An act relating to repealing the statutes that authorize the State Lottery and sports wagering

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Troy Headrick and 2 co-sponsors

The bill repeals state authorization for the lottery and sports wagering, placing related activities under Vermont’s general gambling laws.

Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

Purpose and intent

H.133 proposes repealing Vermont’s statutory authorization for the State Lottery (Chapter 14 of Title 31) and for sports wagering (Chapter 25 of Title 31).

The bill would place any person offering a lottery or sports wagering activities under the general criminal framework for gambling and lotteries (13 V.S.A. Chapter 51), rather than under specialized statutory regimes for the state lottery and sports wagering.

In short: eliminate state-authorized lottery and sports wagering programs and subject related activities to existing Vermont gambling laws.

Key provisions and changes

Repeals targeted statutes:

31 V.S.A. Chapter 14 (State Lottery)
31 V.S.A. Chapter 25 (Sports Wagering)

Reassignment of regulatory/operational risk:

Activities that would have been authorized or regulated under the state lottery or sports wagering regimes would instead fall under the broad criminal provisions governing gambling and lotteries found in 13 V.S.A. Chapter 51.

Legislative housekeeping note:

The bill text itself is not included in full in the short-form introduction, but the stated purpose is to remove statutory authorization for state-run or state-sanctioned lottery/sports wagering.

Who would be affected

Entities currently operating or seeking to operate state-contracted or state-authorized lottery programs.

Any individuals or organizations engaging in or proposing lottery or sports-wagering activities in Vermont, as they would now be governed by general gambling statutes rather than special licenses or exemptions.

Regulators and law enforcement:

Authorities responsible for enforcement of gambling-related statutes would shift focus from administering specific lottery/sports wagering regimes to applying the broader 13 V.S.A. Chapter 51 framework.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduction and first reading:

Introduced January-February 2025; referred to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs.

Committee considerations:

The bill’s next steps depend on committee review, potential amendments, and hearings.
A walk-through and a committee meeting were scheduled for April 14, 2026, indicating ongoing consideration and potential refinement.

Action history:

The bill has had at least one formal action: read for the first time and referred to committee on 2025-02-04.

Overall timeline:

As with many bills, passage would require committee action, floor votes in the House (and potentially the Senate), and any conference or reconciliation steps if amendments occur.

Additional notes

The bill’s stated purpose emphasizes simplicity and alignment with existing criminal gambling statutes, removing the statutory framework that previously authorized state involvement in lotteries and sports wagering.

No fiscal impact or revenue implications are specified in the summary provided; such details would appear in committee analyses or fiscal notes if developed.