Compare / Virginia vs. North Carolina
Virginia vs. North Carolina: gambling compared
Both Virginia and North Carolina have online sports betting, state lotteries, online lottery ticket sales and paid daily fantasy sports. Virginia also has commercial casino gambling, which North Carolina does not. North Carolina has in-person sports betting and tribal casino gaming, which Virginia does not.
Virginia taxes online sportsbooks at 15% of adjusted revenue; North Carolina at 23% of revenue.
Virginia: Reports spanning calendar months are allocated evenly across their days; monthly values are estimates. Months without complete reporting coverage are omitted.
In the 12 months through Aug 2026, online sportsbook revenue was $841M in Virginia and $829M in North Carolina.
Lottery sales in fiscal 2024: $5.30B in Virginia, $5.38B in North Carolina.
Online sportsbook revenue
Data
Virginia: $51.3M (Aug 2026); North Carolina: $49.0M (Aug 2026).
| Month | Virginia | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | $51.3M | $49.0M |
| Jul 2026 | $59.4M | $63.2M |
| Jun 2026 | $59.9M | $54.1M |
| May 2026 | $67.6M | $64.3M |
| Apr 2026 | $69.7M | $64.5M |
| Mar 2026 | $63.8M | $75.9M |
| Feb 2026 | $57.1M | $58.1M |
| Jan 2026 | $79.5M | $80.3M |
| Dec 2025 | $83.4M | $81.5M |
| Nov 2025 | $99.2M | $92.9M |
| Oct 2025 | $80.6M | $78.1M |
| Sep 2025 | $69.7M | $66.8M |
| Aug 2025 | $62.9M | $54.1M |
| Jul 2025 | $49.4M | $22.7M |
| Jun 2025 | $60.8M | $58.1M |
| May 2025 | $72.4M | $65.2M |
| Apr 2025 | $62.8M | $46.8M |
| Mar 2025 | $50.7M | $38.1M |
| Feb 2025 | $66.8M | $55.7M |
| Jan 2025 | $87.4M | $74.5M |
| Dec 2024 | $49.6M | $35.7M |
| Nov 2024 | $86.4M | $78.1M |
| Oct 2024 | $54.3M | $49.5M |
| Sep 2024 | $71.5M | $70.1M |
Each state's full series: Virginia · North Carolina
Lottery sales
Data
Virginia, FY2024: $5.30B, up 20% from FY2023; North Carolina, FY2024: $5.38B, up 24% from FY2023.
| Fiscal year | Virginia | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $5.30B | $5.38B |
| FY2023 | $4.41B | $4.34B |
| FY2022 | $3.59B | $3.89B |
| FY2021 | $3.12B | $3.47B |
| FY2020 | $2.03B | $2.75B |
| FY2019 | $2.16B | $2.62B |
| FY2018 | $2.02B | $2.38B |
| FY2017 | $1.88B | $2.22B |
| FY2016 | $1.89B | $2.22B |
| FY2015 | $1.74B | $1.83B |
| FY2014 | $1.71B | $1.71B |
| FY2013 | $1.59B | $1.57B |
| FY2012 | $1.53B | $1.48B |
State fiscal years, from the Census Bureau. Virginia lottery · North Carolina lottery
Side by side
| Virginia | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | ||
| Sports (online) | Live since 2021 | Live since 2024 |
| Sports (retail) | Limited | Live since 2021 |
| Online casino | Not authorized | Not authorized |
| Online poker | Not authorized | Not authorized |
| Commercial casinos | Live since 2022 | Not authorized |
| Tribal casinos | Not authorized | Live since 1997 |
| Lottery | Live since 1988 | Live since 2006 |
| iLottery | Live since 2020 | Live since 2023 |
| Daily fantasy | Live since 2016 | Live |
| VGTs / VLTs | Not authorized | Prohibited |
| Historical horse racing | Live since 2018 | Not authorized |
| Sweepstakes casinos | Not authorized | Prohibited |
| Prediction markets | Not authorized | Not authorized |
| Skill games | Prohibited | Contested |
| Card rooms | Not authorized | Not authorized |
| Lottery couriers | Prohibited | Not authorized |
| Pick'em fantasy | Prohibited | Prohibited |
| Pari-mutuel | Live since 1997 | Legal, not launched |
| Advance deposit wagering | Live since 2004 | Legal, not launched |
| Charitable gaming | Live | Live |
| Esports betting | Live since 2021 | Live |
| Social casino | Live | Live |
| Tax rates | ||
| Sports (online) | 15% of adjusted revenue | 23% of GGR |
| Sports (retail) | 15% of adjusted revenue | 23% of GGR |
| Commercial casinos | 18%–30% of adjusted revenue | — |
| Daily fantasy | 10% of net revenue | Set by statute; see rates |
| Historical horse racing | Set by statute; see rates | — |
| Pari-mutuel | Set by statute; see rates | — |
| Advance deposit wagering | 1.5% of amount bet | 1% of amount bet |
| Minimum age | ||
| Commercial casinos | 21 | Not legal |
| Sports betting | 21 | 21 |
| Lottery | 18 | 18 |
| Tribal casinos | Not legal | 21 |
| Online casino | Not legal | Not legal |
| Horse racing | 18 | 21 |
| Fantasy sports | 21 | — |
| Bingo & raffles | 18 | — |
| Sports betting rules | ||
| Bet on a phone anywhere in the state | Yes | Yes |
| College games | Yes | Yes |
| In-state college teams | No | Yes |
| College player props | No | Yes |
| Sign up in person | No | No |
| Credit cards | No | Yes |
| Esports | Yes | Yes |
| Official league data required | Yes | No |
| Money | ||
| Reported revenue per adult, 2025 | $215 Includes: Historical horse racing; Sports (online). Separate series excluded for unavailable GGR, incomplete periods or overlapping reports: Commercial casinos. Coverage differs; no overall state rank. | $89 Includes: Sports (online). Coverage differs; no overall state rank. |
| Gambling and amusement taxes per resident, FY2025 | $35 24th of 47 | $11 33rd of 47 |
| Gambling and amusement share of state taxes, FY2025 | 0.77% 23rd of 47 | 0.30% 35th of 47 |
| Lottery sales per resident | $597 FY2024 | $480 FY2024 |
| Lottery money to the state | $855M 16% of sales, FY2024 | $1.2B 22% of sales, FY2024 |
| Market | ||
| Online sportsbooks licensed | 6 | 7 |
| Casinos open | 11 | 3 |
| Regulators | Virginia Lottery Virginia Racing Commission Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs Office of the Attorney General of Virginia | North Carolina State Lottery Commission North Carolina Department of Public Safety (Alcohol Law Enforcement / charitable gaming licensing) North Carolina Department of Justice (Attorney General) |
| Gambling bills still moving | 137 | 198 |
Census amusement and sports/pari-mutuel tax categories include non-gambling admissions and amusement businesses. This is a broad tax measure, not a gambling-only total; tribal payments and lottery transfers are separate. If a category is unreported, the sum covers only reported categories; missing is not confirmed zero.