Emergency casino regulations approved by VA Lottery Board include rules on wagers at slot machines, table games

Preliminary regulations are outlining key details on how casinos will operate once they open to consumers in Virginia, including the Hard Rock casino in Bristol.

Emergency regulations approved Wednesday by the Virginia Lottery Board is only allowing wagers to be conducted with tokens, chips, or electronic cards while cash and credit wagers are prohibited. Minimum and maximum bets have also been set for slot machines ranging from one cent to $500 with 89-94% average payouts per play, while table games like poker and blackjack will allow wagers between $5 and $50,000.

Two public comment periods on the regulations, approval from Gov. Ralph Northam, and finalization of those regulations are expected to be complete by next October.

Bristol casino officials are hoping to start operations by the end of this year with a temporary casino, but Lottery Executive Director Kevin Hall suggests that casino gambling will likely not begin until the early months of 2022.