Virginia Poker Sites

Virginia Poker Overview

There is only one land-based poker room in Virginia. It is located at Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and it offers regular cash games and occasional tournaments for players in the area.

However, that poker room is inconveniently located for most players in the state. It is a lot quicker and easier to simply play poker online. Unfortunately, there are no local Virginia online poker rooms, so players must use trustworthy offshore sites like Bovada, which have been welcoming Virginians for many years.

How Old Do I Have to be to Play Poker in Virginia? 

You need to be 21 or older to play poker in Virginia. The legal age is also 21 for casino games and sports betting in Old Dominion. That applies to online and in-person sports wagering. Anyone aged 18 or older can play poker at offshore online poker rooms.

Top Poker Rooms in Virginia

Our experts reviewed each of the online poker rooms that accept players in Virginia. You can learn more about the thorough evaluation process below. After comparing their strengths and weaknesses, we decided that these are the top three sites for VA online poker players.

Bovada: Best Poker Site for Virginia Residents Overall

Bovada

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +5 more Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Keno, Live dealer.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoins +6 more Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Secure Voucher, Bank Transfer, Check.

Bovada is the best poker site for players in Virginia. This popular poker room offers unrivalled liquidity and traffic. It is part of the PaiWangLuo network, which has a larger player pool than competing poker networks in North America. You will find a huge variety of cash games at Bovada, with buy-ins and blinds to suit most budgets. There are loads of tournaments too, with $2 million in guaranteed weekly prize pools.

The site is neat and accessible, so it is easy to find your favorite types of games, tournaments, SNGs and jackpot SNGs. Some players also enjoy the fast fold “Zone” poker tournaments. Bovada also offers 24/7 customer service, same day payouts and great bonuses, so it is popular with poker players. However, it is worth noting that this site offers anonymous tables, which may not be attractive to everyone.

• Busy poker site with large guaranteed prize pools
• Welcome bonus has low wagering requirements
• Same day payouts available

• Some rivals offer larger sign-up bonuses
• Everygame is a better option for low-stakes players

Everygame Poker: Best Poker Bonuses for VA Players

Everygame

100% up to $1000 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Progressive jackpot, Slots, Roulette +3 more Blackjack, Video poker, Keno.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, American Express, MasterCard +7 more Bitcoins, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, EcoPayz, Paysafe, Check, Bank Transfer.

This online poker room offers the best bonuses for players in Virginia. New users can claim a 200% welcome bonus worth up to $1,000. The funds will be locked, but you can unlock $5 for every 83.335 Frequent Player Points (FPPs) that you earn. Everygame will give you three months to unlock the funds, whereas most rivals only give you 30 days.

Players can also claim 100% reload bonuses worth up to $300, plus occasional no-deposit bonus deals. You will also be able to cash in your FPPs for rewards, and you can win a share of $4,000 via the FPP Race promo each week. Meanwhile, Everygame’s rakeback rate is a market leading 36%, paid directly into your poker account.

• New players can claim a 200% welcome bonus
• Offers regular reload bonuses and other promos
• Provides a market leading rakeback rate

• Does not have as much traffic as Bovada
• Larger tournaments are available at SportsBetting.ag

SportsBetting.ag: Best Poker Site for Tournament Play

SportsBetting.ag

100% up to $3,000 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Slots, Blackjack, Video poker +4 more Live dealer, Baccarat, Roulette, Craps.

Live Dealer: Yes

Payment Options: Bitcoins, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano +10 more Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Tether, MasterCard, American Express, Visa, Bank Transfer, Check.

Sportsbetting.ag is our top choice for Virginians that enjoy competing in online poker tournaments. There are usually around 50 daily No Limit Hold’em tournaments on weekdays, with buy-ins starting at just $1.10 and guaranteed prize pools of up to $150,000. Weekends are even busier, and the Sunday Majors are popular with poker players.

You will also find Progressive Bounties, Windfall tournaments, Triple Threat Tournaments, Mystery Bounty Jackpot Maximizers and much more. You should have no trouble finding a format to suit your preferences, and there are lots of promos to help you dial up the excitement too. SportsBetting.ag also offers fast, secure payouts via multiple cryptocurrencies and fiat-based payment methods, along with a 100% welcome bonus worth up to $1,000.

• Hosts dozens of popular tournaments each day
• Covers lots of formats, speeds and buy-in levels
• Large guaranteed jackpots available

• Not quite as busy as Bovada Poker
• Some rivals host more freerolls

Virginia Poker Sites: A Comparison

Here’s a quick look at how our top VA poker sites compare:

How We Evaluate Poker Sites in Virginia

Our rating page provides a detailed breakdown of the evaluation process we follow when reviewing all online gambling sites. We focus on key areas like security, payout speeds, customer service and user experience. However, we also assess these areas when specifically searching for the best sites for Virginia online poker players:

Availability in Virginia

We start by making a shortlist of each poker site that accepts players based in Virginia. As there are no local online poker rooms, the list consists entirely of offshore sites, but we only shortlist established, trustworthy, reputable operators.

Game Variety and Table Types

Next, we focus on the poker game variety and tournament variety available. We are looking for sites that receive a high volume of traffic, which allows them to host regular games and tournaments, covering a broad array of formats. Our experts look for sites that host No Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, mixed games and niche variants like Crazy Pineapple, with action to suit all budgets and tastes.

Rake and Bonuses

We then train our focus on the rake that each site charges. Our reviewers are looking for sites that offer competitive fees and strong rakeback programs. They also consider the welcome bonuses, reload bonuses and additional promos available at each online poker room. Those promos can unlock a great deal of value for players, and they ultimately reduce the cost of playing poker online in Virginia.

Table Features

Finally, we consider the table features that each site offers. They might include customizable setups and avatars, all-in percentage data, anonymous table options, hand history information, notes, tracking software and so on, plus quick seat and fast fold options. We try to identify sites with high-quality software, which makes it easy to navigate to games and tournaments. Our experts are ultimately looking for fast, reliable, feature-rich poker sites for Virginia players.

Is Online Poker Legal in Virginia?

Virginia has not legalized online poker. Lawmakers approved a bill that permits Virginia online sportsbooks in 2020, and the regulated online sports wagering industry began the following year. However, the legislature has not yet passed any bills that would allow Virginia online casinos or VA online poker sites.

A lawmaker would need to file a Virginia online poker bill, which would then need to be approved by both the House and the Senate. The governor could then sign it into law, paving the way for Virginia online poker to launch. However, no online poker bills are currently under consideration.

Right now, you need to use offshore gambling sites if you would like to play online poker in Virginia. As these sites are hosted overseas, they do not fall under the jurisdiction of state or federal authorities.

They hold remote gaming licenses, which allow them to accept players in various countries, but they are primarily designed for Americans. That means Virginians can take on players from across the country at trusted offshore poker sites like Bovada, Everygame and SportsBetting.ag.

Land-Based Cardrooms in Virginia

There is only one legal poker room in Virginia right now. It is located inside Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which is close to Virginia Beach, just across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. The poker room at Rivers Casino has 24 tables, with daily cash games and a couple of No Limit Hold’em tournaments each week.

There was a poker room called Pop’s Poker in Richmond. That poker room was not authorized by the state, and it was forced to close. However, the owners secured a charitable gaming license in October 2024, allowing them to host charity poker games moving forward.

Who Regulates Poker in Virginia?

The Virginia Lottery currently regulates the land-based poker room at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth. The agency was initially created to oversee the state lottery, but it now regulates land-based casinos, poker rooms and sports betting too.

There are three gambling regulators in Virginia. The Virginia Racing Commission regulates pari-mutuel betting, while the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees charitable gaming and fantasy sports. Lawmakers are planning to consolidate all three agencies into one larger regulator, which will be known as the Virginia Gaming Commission.

Offshore poker sites are not covered by Virginia regulators. However, they are licensed in their home jurisdictions. For example, the government of Curaçao regulates Bovada, ensuring the site acts with integrity and keeps players safe.

Virginia’s Poker Laws Compared to Neighboring States

West Virginia is the only neighboring state that has legalized online poker. However, the Mountain State has a relatively small population, so no American companies have launched WV poker sites yet. As such, players in West Virginia still use offshore sites like Everygame and SportsBetting.ag.

In Maryland, there are no local poker sites, but players can visit poker rooms at large casino resorts like MGM National Harbor and Horseshoe Baltimore. There are two land-based poker rooms in North Carolina, located at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in the west of the state, while players in Kentucky can visit The Royal Social Club.

Tennessee does not have any land-based casinos or poker rooms. Players in the Volunteer State must use offshore gambling sites to play poker. Those sites are also popular in Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina.

The Future of Poker in Virginia

Virginia may decide to introduce a regulated online poker industry in the future. It is the 12^th largest state by population, so American companies would probably be keen to launch online poker in Virginia if given the opportunity.

Those companies have launched poker sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada, but they have declined the opportunity to do so in four smaller states – West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island – after citing population concerns. That would not be an issue in Virginia, so lawmakers may be encouraged to pass an online poker bill.

However, no online poker bills have been filed yet. It could prove to be a lengthy process, as bills need to clear various committees and gain broad support among lawmakers, so we should not expect a local Virginia online poker market any time soon.

Responsible Gambling in Virginia

Responsible poker players enjoy the game in moderation. They do not spend more than they can afford to lose, as they know that success is never guaranteed, even for the best online poker players. If you have a gambling problem, help is available in Virginia. Visit these sites for support and information about the resources you can access:

• Virginia Council on Problem Gambling
• Gamblers Anonymous 
• GamTalk
• National Council on Problem Gambling
• SAMHSA National Helpline

Virginia Gambling Legal Sources

• Virginia Lottery – About Us
• New Rush Street Gaming Casino Approved by Voters in Portsmouth, Virginia

Virginia Poker Sites Summary

Virginia has not legalized online poker rooms. However, you can use offshore poker sites if you want to take part in cash games and tournaments online. Just make sure you only play at established, trusted online poker rooms, which offer strong player protection measures and fast, reliable payouts.

We have identified three high-quality sites for Virginia online poker players: Bovada Poker, Everygame, and SportsBetting.ag. You can use the links on this page to visit those sites and claim their welcome bonuses when you are ready to get started.