Legal online gambling and sports betting could be on the horizon for the U.S. Virgin Islands, nearly two and a half decades after the U.S. Virgin Islands enacted the Internet Gaming and Internet Gambling Act.
The territory’s online gaming law was passed in 2001, but put on hold because of the federal Interstate Wire Act’s prohibition against betting in online gaming, also known as iGaming. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and opened the door for states to allow sports betting. On Thursday, industry experts, elected officials and stakeholders met at the Carambola Beach Resort for the V.I. Casino Control Commission-sponsored Internet Gaming and Internet Gambling Summit.
VICCC Chair Marvin Pickering told the Source that developing the territory’s iGaming framework has been part of his vision since he became the commission’s chief executive in 2020.
“Instituting and implementing, revising the statutes, the rules and regs of the Internet Gaming and Internet Gambling Act was one of my top 10 priorities,” he said. “It took a little while to get us here today … but once we engaged with [Gaming Labs International] and The Innovation Group to move forward, you know, it was no stopping us now.”
The Innovation Group’s President and Chief Executive, Brian Wyman, told summit attendees during a market impact presentation that developing online gaming and sports betting could generate up to $17 million within 10 years. Approximately $5 million of that, he acknowledged, would be shifted over from traditional “land-based” gaming revenues and video lottery terminals.
During a presentation from industry experts at GLI, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. asked how the shift from brick-and-mortar casinos could impact surrounding businesses.
“I mean, one of the main initiatives was to get hotel rooms, when we started gaming,” he said. “Now, it’s like commercial activity. So I don’t game — maybe my girlfriend, she games, she goes out to the casino. I sit down there, I get hungry, I buy a couple of drinks, I take a walk around — put a couple of drinks on me and buy a Rolex, you know. That’s the kind of concept that we want to encourage. How do we structure this to support that type of activity — or that’s not the goal of what we’re trying to do here?”
Karen Sierra-Hughes, GLI’s vice president of Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain, said existing casino operators will have an opportunity to expand their offerings.
“So maybe you don’t want to sit at the table because you find that boring, but you want to bet on esports events,” she said. “And you can do it on your phone. While your girlfriend is sitting at the table, betting, you are doing something different, but under the same … operator, with the same account, with a different experience.”
Presenters also acknowledged the risk factors that come with the relative ease of online gambling. A “casino in your pocket” means 24/7 access to games that are designed for fast, continuous play, Wyman said, creating new addiction pathways. Citing a study from the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet, Wyman said online gamblers exhibit problematic behaviors at 1.5 times the rate of casino gamblers, and 43% exceed the recommended 1% of income spent on gambling. Young adults are disproportionately impacted, and low-income households’ rates of “non-responsible” gambling are five times higher.
Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach said the territory has to be conscious “that while we maximize the potential of these digital means, that we must also approach it from a place of social responsibility for the people who we serve.”
