Best Virginia Casino Apps for 2024

Virginia was among the earliest states to kick off its sports betting industry in 2018. With the recent opening of the Rivers Casino Portsmouth and the future opening of the Bristol Casino, casino gaming is also alive and well in the state of Virginia.

But when it comes to online casino gaming, casino players are still waiting for laws on that front to bring more licensed operators to the state. For now, your best bets are Virginia betting sites located offshore and that have mobile casino games you can easily play from home.

We show you where to find the best offshore casino sites, how to get started with online casino gambling, and the recent history of gambling laws in Virginia. 

Top-Rated Virginia Casino Apps in 2024

At Bookmakers Review, we grade each mobile casino site against a strict set of criteria that we will explain later in this guide. Based on our grades, we have determined the 10 best offshore casino sites for mobile players in Virginia. All these sites are located in Costa Rica, Panama or Antigua where online gambling is legal and accepted. You can feel free to join these sites today in Virginia:

  1. Bookmaker.eu: Great sportsbook and live dealer games
  2. Heritage Sports: Try every casino game for free
  3. Bovada: Poker tournaments and lottery-style game
  4. BetOnline: Massive library of casino games
  5. BetAnySports: Try seven different casinos
  6. BetUS: Plenty of great slot games
  7. WagerWeb: Best bonuses for fans of crypto
  8. JustBet: Great reload bonuses
  9. Everygame: Best site design
  10. SportsBetting.ag: Poker tournaments available

No, mobile casino gambling has not yet been legalized in Virginia. The bill was created for online sports betting, which is perfectly legal now in Virginia. But if you want to play mobile casino games, you will have to use offshore casino sites.

However, things could change soon as other forms of gambling are being accepted throughout the state. Even the Virginia Lottery site offers instant win games to be played on your mobile device that are very similar to some casino games found at offshore casinos. 

Comparing the Best Mobile Casino Apps & Sites

We have included an in-depth review of our top five mobile casino sites. These sites do not have a downloadable app, but you can use their mobile version much like an app on your mobile device. In addition to table games, live dealer games, online slots and your other favorite casino games, you can expect to find mobile sportsbooks and other forms of online gaming at these sites.

1. BookMaker: Great Sportsbook and Live Dealer Games

Bookmaker.eu Casino

Bookmaker.eu is our No. 1 sportsbook and overall online casino. Founded in 1996 in Costa Rica, BookMaker is known best for its early lines on the sportsbook. It has a reputation as being where the line originates. This is why it is great for sharp bettors but welcoming to new players as well.

The mobile site design is very good. Despite not having a downloadable app, you can simply add a shortcut to the BookMaker Casino to your home screen and use it like you would an app with quick access to your favorite games and bets.

You can play casino games, including video poker, Keno and other table games. The nice thing about BookMaker is it adds the RTP info for each game, showing you how much on average the game pays back for every $100 bet on it. The closer to 100%, the better that casino game will be to play in the long run. This is the only site on the list that displays the RTP info for us.

BookMaker also has a great loyalty program. New users are greeted with a deposit match promo and automatically entered into the first tier (Gold) and can move up to the third tier (Diamond) for the best reload bonuses (up to $2,5000) and cashback. 

Pros:

  • Casino games have RTP info
  • Excellent loyalty program 
  • Good mobile design 
  • Solid variety of banking methods 
  • Fast and free crypto payouts 
  • No. 1 rated sportsbook 

Cons:

  • Could use more casino games
  • Does not have a poker room

2. Heritage Sports: Try Every Casino Game for Free

Heritage Sports Casino

You may not be able to play in poker tournaments or get a huge welcome bonus at Heritage Sports, but the site finds ways to make up for that. You can get cashback in the racebook each day, the casino each week and the sportsbook each quarter. The bonus funds at Heritage can be used anywhere on the site with no restrictions.

The casino library is not huge, but every game has a free-to-try demo version, so you can try them out thoroughly before deciding which ones are worth your real money. Try from a good selection of video poker to slots to other table games like blackjack and roulette.

The sportsbook has good reduced juice (-108) and they do a fine job of getting up early lines for popular markets like MLB (night before game) and NFL (Sunday night a week in advance). You can do live betting on a very good mobile site too. There are always games available as the international leagues are well represented on Heritage Sports.

Pros:

  • Bank of bonus cash can be used anywhere on site
  • Every eighth deposit is free
  • Every casino game has a demo version 
  • A favorite mobile site
  • Very good video poker options 

Cons:

  • No poker tournaments
  • Smaller sign-up bonus

3. Bovada: Poker Tournaments and Lottery-Style Game

Bovada Casino

Bovada is popular for its poker tournaments and prop builder in the sportsbook. But beyond those edges, you also get a wide selection of casino games, including table games, video poker and live dealer games.

There is also a lottery-style numbers game that is unique to Bovada. Every 40 seconds, a new number is drawn at random between 1 and 75, and you can bet on it. Will it be higher than the previous number? Will it be even or odd? It is a game similar to roulette but with many more numbers on the board and live odds updated every 40 seconds.

The welcome bonus is huge at Bovada if you use crypto for your first three deposits. You can earn up to $3,750 in bonus bets that way. There are solid promo codes at Bovada, but there is no racebook rebate despite a quality racebook design with high limits on big racing events.

But Bovada does do a reward program very well with points redeemable for bonus bets and poker entries. Your points will not expire regardless if your account is inactive for a while.

Pros:

  • Best for poker fans
  • Great deposit match bonus for crypto users
  • King of virtual racing
  • Great prop builder
  • Fun numbers game
  • Quality reward program

Cons:

  • Lacks the ongoing promos at other sites
  • Not as many casino games as BetOnline

4. BetOnline: Massive Library of Casino Games

BetOnline Casino

BetOnline has over 500 casino games, making it a great choice for lovers of video slots, table games, specialty games, and more. You can play video poker, baccarat, live dealer games, and specialty games like Keno and scratch cards. 

The poker room is also one of the best choices out there, only rivaled by Bovada for the big-prize tournaments and cash games available with your favorite games (Texas Hold’em and Omaha). You just download the free poker software and can be playing in no time.

The sportsbook is very good with opinionated lines, vast markets, a good live betting interface, and a lot of props to choose from. There are parlay options you cannot even do at FanDuel or BetMGM that you can do at BetOnline, though we would not say it is our favorite prop builder available.

The high limits and fast payouts at BetOnline are always comforting. The generous welcome bonus is a good way to get started, and there are always interesting bad-beat promos for returning customers. There are also other promo codes at BetOnline that players in Virginia can take advantage of.

Pros:

  • Over 500 games in the casino 
  • Some of the fastest payouts and highest limits 
  • Many poker tournaments available 
  • Opinionated lines for sports bettors
  • Quality bonuses for new users
  • Unique sports promos and contests

Cons:

  • No free-to-try versions in casino
  • Some annoying fees on banking methods 
  • Needs more reduced juice in sportsbook 

5. BetAnySports: Try Seven Different Casinos

BetAnySports casino

BetAnySports may not be the most popular online casino from Costa Rica, but it is an A+ graded one from us. We like the seven different casino offerings, which provide a lot of casino game variety. There is some overlap in the games available at each, but you can find plenty of unique games in each casino. They also have 3D slot games and live dealer games with reasonable table limits.

Lottery fans will enjoy the ability to play Pick 2, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 daily drawings in a wide variety of states. You can even play Pick 3 and Pick 4 from Virginia. While you can buy lottery tickets online from the Virginia Lottery site, you get 80% better payouts on winning numbers at BetAnySports. Unfortunately, they have no markets for multi-state draw games like Powerball or Mega Millions. 

The sportsbook has the best reduced juice (-105) of any site, too, along with other promos like a casino rebate. There is a learning curve to using BetAnySports, but once you get the hang of it, you will see why it is one of our top choices for online casinos for Virginia players. 

Pros:

  • Great reduced juice on sportsbook
  • Great site for fans of lottery games
  • Seven casinos provide a great assortment of table games and slots
  • Live dealer options available
  • Cash back programs available 
  • 3D Slots available 

Cons:

  • Does not have poker room
  • Online sports betting layout needs improvement

How We Rate Mobile Casino Sites & Apps

Our criteria for grading casino sites will be explained later in the guide, but in summary, we look at everything from competitive odds to betting markets available to the other things casino players need like a variety of banking options and generous bonuses. We also make sure the site runs well on a mobile device. 

The History of Virginia’s Gambling Laws

We are only about 50 years into any form of legal gambling in the state of Virginia as charitable gaming at bingo halls was first approved in 1973. It was not until 1987 that voters approved a state lottery, but that has been a successful venture with over $14.5 billion raised for the education fund of K-12 schools in Virginia.

You can even buy lottery tickets online in Virginia in 2018, which was the year PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing states to negotiate sports betting legislation. It took some time for Virginia to do so, but eventually, a bill was passed and signed by Gov. Ralph Northam in 2020. That sports betting law allowed for online betting and what would soon be in-person betting at retail locations in the state. Some of the most popular companies in online betting secured sports betting licenses in Virginia, and by January 2021, residents were able to start making legal bets.

Meanwhile, the Virginia Lottery website in the summer of 2020 during COVID started allowing users to play iLottery instant win games that are very similar to online casino games. You can win real money on these games with your account through the lottery.

But for more casino gaming in the state, there was a vote in November 2020 on the construction of casinos in five major cities. The voters in Richmond shot down the proposal, but the voters for Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, and Norfolk all approved casinos. The Rivers Casino Portsmouth was the first to fully open in January 2023, offering tons of slot machines, table games, poker, and more. The other casinos will not be fully ready until 2024 or 2025.

There is still no law passed to legalize online casino gaming in the state, but that could be coming as things go well with these other forms of gambling in the Old Dominion State. 

VA’s Timeline of Gambling

The following timeline shows some of the key events in gambling, online and offline, in the state of Virginia:

  • January 2023: Rivers Casino Portsmouth opens as the first fully functional casino in the state of Virginia. Construction on the other approved land-based casinos is likely to continue throughout the year. 
  • July 2022: A temporary casino is opened for the Bristol Casino with a permanent building set to launch in summer 2024.
  • January 2021: Online sports betting begins in the state with a variety of licensed online sportsbooks available to residents.
  • November 2020: Voters in Richmond turn down proposal to build a casino in city, but voters in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth all vote to approve casino construction. 
  • 2020: Sports betting legislation is approved and signed by Gov. Ralph Northam. iLottery games are launched on Virginia Lottery site, allowing users to play casino-style games legally on-site with their account.
  • 2018: A mobile app is launched to allow Virginians to buy lottery tickets online.
  • 1996: Charitable gaming oversight is now controlled by the state rather than local jurisdictions. 
  • 1989: The Virginia Racing Commission is formed to regulate pari-mutuel betting for horse racing in the state. 
  • 1987: The voters approve a state lottery, which sells its first ticket in 1988.
  • 1973: Charitable gambling is allowed in Virginia.

Special Features of the Best Mobile Casinos

We promised we would go over our criteria below, and in the following sections, we are looking at what makes your gaming experiences at an online casino great. Maybe it is the special features like a big bonus for signing up, or it is an excellent user interface optimized for your mobile device. Do not forget customer service either, because sometimes we just need help and should be able to get answers in a timely fashion. 

Competitive Gambling Odds

Casino players always want to see fair odds, whether it be on a sportsbook, racebook, or playing keno. But the sports betting market is where odds can be the most competitive with some sites offering reduced juice (-105 and -108 lines instead of -110). A site like BetOnline also offers opinionated lines where you may see -107 and -113 on the two sides of a bet instead of -110.

Wide Variety of Betting Markets Available

The best online casinos should have dedicated sections for the sportsbook, racebook, casino, and perhaps even contests or esports coverage. Inside those sections, we expect to see a wide variety of betting markets. For the sportsbook, that means sports and leagues from all over the world. Ditto for horse races. For casino players, that means online slots, table games, lottery games, and your other favorite casino games.  

Variety of Banking Options Accepted

Getting money in and out of your account in a timely manner is very important. This is why we want to see the biggest variety of banking options possible, including traditional banking methods like debit cards, and more modern payment options like crypto (Litecoin, Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) and eWallets. 

Generous Promotions

Bonus money is usually a crucial factor in a casino player choosing to join a site. You can get an incredible deposit bonus right away when you sign up, but a great site will have ongoing promotions for loyal users. These can be in the form of risk-free bets, a bonus code for more deposit bonuses, a slots bonus if you play a certain amount of money in a day, and other online casino bonuses.  

Live Dealers Available

A great treat for casino players who may be skeptical of electronic table games is the ability to play with a live dealer. Thanks to video chat, you can see a live human being at a table dealing the cards or spinning the ball on the roulette wheel while you place your wagers. This is a must-have option at any top online casino these days.  

Mobile Site or App is High-Quality

Especially at an online casino, we want to see good graphics, hear sounds that make us believe we are at the casino itself, and enjoy a lag-free gambling experience. Fortunately, the mobile version of these online casino gaming sites is usually just as good as using mobile apps. You can log in quickly and start choosing from your favorite games.

Various Customer Service Contact Options

The best customer service will be available 24/7 with a variety of communication methods ranging from a message form, email, phone number, and live chat feature. The customer service team should get back to you quickly with useful solutions if the site is any good at providing customer service to assist you.

Security Features of the Site or App

It is always a critical feature to have good security, especially when access to these sites involves sharing your personal and financial data. If you want to win money online, you have to share those details with these sites, making it a priority that they are using encrypted connections and giving you the most security possible with two-factor authorization.

Virginia’s Favorite Online Casino Games

In looking at the favorite games offered with online casino gaming, we see great casino game variety. There are card games, dice games, slots, video poker, real poker, and more. We go over some of the best options you can start playing on your mobile device today with these real money casino games. 

Slots

Slot machine remains one of the most popular casino games. It is the most common game found in a real casino, and no surprise it is the one with the most options in most online casinos. You can find a lot of variety in the hundreds of slot variants offered online. 

Poker

Poker continues to be one of America’s favorite card games. With online poker, you can play a variety of games from Texas Hold’em to Omaha to Three Card Poker to Pai Gow Poker. You also can play video poker games, which are much faster versions of the regular game and require less skill to complete. Some of the most popular video poker games include Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, and Aces & Eights. 

Blackjack

Blackjack remains one of the most popular casino games as you try to get a higher sum of card totals than the dealer without going over 21. You can also try out the live dealer options for blackjack games if you want the thrill of playing against a real person. Most online casinos will have a variety of blackjack variants, including Spanish 21, European Blackjack, and single-hand or multiple-hand games. 

Roulette

One of the most popular table games is roulette. Place your bets before a ball is spun on a wheel and lands on a number from 1 to 36. You can bet on the color, odd or even, and what range of numbers it will fall into (1-18, 19-36, first 12, middle 12, last 12) on this classic game. You can usually find different styles of roulette offered at online casinos, including American, European, and French versions. 

Specialty Games

At online casino sites, you can find an assortment of table games from the ones we just reviewed (blackjack and roulette) to what some sites call “specialty games.” That can mean a few different things, including keno, scratch cards, board games, and even shooting games that are closer to playing a video game.

But keno and scratch cards are usually the most common forms of specialty games offered at offshore online casino sites. 

Keno is a classic lottery-like game where you wager by choosing numbers (usually 1-through-80) and 20 numbers are drawn at random. You get paid based on how many numbers you bet on and how many were hits.

Online scratch cards are similar to the paper ones you buy at a store as you wait for winning pieces to be revealed on a card that serves as your wager. You have to match certain things to win various amounts of money. They play very similarly to video slot games.

Live Casino Games

Your favorite casino games can also be played with a live dealer, who you will see at a table via video chat. You can communicate with this person using text. It adds a new depth to the online gambling experience and the table limits are usually very reasonable. As for which games you can expect to see at the live dealer casino, you can expect blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. It’s a great way for online casino operators to bring the experience of brick-and-mortar casinos to their users conveniently. 

How to Create an Account at a Mobile Casino Site

If you are looking to play online casino gaming with one of these offshore casinos we reviewed, then the sign-up process is a very simple process we have detailed below. 

Step 1. Sign-Up

Using your mobile device or computer, go to the site of the online casino you want to join so you can begin the account registration process. You will find a link to click that says “join now” or “register” or something to that effect. Once you click it, one of the first things you will usually have to do is create a unique password for your account. Be sure to use something that you are not using elsewhere.

Step 2. Verify Your Account Details

Your account will have to be verified before it is accepted in the system. To do this, you just have to enter all the personal information the site asks for, including your name, address, email address and mobile number. It’s typical to have to enter additional details when you begin playing for money online after you register, for security purposes. This is known as KYC and will likely take place before your first withdrawal. 

Step 3. Deposit Funds

Before making your first deposit, you should read about the welcome bonus for new users to see how much you can deposit to receive bonus funds. The welcome bonus will usually be a match of your deposit. Once you are ready, head to the deposit or cashier section to fund your account with money using one of the many deposit options available.

Step 4. Enjoy Casino-Style Gambling

Now that you have an account with money, you can feel free to browse the site and start gambling. Maybe you want to play baccarat, roulette, craps, video poker or you can start browsing the many slots. Remember to bet responsibly and have fun. 

Land-Based Casinos in Virginia

In 2020, there was a vote in Virginia allowing voters to decide if they wanted a brick-and-mortar casino offering full in-person casino gaming in their city. Richmond voters rejected the retail casino plan in their city, but the other four were all accepted. They are currently in various stages of development with only one (Rivers Casino Portsmouth) fully opened as of March 2023.

Here are the four casinos and their status:

  • Rivers Casino (Portsmouth): Opened a fully functional casino in January 2023.
  • Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Bristol): Opened a temporary casino in July 2022, and the permanent location is on track to launch in July 2024.
  • Caesars Virginia (Danville): The full-time facility has plans to open in late 2024.
  • HeadWaters Resort & Casino (Norfolk): No date has been set for the temporary casino, and the permanent location may not be ready until 2025.

The legal gambling age at a casino like Rivers Casino Portsmouth or the Bristol Casino is 21 due to the serving of alcohol. But for those who are at least 18 and want more options for gambling in Virginia, you can always join an offshore casino site to win real money or a social casino site to win non-cash prizes. 

FAQs – The Best Virginia Casino Apps & Mobile Sites

What online casino can I play in Virginia?

For legal mobile casino games in Virginia, you can play instant games on the state lottery’s site using your mobile device. Otherwise, you can always join offshore casinos and mobile betting sites in Virginia as the state looks to pass laws for online casino gambling.

Does Virginia have casino gambling?

Yes, it is in its early days, but the Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened in January 2023 for casino players to enjoy in-person gambling. It has over 1,400 slot machines, 57 table games with your favorite casino games, and 24 poker tables available. 

What is the biggest casino in Virginia?

The Rivers Casino Portsmouth is the only open casino in Virginia. There is work being done to open three more permanent casino locations soon, but Rivers Casino Portsmouth is the first to go operational in the state of Virginia, opening in January 2023.

What casino apps are legal in Virginia?

There are no native casino apps available in the state of Virginia, like FanDuel Casino or Caesars Casino. However, offshore casinos have mobile sites that function just as smoothly as a downloadable real money casino app. 

Is DraftKings Casino in Virginia?

No, online casino apps are not yet approved for Virginia. You can only join DraftKings Sportsbook or play daily fantasy sports at this time. Casino players in Virginia will have to use offshore casino sites to play their favorite games.

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