§ 54.1-834 Prohibited activities; penalties
A. No betting or wagering shall be permitted at an event or exhibition bout before, during, or after the event in the building where the event is held.
B. No person shall participate in a sham or fake boxing or martial arts contest. The Department shall have the authority to order, without a hearing, the person controlling the purse to hold the distribution to contestants, promoters, and trainers pending a public hearing by the Department. The Department shall, simultaneously with the issuance of such order to retain the share or purse, institute proceedings for a hearing to determine whether a sham or fake boxing or martial arts contest has occurred.
C. It shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to violate this section or any statute or regulation governing the persons or activities regulated pursuant to this chapter.
D. The third or any subsequent conviction for violating any provision of this section during a 36-month period shall constitute a Class 6 felony.
History
This law was first created in 1998. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 895 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2015, chapters 216 and 264; in 2016, chapter 756; in 2025, chapters 95 and 111.
1998, c. 895; 2015, cc. 216, 264; 2016, c. 756; 2025, cc. 95, 111.