2026 SESSION

SENATE SUBSTITUTE

26107909D

SENATE BILL NO. 819

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology

on February 11, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute—Senator Suetterlein)

A BILL to amend and reenact § 58.1-4015 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Lottery; age verification; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 58.1-4015 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 58.1-4015. Sale of ticket or share to person younger than 18 years of age prohibited; penalty.

A. No ticket or share shall be sold to or redeemed from any person under the age of eighteen younger than 18 years of age. Any licensee who knowingly sells or offers to sell or redeem a lottery ticket or share to or from any person under the age of eighteen younger than 18 years of age is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

B. The Board shall promulgate regulations requiring all lottery terminals to possess proper age verification software to ensure that a consumer is 18 years of age or older. For purposes of this subsection, "terminal" means a device that is authorized by the Department to function in an interactive mode with the Department's computer gaming system or systems for the purpose of issuing tickets, plays, or an electronic facsimile thereof, and entering, receiving, and processing game-related transactions.

2. That the Virginia Lottery shall study the feasibility of furthering responsible gaming as it relates to the lottery, casino gaming, and sports betting through the promulgation of regulations restricting (i) advertising for such gaming through mail or Short Message Service (SMS) text messages; (ii) targeted digital advertising for such gaming using personal data, including through the use of geolocation, consumer profiles, or consumer purchase history; and (iii) the use of individual player data for the marketing and advertising of such gaming. The Virginia Lottery shall additionally study the impact of including on all advertisements (a) a warning stating that the lottery is only for persons 18 years of age or older and that playing the lottery can be addictive and (b) the toll-free telephone number for the Virginia Problem Gambling Helpline. No later than October 1, 2026, the Director of the Virginia Lottery shall report the findings of such study to the Chairs of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology with policy recommendations regarding furthering responsible gaming through advertisement regulation.