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A proposal that could open the door to a casino along Metro’s Silver Line in Tysons advanced again on Jan. 22, despite organized opposition from residents and a lack of formal support from Fairfax County leaders.
The Virginia Senate General Laws and Technology Committee voted 11-3 to send Senate Bill 982 to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Committee Chair Adam Ebbin abstained.
Two days earlier, a gaming subcommittee had voted 5-2, also with Ebbin abstaining, to recommend the measure to the full committee.
A similar bill introduced in 2024 by state Sen. Dave Marsden advanced from the General Laws and Technology Committee on a tie vote. The Finance and Appropriations Committee later tabled it after a subcommittee recommended further analysis.
Referendum authority with a Tysons focus
Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, SB 982 would make Fairfax County eligible to host a casino and allow the Board of Supervisors to request a voter referendum.
The legislation does not name a developer or exact location. Its requirements, however, would effectively confine the project to a site along the Silver Line in Tysons.
Comstock is seeking to build a casino as part of a larger Tysons entertainment district. A proposal shared with lawmakers also envisioned a hotel, performing arts venue, housing, convention center and retail space.
Labor support intensified after reports of a peace-labor agreement with Comstock. Representatives of electricians, plumbers, food-service employees, construction workers and other unions argued that the development would deliver high-paying jobs and new commercial revenue for Fairfax County.
One labor representative highlighted the unusual alignment between organized labor and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, whose president and CEO, Julie Coons, also spoke.
Emily VanDerHoff of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers said her union had secured its first collective bargaining agreement, but funding for its salary increases remained uncertain. Casino revenue, she argued, could help the county raise money without increasing taxes.
Residents warn of local consequences
Opponents wearing red “No Tysons Casino” shirts packed the hearing, with many identifying themselves as residents of Reston or the Tysons area. They raised concerns about traffic, crime and national security because of the proposed area’s proximity to CIA headquarters and its large population of federal workers.
Several speakers stressed that neither community members nor Fairfax County elected officials had asked the General Assembly for casino authority. They also disputed the argument that Tysons needs gambling to attract development or jobs.
One Rotonda Condominiums resident described Fairfax County as the “Silicon Valley of the East” and said a casino was unnecessary for economic growth.
Tom Lewis questioned why unions were concentrating on the casino proposal instead of pressing for union employment at the many projects already under construction in Tysons.
Other opponents said they could support an entertainment district without a casino. Connie Hartke, representing the No Casino Coalition and Reston Citizens Association, urged lawmakers to pause SB 982 and other gambling expansions until Virginia establishes a Gaming Commission. Del. Paul Krizek has introduced a House bill to create that regulatory body.
Fairfax officials point to education needs
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has not adopted an official position on a casino. County legislative director and lobbyist Claudia Arko told senators that the board supports labor but has concerns about how casino revenue would be divided between the county and the state.
Arko also noted that a 2019 casino study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission projected revenue for a possible Northern Virginia casino without specifically examining whether Fairfax County would be a suitable location.
She said casino legislation is not a county priority. Supervisors are more focused on securing additional state education funding after a 2023 commission study concluded that Fairfax County Public Schools and other districts had been underfunded.
After testimony concluded, Sen. Christopher Head said the bill had received overwhelming backing from labor but little support from anyone else. He noted that SB 982 itself contains no labor protections and contrasted union testimony with a line of community opponents that stretched nearly out the door.
Surovell responded that he could produce supportive residents if necessary. He also observed that none of the hearing’s speakers lived in his southeastern Fairfax County district, where he said constituents were deeply concerned about taxes.
The senator rejected warnings about crime and national security, saying Virginia’s existing casino communities had not experienced a demonstrated crime problem. He also pointed to MGM National Harbor across the Potomac River and the expansion of online gambling, neither of which had prompted similar security objections.
Surovell characterized much of the resistance as neighborhood opposition to development. He argued that Tysons remains dominated by offices and parking lots and that a dense entertainment project is consistent with the kind of growth envisioned along the Silver Line.