COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE 
 
BILL NO. 
36-0336 
 
Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands 
 
 
 
July 31, 2026 
 
 
 
An Act amending title 32 Virgin Islands Code, chapters 11, 13, and 21 relating to games of 
chance to place horse betting, the Virgin Islands Lottery, and all games of chance, respectively, 
under the regulation and control of the Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission 
 
 
 
PROPOSED BY: 
 
 
Senator Kenneth L. Gittens 
Sponsors: Clifford A. Joseph, Sr., and Kurt A. Vialet 
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 
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SECTION 1.  Title 1 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 15, section 253, subsection (b), 
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paragraph (3) is amended by striking “Virgin Islands Lottery Commission” and inserting 
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“Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission”. 
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SECTION 2.  Title 29 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 3, subchapter I, section 231, 
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subsection (a), paragraph (31) is amended in the first sentence by striking “Casino Control 
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Commission” and inserting “Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission”. 
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SECTION 3.  Title 32 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 11 is amended in the following 
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instances: 
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(a) 
Subchapter I is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
Add section 202a to read as follows: 
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Ҥ 202a.  Supervision and regulation of horse betting 
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The Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission shall regulate all matters 
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relating to horse race betting and may grant temporary permits to any person, 
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corporation, partnership, club, group or organization to conduct betting on horse 
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races whenever there is no lease franchise-holder or concession agreement in place 
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to conduct horse racing events.” 
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(2) 
Section 204 is amended as follows: 
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(A) In subsection (a), in the first sentence, strike “St. Croix Horse Racing 
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Commission or the St. Thomas-St. John Horse Racing Commission, as 
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appropriate” and insert “Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission (“VIGCC”)”, 
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and in the second sentence after “regulations by the”, strike “commission” and 
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insert “VIGCC”. 
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(B) In subsection (b), strike both occurrences of “St. Croix Horse Racing 
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Commission or the St. Thomas-St. John Horse Racing Commission, as 
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appropriate” and insert “VIGCC”, and strike “respective Commission” and insert 
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“VIGCC”. 
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(3) 
In section 206, strike “St. Croix Horse Racing Commission or the St. 
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Thomas-St. John Horse Racing Commission, as appropriate” and insert “Virgin Islands 
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Gaming Control Commission”, and strike “respective Commission” and insert “Virgin 
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Islands Gaming Control Commission”, 
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(4) 
Section 208 is amended as follows: 
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(A) In subsection (a): 
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(i) 
Strike “and” and insert a period (.) after “outside the Virgin 
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Islands”; 
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(ii) 
Designate all the language after “outside the Virgin Islands” as 
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subsection (b); 
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(iii) Insert the following language before “conduct parimutuel 
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betting”: 
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“The Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission may permit a 
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person, corporation, or association that is licensed to or awarded a lease 
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franchise or concession agreement to conduct horse racing to”; and  
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(iv) Strike “respective Commission” and insert “Virgin Islands 
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Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(B) Re-designate subsection (b) as subsection (c). 
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(b) 
In subchapter II, section 223, subsection (d), strike both occurrences of “Casino 
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Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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SECTION 4.  Title 32 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 13 is amended in the following 
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instances: 
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(a) 
In section 242 in the definition of “Commission” in paragraph (1), strike 
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“Virgin Islands Lottery Commission established by this chapter” and insert “Virgin 
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Islands Gaming Control Commission established in 32 V.I.C. §404”, and in the definition 
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of “Video Lottery Terminal” in paragraph (4), strike “Virgin Islands Lottery” and insert 
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“Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission”; 
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(b) 
In section 243, insert “the regulation by and” after “subject to”, and strike 
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“Lottery Commission” and insert “Commission”; 
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(c) 
Sections 244, 248, and 249 are repealed; and 
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(d) 
In section 246a, strike “Lottery” before “Commission”. 
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SECTION 5.  Title 32 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 21, is amended in the following 
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instances: 
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(a) 
Article I is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
Section 402 is amended as follows: 
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(A) In paragraph (4), the definition of “Authorized game” or 
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“authorized gambling game” is amended by striking “Lottery Commission” 
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and inserting “Gaming Control Commission”; 
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(B) In paragraph (10), the definition of “Casino key employee” is 
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amended by striking “Casino Control Commission” and inserting “Gaming 
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Control Commission”; 
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(C) In paragraph (17), the definition of “ “Chairman” and 
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“commissioner” or “member” ”is amended by striking “Casino Control 
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Commission” and inserting “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(D) In paragraph (18), the definition of “Commission” is amended by 
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striking “Casino Control Commission” and inserting “Gaming Control 
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Commission”. 
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(b) 
Article II is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
In section 404, strike “Casino Control Commission” and insert 
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“Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(2) 
In section 407, strike both occurrences of “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(3) In the section heading of section 408, strike “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(c) 
Article IV is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
Section 415 is amended as follows: 
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(A) Strike “Casino Control Commission” and insert “Gaming 
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Control Commission”; 
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(B) In subsection (h), designate paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
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subparagraphs (A) and (B); 
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(C) Re-designate subsections (a) through (i) as paragraphs (1) 
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through (9); 
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(D) Designate the existing language as subsection (a) and insert a 
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new subsection (b), a subsection (c), and a subsection (d) that read as follows: 
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“(b) In addition to the powers and duties in subsection (a), the 
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Commission has the powers and duties contained in chapters 13 and 
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21. 
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(c) 
The Commission shall regulate all matters relating to 
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games of chance. 
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(d) 
For purposes of subsection (c), the term “games of chance” 
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means any game that involves wagering a stake with monetary value 
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for a chance at a prize of monetary value, to include scratch and 
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traditional lottery, video lottery, casino gaming, bingo, and horse 
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racing.” 
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(2) 
In section 423a, subsection (b), strike “Casino Control Commission” 
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and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(d) 
In article VI, section 435, subsection (b), paragraph (A), strike both instances 
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of “Casino Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(e) 
Article VII is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
In section 453, subsection (a), strike “Casino” before “Commission”. 
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(2) 
In section 465, subsection (c), paragraph (1), strike “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(f) 
In article IX, section 482, subsection (c), strike “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(g) 
Article X is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
In section 504, subsection (b), strike “gaining” and insert “gaming”, 
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strike “Casino Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”, 
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and strike “or the Virgin Islands Lottery Commission”. 
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(2) In section 509, subsection (b), strike “Casino Control Commission” 
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and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(h) 
Article XI is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
In section 514, strike all occurrences of “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”; 
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(2) 
Section 516 is amended as follows: 
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(A) In subsection (a)(2), strike “Casino Control Commission” and 
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insert “Gaming Control Commission”;  
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(B) In subsections (c) and (d), strike all occurrences of “Casino 
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Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”; and  
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(C) In subsection (h), strike both occurrences of “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(3) 
In section 517, subsection (c), strike both occurrences of “Casino 
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Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(i) 
In article XII, section 527, subsection (d), strike “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”, and in sections 528(a)(4) and 
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532, strike “Casino Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(j) 
In article XIV, subarticle A, section 603, subsection (c), strike “Casino 
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Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(k) 
In article XIV, subarticle I, section 642, strike “Casino Control Commission” 
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and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(l) 
In article XIV, subarticle J, section 646, subsections (g) and (k), strike 
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“Casino Control Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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(m) In article XV, section 801, subsection (d), strike “Casino Control 
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Commission” and insert “Gaming Control Commission”. 
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BILL SUMMARY 
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This bill amends title 32 Virgin Islands Code, chapters 11, 13, and 21 by placing horse 
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betting, the Virgin Islands Lottery, and all games of chance, respectively, under the regulation 
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and control of the Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission which this bill renames as the 
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Virgin Islands Gaming Control Commission. 
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BR25-0253/February 3, 2025/GC 
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