.
Delegate Marty Martinez has authored House Bill 515, legislation that would remove credit cards from the list of approved account funding methods in the state.
The state currently allows users of online sportsbooks to deposit and withdraw funds using debit cards, credit cards, wire transfers, automated clearinghouse payments or any other method approved by the director of the Virginia Lottery under the state code. If passed, the sports wagering regulator would be legally prevented from allowing sportsbooks to take credit cards.
The bill is awaiting referral to a committee for discussion and debate.
Credit cards: Part and parcel or problem gambling problem?
No motivation for the proposal was included in the text of Martinez’s bill, but concerns about customers using credit cards for online sports betting in other states and federally have generally focused on concerns over problem gambling, financial instability and the potential of people getting into debt.
Several U.S. states already restrict their use in gambling, including the likes of Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut and Tennessee. Others have mooted the idea of introducing new limitations on them.
Last year, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) approved a ban on their use for online sports betting, and that prohibition went into effect in November. On top of that regulatory change, lawmakers filed a bill to write into state law that credit cards cannot be used for the purposes of gambling, including buying lottery tickets or obtaining cash advances via ATMs is brick-and-mortar casinos.
Meanwhile, in a noteworthy move last summer, DraftKings voluntarily stopped accepting credit card payments anywhere in the U.S., citing financial risk and consumer protection concerns.
The official position of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) is that credit cards should not be an approved form of funding for online gambling. NCLGS recommended in its draft model legislation for online gambling published at the end of 2024 that no states should allow credit card deposits or withdrawals.
That measure drew some criticism during a public hearing on the draft regulations in December 2024. Former Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement David Rebuck argued that banning credit cards “is not supported by evidence and research today.” New Hampshire Sen. Tim Lang said that adding a credit card ban to a legislative proposal to expand online gambling would be “political suicide.”
Virginia has plenty to consider on gambling in 2026
The idea of a ban on credit cards is just one several gambling bills awaiting discussion in Virginia already this year.
Del. Marcus Simon is aiming to push the issue of legalizing online casinos in Old Dominion, proposing that iGaming be placed under the purview of the lottery and taxed at 15% and that brick-and-mortar casinos be allowed up to three online casino skins each. Simon launched a similar effort in previous years. That bill also includes language to exclude online sweepstakes casinos from the market.
Another delegate, Paul Krizek, introduced a bill to form the Virginia Gaming Commission. His HB 271 would strip the lottery of the role of regulator of sports wagering and casino gaming and place those responsibilities in the hands of the newly formed agency. If that bill passed, the gaming commission would also take over the regulation of charitable gaming and daily fantasy sports from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
