Where Can I Bet the Super Bowl Online From Virginia?

Just in time for Super Bowl 55, state-licensed Virginia online sportsbooks are now live just in time for taking bets on this year's Super Bowl, but remember that the apps trace all your activity and will be reported to the IRS once you meet a specified threshold.  A number of popular offshore sportsbooks are also accessible to Virginia residents, with the benefits including the lack of tax reporting, often more competitive lines due to the lack of overhead (state fees), more generous bonuses, and the ability of those 18 and up to place bets.  State-licensed betting apps prohibit those under the age of 21.

The state officially launched online sports betting at the start of 2021.  One of the main drawbacks of betting with a Virginia-based online sportsbook is that these companies are prohibited from taking bets on the commonwealth's college teams, including the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.  Likewise bets on games featuring these teams are prohibited. One can still place wagers on their beloved Cavs and Hokies using an offshore sportsbook.

While states like Illinois and Iowa require in-person registration at the moment, Virginia does not.  You can therefore sign up and deposit with real money into your account via the app.

The state-licensed betting sites do have a legal obligation to send both you and the IRS a Form 1099-MISC.  Again, this is one of the benefits of betting with offshore sportsbooks and the local bookie.  It is incumbent upon you as the gambler to still pay your taxes nonethless.

One of the true benefits of placing wagers with the offshore books is the bonus offerings.  An example of this: FanDuel focuses more heavily on refund promos (i.e. lose your first bet, get up to a $1000 refund).  Offshore books like BetUS (established in 1994) offer a max signup bonus of $3125 based on the amount of play (the bonus is paid once you reach that mark).

All of these sports betting sites will be taking bets on hundreds of propositions for this year's Super Bowl.

Here is a breakdown of the state-licensed online sportsbooks:

Online and mobile sportsbook apps in Virginia

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com