The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill sponsored by state Del. Sam Rasoul requiring the state Board of Education to provide public schools with instruction concerning gambling and its potential to be addictive.
The board already requires public schools to provide instruction about drug and alcohol addiction. The bill now goes to Governor Glenn Youngkin to be signed into law.
Rasoul said, “I had some parents approach me. There are stories of some of our youth who have really struggled with gambling addiction. Now, especially since we have allowed for online gambling to proliferate so much, it’s so easy for that to happen. What we’re saying is just be aware. Be mindful of this potential addiction.”
He added, “Digging deeper into it, I found out that the fastest growing segment of new gamblers are our youngest gamblers. It is a cause for concern right now and in Virginia. I think it’ll only get worse.” He noted you must be 18 years of age to legally gamble in Virginia, but young people can bypass age checks on internet gambling.
Rasoul stated, “Now you can even buy lottery tickets online. You can do all kinds of things, including the sports betting. Even many of those who are not legally old enough yet begin with fantasy apps, and those apps can transition right into gambling.”
Since the state legalized sports betting in early 2021, gamblers in Virginia have wagered more than $3.7 billion on sporting events, according to Virginia Lottery data. The state taxes sports betting revenue at 15 percent.
