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A contentious proposal that could open the door to a casino in Tysons has cleared the Virginia Senate, overcoming strong opposition from residents, community groups and several Fairfax County lawmakers.
Senate Bill 982 passed Tuesday on a 24-16 vote after an impassioned debate that divided Fairfax County’s usually unified legislative delegation. The measure now heads to the House of Delegates.
If approved by the House and signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the bill would allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to hold a referendum asking voters whether to permit a casino gaming facility. It would not authorize construction automatically.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat representing District 34, sponsored the legislation. He and other supporters argue that a casino could create jobs and generate critical revenue as Fairfax County confronts a projected $292.7 million budget deficit, partly attributed to its declining commercial real estate tax base.
“I think this bill is one of the most significant economic development bills you’re going to see this session,” Surovell said. “There’s something in it for everybody.”
A 2019 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission estimated that a Northern Virginia casino could produce an additional $155 million in annual statewide gaming tax revenue. The study did not examine Fairfax County specifically.
Sen. Dave Marsden, a Democrat representing District 36, introduced similar legislation during the 2024 General Assembly session, but that proposal stalled in committee.
Requirements Point Toward Tysons
Although the bill refers broadly to Fairfax County, its location requirements effectively limit a prospective casino to Tysons.
The property would have to sit outside the Capital Beltway, within a quarter-mile of a Silver Line Metro station and within two miles of an indoor mall containing at least 1.5 million square feet. The casino would also have to be part of a mixed-use development totaling no less than 1.5 million square feet.
Comstock Companies, the developer of Reston Station, has proposed an entertainment district near the Spring Hill Metro station. The concept includes a casino, apartments, a hotel, a 6,000-seat concert venue, a convention center, stores and an IMAX theater. No formal development plans have been submitted to Fairfax County.
Several labor unions have supported the project after reportedly receiving a commitment from Comstock to enter a labor-peace agreement guaranteeing the employment of union workers.
Opposition Crosses Political and Community Lines
The casino proposal has drawn objections from a broad coalition. Pastors affiliated with the Virginia Faith and Freedom Coalition warned legislators of “severe negative impacts” on the community. Defense and intelligence workers have also raised concerns that increased gambling could create national security risks.
Surovell questioned why similar concerns were not raised when Virginia legalized mobile sports betting or when MGM National Harbor opened across the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
“If our national security community is so vulnerable to this, we’re already screwed,” Surovell said, describing the argument as “NIMBYism dressed up in a different set of clothes.”
He also suggested that MGM was helping drive opposition to the Fairfax proposal, an assertion Sen. Jennifer Boysko called “ludicrous.”
Boysko, a Democrat representing Reston, Herndon, Great Falls and McLean, voted against the measure alongside Sens. Barbara Favola, Saddam Azlan Salim and Adam Ebbin. They emphasized that neither Fairfax County residents nor the Board of Supervisors had requested the authority to hold a casino referendum.
Boysko said local officials spent years planning development around the Silver Line to create economically productive communities where people want to live and work. She criticized the bill for targeting a narrow area without an open process or local support.
“Every other time that we have voted to allow a casino, it has been with the support of people that represent that area, it has been with the support of the people who live in that community,” Boysko said.
Favola, who represents Arlington County, said her office stopped counting opposition emails after receiving 5,000. Boysko cited objections from 106 community and homeowners’ associations, including groups represented by the No Fairfax Casino Coalition and the Tysons Stakeholder Alliance.
Salim, whose 37th Senate District includes Tysons, said his office received about 1,300 calls and emails on the casino issue in the two weeks before the vote, nearly all opposing it.
“This is not a vocal minority; it is a clear majority expressing concern,” Salim said in a statement. He urged the House to reject the measure and focus on other legislative priorities.
Salim also argued that Tysons does not face the economic conditions that prompted Portsmouth, Norfolk, Danville, Richmond, Bristol and Petersburg to pursue casinos. Richmond was removed from Virginia’s casino eligibility list after voters rejected a casino referendum twice.
Supporters Say Voters Should Decide
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has expressed skepticism about a casino. In a recent letter, the board argued that the county’s financial challenges stem more from inadequate state funding for schools and that Tysons does not need revitalization.
Only Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn and Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman have explicitly opposed Surovell’s bill, Sen. Stella Pekarsky noted. Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who represents the area containing Comstock’s proposed site, has said she is monitoring the legislation without taking a firm position.
Pekarsky, a Democrat representing southwestern Fairfax County communities including Chantilly, Centreville and Clifton, said constituents have told her that property taxes and other expenses are pushing them out of the county.
She argued that the legislation merely allows the casino discussion to continue locally. A project would still need approval from voters and would have to pass through Fairfax County’s regular land-use review process.
“This has the potential to bring major economic development and much-needed diversification of revenue in Fairfax County, as well as 5,000 well-paying jobs,” Pekarsky said.
Bierman countered that extensive local discussion has already occurred and is being disregarded by the bill’s supporters.
A January poll commissioned by the Tysons Stakeholder Alliance found that 64% of surveyed likely voters across Fairfax County opposed a casino. Among 336 Tysons respondents, opposition reached 79%.
“Fairfax County residents don’t want this casino in the first place, and we don’t need a wasteful, costly, divisive referendum to figure that out,” Bierman said. He called the Senate vote “a low moment for Richmond” and urged the House of Delegates to defeat the legislation.