Fans of casino games in Virginia have several new retail casino options, but Virginia online casinos are not among them. Players in VA can play slots, table games, and even live dealer games online, however, at social and sweepstakes sites. Here’s a complete overview of the current status of Virginia online casinos with everything you need to know about how to get started on those social and sweeps sites.
Best online casinos in Virginia
Are online casinos legal in Virginia?
Whereas Virginia does offer a nice selection of online sportsbooks, there are no online casinos at present, at least not for real money. You can, however, play casino games online in Virginia at social and sweepstakes sites like WOW Vegas, McLuck Casino, High 5 Casino and others.
These social and sweeps sites use virtual currencies, although there are ways at some of the sites to redeem your winnings for real cash prizes. Read on for more information about how players in Virginia can get started playing casino games online at these sites.
Latest Virginia Casino News
How do social and sweepstakes online casinos work?
Social and sweepstakes sites in Virginia offer many of the same games found at online casinos in other states. All of the sites invite players to play the games for free, meaning there is no deposit required to enjoy the slots, table games, live dealer games and other features. Following the sweepstakes model, many of the sites do enable players to purchase coins with which to play games, but there is no depositing or withdrawing money as such.
Typically the sites use two different currencies in their games, often distinguished as Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. (Some sites use different terms, but the idea works similarly.) Gold Coins can be purchased, but they have no cash value. However, when you buy Gold Coins you might receive Sweeps Coins as a bonus. You can also receive SC in other ways such as via giveaways and contests, but you can’t purchase them. You can also use SC to play games in which you can win more Sweeps Coins. Later, once you’ve accumulated enough Sweeps Coins to meet a minimum threshold, you can redeem your SC for cash prizes or gift cards.
You’ll find the social and sweeps sites offer high-quality games with graphics and animation that often can rival what you find at real money online casinos in other states. The sites mainly feature slots, but several have table games, too, and a growing number are adding live dealer games as well.
Top social and sweepstakes sites in Virginia
For those curious about these social and sweepstakes casinos, here is a bit more about what you’ll find at some of our top recommended sites:
WOW Vegas
WOW Vegas has fast become one of the most popular social and sweeps sites in the country with a huge game library of over 700 slots. These include titles from top studios like Betsoft and NetGaming.
The site has both a generous welcome offer and lots of ongoing promos including Lunchtime Loot, Wowzer Prize Drop Games, Wake Up and Win and others. You can also frequently collect WOW Coins and Sweeps Coins via the site’s social media giveaways.
McLuck Casino
McLuck Casino similarly offers a large slot library with more than 750 titles. There you can classic games like Starburst and Butterfly 2 Staxx and other games from slot developers like NetEnt that supply games to other online casinos.
McLuck additionally features a nice selection of live dealer games, including blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. There are plenty of promos at McLuck as well, highlighted by their McJackpots and social media games like Complete the Puzzle.
High 5 Casino
High 5 Casino actually has more slots than either WOW Vegas or McLuck Casino with over 1,000 different titles available. That rivals (and in fact exceeds) the selection at many real money online casinos.
In addition, you’ll find no less than 15 live dealer games at High 5 Casino including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and casino poker. Like the other sites, there is a nice welcome offer at High 5 plus ongoing promos as well like the “Boosts on Demand” feature that gives you free spins and multipliers.
Funzpoints
Funzpoints is a well established site that has become a favorite among many thanks to years of operation. The game selection is smaller with close to 100 slots and a keno game, but the many promos and perks help keep Funzpoints fun for many.
You can spin the Funzwheel every three hours to win Funzpoints, and can also take advantage of the daily jackpots, Boosters, the Funzone, Mystery Gifts and more.
Other top social and sweepstakes casinos available to Virginia players include LuckyLand Slots, Crown Casino, Chumba Casino, and Pulsz. You can check these sites out via the links above and take advantage of the various welcome offers in order to start playing right away.
Best online casino games in Virginia
Many of the games you find at online casinos are similar to the ones offered in retail casinos in Virginia. In fact, you’ll find additional games online that aren’t available when playing in person. Below are some of the most popular game categories when playing in an online casino.
Slots
Slots are the bread and butter of live casinos, and they enjoy the same status online. Depending on the site, you may find hundreds of real money slot games at your disposal to play. Online casino slots are not knock-offs of the branded games you’d find in live casinos, either. The online versions work and play the same as those in casinos in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. You’ll additionally find a great variety of slots online, including:
- “classic” three-reel slots
- five-reel slots, aka “video slots”
- multi-payline slots
- fixed jackpot slots
- progressive jackpot slots
- cascade slots, tumbling-reel slots, 3D slots and more
Table games
Table games are also found at just about every online casino, and as noted many of the social and sweepstakes sites discussed above also feature table games. These usually include:
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- Craps
- Baccarat
- Card-based table games like Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and others
Blackjack is the most prevalent table game at online sites, and you’ll often find lots of different variations of blackjack with extra side bets and other rule variations. The same goes for roulette where there are online versions of the game not possible in a retail casino, such as 100/1 Roulette that features more than 100 slots on the wheel.
Video poker
We might have listed video poker under table games, and in fact some online casinos do keep their video poker titles under their “Table Games” tab. Online video poker games are largely identical to what you find in a retail casino, with many of the same brands like Game King Video Poker and Ultimate X Poker represented. You’ll find all the most popular video poker variants online, including the classic lineup of those favorite nine video poker variants:
- Jacks or Better
- Bonus Poker
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Double Bonus Poker
- Double Double Bonus Poker
- Triple Double Bonus Poker
- Deuces Wild Poker
- Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
- Joker Poker
Live dealer games
Live dealer games are common at online casinos as well. These games feature a dealer in a live studio managing the game while on camera. In live dealer blackjack or baccarat, the dealer deals out the cards and accepts bets just as in a casino. In live dealer roulette, a croupier announces start and stop times for wagers, spins the wheel, and announces winning numbers. In some cases you can interact with the dealer or even other players in the game via live chat.
The focus in live dealer games is on table games. Sometimes you’ll find online some unique games in the mix that play almost like game shows like Crazy Time, Dream Catcher, and Football Studio.
Using online casino apps
Most online casinos and indeed a few of the social and sweepstakes sites discussed above have downloadable apps that let you play the games on a smartphone or tablet. Sites that do have apps generally have them for both Apple (iOS) and Android devices.
The games are optimized for mobile play on these apps, which means they essentially play the same way on your device as they do on a computer. The biggest difference, of course, is the smaller screen size, which isn’t always ideal for certain games.
A few tips to keep in mind when using online casino apps:
- The apps are typically free to download and install. You can also perform all the usual banking operations within the apps that you can on the web-based site.
- Make sure to have a strong wi-fi connection, preferably one that you know is secure (e.g., your home wi-fi). The sites will work otherwise, but you want to make sure you don’t lose connectivity in the middle of a game.
- In many cases, online casinos offer their entire game library on their web-based site, but for the app might not have every game available. You might find, for example, only 60-70% of the slots on the main site are included on the app.
Online casinos vs. playing casino games in person
Online casinos try to bring the fun and excitement of retail casinos to your computer or mobile device. They succeed in many respects, especially when it comes to actual game play as many of the slots, table games, and live dealer games you can play online are essentially identical to their casino counterparts.
Advantages of online casinos
- Convenience — Online casinos let you play at home or on the go via casino apps downloaded to your mobile device. You can also play games at a faster pace online, especially table games that typically move twice as fast online.
- Availability — Sometimes when you visit a retail casino in Virginia, a particular slot or table game might not be available, or if it is running there might not be a seat open. That never happens online, where the games are always ready for you.
- Lower stakes — When you play at online casinos, you can often play games for just pennies (or nickels or dimes) as the minimum bets are often much lower than you find at retail casinos.
- Free “demo” play — You can even often play free “demo” versions of casino games at online sites, letting you try them out first before committing any actual funds. Of course, the social and sweeps sites also always let you play games for free as well.
- Bonuses and promotions — You’ll find when playing at online casinos that bonuses come more frequently than when you play live. Look for no deposit bonuses, deposit match bonuses, free spins, leaderboard bonuses and others while you play. You can often take advantage of bet-and-get bonuses, refer-a-friend bonuses, and loyalty programs online, too.
Disadvantages of online casinos
- Lack live casino ambience — While live dealer games online do provide an effective simulation of being in a casino, the online games can’t quite reproduce the atmosphere of an actual casino.
- Fewer opportunities to socialize — Some players prefer to play casino games on their own, but many seek out the social aspect of gambling with others that retail casinos.
- No table service — When you play games in a casino, you have a wait staff ready to serve you. When playing online, however, you have to get your food and drinks yourself!
- No need to deposit before playing — Online you typically have to deposit funds first before playing, and also must go through a few steps to withdraw funds later. In a retail casino, you can usually purchase chips right at the table or otherwise start playing right away.
- Staff available to answer questions — Casino games can be confusing, which makes it nice to be able to ask questions of staff directly. Online casinos have various support options, too, including live chat, but some prefer the immediacy of being able to communicate in person.
Virginia retail casino updates for Oct 2024
Those looking to play casino games in Virginia also have multiple retail casinos where they can play. And more are coming soon!
Back in early 2020, legislation was passed to allow five Virginia cities, Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Richmond, to hold referendums about allowing the construction of a casino within city limits. Four of those cities passed their referendums.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth is open and fully operational, and both Hard Rock Bristol and Caesars Virginia in Danville are also open for business with temporary facilities. Meanwhile, HeadWaters Resort & Casino is currently scheduled to open in Norfolk in Nov. 2024.
Richmond was the only one of the original five cities not to approve a casino referendum. But now Petersburg has stepped forward potentially to take the fifth spot and will have a referendum for its voters on the Nov. 2024 ballot.