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A proposal that could open the door to a casino in Fairfax County reached the full Virginia Senate for the first time after clearing a key committee on a 9-6 vote Tuesday.
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee advanced S.B. 982, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, after tabling similar legislation from state Sen. Dave Marsden in 2024. The Senate was expected to consider the bill Friday, Jan. 31.
The measure would add Fairfax County to Virginia’s list of localities eligible to host a casino. It would allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to seek a voter referendum, but would not authorize a casino by itself. The legislation would also need approval from the House of Delegates and Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
A casino operator and location would be chosen only after voters approved a referendum. Under the legislation, any casino would have to be located along Metro’s Silver Line corridor in Tysons.
Comstock Companies, the developer of Reston Station, has advocated for a casino near the Spring Hill Metro station. Its proposed entertainment district would also include housing, stores, a hotel, a convention center and a performing arts venue.
Supporters point to revenue potential
Surovell said the committee vote showed that most members believed concerns about a Fairfax casino had been addressed by a 2019 study from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
That study estimated a Northern Virginia casino could produce an additional $155 million in annual statewide gaming tax revenue. It also found that such a casino could attract substantial spending from outside Virginia and retain about $100 million that state residents spend at casinos elsewhere, including MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Fairfax County legislative director and lobbyist Claudia Arko noted during a Senate subcommittee hearing that the study did not examine Fairfax County specifically as a possible casino location.
Surovell said the project could provide significant funding for school construction. He also said most members of Fairfax County’s General Assembly delegation support allowing the county government to give voters the final say on an entertainment district.
Marsden and committee Chair L. Louise Lucas supported the bill. Northern Virginia Sens. Jennifer Boysko, Adam Ebbin and Barbara Favola voted against it.
Surovell emphasized the potential state revenue during the committee hearing. Boysko, whose district includes Reston, Herndon, McLean and Great Falls, argued that Fairfax County had not requested casino authority, unlike other Virginia localities previously approved to host one.
County leaders challenge the case for a casino
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors had not taken an official position on the bill, but Chairman Jeff McKay questioned claims that a casino was needed to offset erosion in the commercial tax base and revitalize Tysons.
In a letter sent Monday to General Assembly leaders, McKay acknowledged that remote and hybrid work had affected the county’s office market. However, he said Tysons — particularly Class A offices near its four Silver Line stations — continued to perform well.
The overall Tysons office vacancy rate rose from 14% in mid-2020 to 22% as of Sept. 30, 2024. More detailed market data showed stronger demand for top-tier properties close to transit and amenities, while older, suburban-style offices faced greater difficulties.
Fairfax County was confronting a projected $292.7 million budget shortfall that could jeopardize teacher raises and other priorities. Surovell said casino opponents had not offered a way to close that gap other than further increases in real estate taxes.
McKay instead urged Virginia lawmakers to address school funding identified in a separate 2023 JLARC study. He said the state owed Fairfax County Public Schools an additional $568.7 million and that receiving it could allow the county to lower its property tax rate by as much as 17.5 cents, saving the average homeowner about $1,300.
The county was also considering a meals tax and other revenue measures, although those options were not expected to cover its present or future budget gaps fully.
Opponents promise an electoral response
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, a prominent casino opponent, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the committee vote.
Alcorn attributed the bill’s increased momentum partly to lobbying by Comstock. The company contributed $617,147 to state political committees over the previous two years, including committees associated with Lucas and Surovell. Alcorn said he saw Comstock representatives in the General Assembly halls while visiting Richmond for a transit advocacy event.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, whose district covers most of Tysons and the area targeted by Comstock, remained neutral. At a Jan. 23 Lunar New Year open house, she said she was monitoring the legislation and was receptive to gaining local authority, provided it did not distract from implementing the JLARC recommendations on school funding.
Community organizations including the No Casino Coalition and Tysons Stakeholders Alliance pledged to continue fighting the proposal.
A survey released by the alliance found that 64% of 500 likely voters opposed building a casino in Tysons. Opposition reached 79% among respondents who live in Tysons.
Alliance President Paula Martino said no elected official representing Tysons had requested the legislation and asserted that communities across the area opposed it. She also warned that the coalition would organize against Fairfax County officials who support the casino bill.
Virginia senators will not face another election until 2027, but every House of Delegates seat was scheduled to be on the ballot in November 2025.