NORFOLK, Va. — It’s a billion-dollar industry, and now it’s in Virginia.
Sports betting company FanDuel made a surprise announcement on Twitter Wednesday, saying that the company would be launching its betting platform in the state on Thursday.
Sports betting in the Commonwealth was legalized last July, but we didn’t know when we would actually see a rollout.
The Virginia Lottery now lists FanDuel as an “approved permit holder” less than three weeks away from the biggest betting event of the year: the Super Bowl.
Under the new law, full mobile registration is allowed, so as long as you’re physically located in the state, you can register in the FanDuel Sportsbook app all from your phone.
They use geolocation technology for confirmation.
How did FanDuel get a head start on the competition? Pro sports teams paying taxes in Virginia are given “substantial and preferred consideration” under a provision of the law.
FanDuel partnered with the Washington Football Team based out of Ashburn, Virginia, so the company got the leg up, offering the service under the Football Team name.