State police want citizens to call in illegal gambling. But what's illegal?
RICHMOND – As the options and opportunities for legal gaming in Virginia expand, Virginia State Police is launching a statewide tip line and online form for the public to report concerns of suspected illegal gaming operations.
If you suspect some form of gambling to be illegal, you're encouraged to call the new toll-free tip line, 1-833-889-2300, or report the unlawful activity online at www.vsp.virginia.gov/services/gaming-complaint-form. Anonymous tips are welcome.
For those needing to report general "charitable gaming complaints," the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services can be reached at 1-804-371-0498.
Gaming, gambling. We seem to have come a long way from starting a lottery to pay for education. So what's it all about?
Gaming includes these three things
We all know what gambling is the same way we all know what pass interference is in football. TV commercials seeking to normalize the betting mindset tell us that we're betting on things all the time in our daily life.
So what is gaming, or gambling, legally speaking? We asked First Sergeant William Johnson, Gaming Enforcement Coordinator. He says it's more than just calculating the odds.
"Gambling includes three things. It includes consideration — which is money — chance, and a prize. So if you don't have one of those three things, you don't have gambling, if that makes sense."
Johnson points out the abuses of charitable gambling, which have included "embezzlements or misappropriation of funds by types of organizations that would thus violate the charitable gaming laws that they're bound to comply with," said Johnson. "We see that, unfortunately. Every once in a while there's those types of financial crimes associated with charitable gaming." It's not just about a crooked bookmaker. It's if you think the money is not going to a charity the way it's supposed to.
"So you have like a VFW Lodge or a Moose Lodge that conducts bingo on Wednesday nights or something like that. Those are considered charitable organizations that conduct gaming operations. We're assisting VDACS (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) in their investigations of those organizations."
"Gaming in the Commonwealth is fairly new as well, legalized forms of gaming. We're still learning and that's the purpose of this tip line as well," Johnson says. "And we want people to send in what they think, and I certainly will take those complaints and look into them."
What about playing a game of poker with your friends in your home?
"There's a code, section 18.2-334, that says nothing in the illegal gaming article of the Code of Virginia makes it illegal to participate in a game of chance conducted in a private residence," Johnson says. If there's no operator taking money, "just a couple of friends or family getting together in a private residence like that, the code does not define that as illegal gambling."
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
On fantasy sports, Johnson says, "There are legal operators that operate sports betting here in the Commonwealth. The lottery regulates them. DraftKings, FanDuel, etc., those are approved and licensed operators here in the Commonwealth. What we would say is that if people choose to gamble and bet on sports that they do so through approved and licensed operators here in the Commonwealth.
Johnson says the Virginia lottery website has a list of all the approved operators. "That would include the approved sports betting operators," he said.
All clear? Citizens are encouraged to report anything that seems suspicious.
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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Illegal gaming tip line in Virginia
