Legislation that would pave the way for a casino in Fairfax County will soon head to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who could sign, amend or veto it.
The Virginia House of Delegates passed SB 756 from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell initially by 64-32 today (Wednesday), advancing a legislative effort that has gained momentum over the past few years alongside increasingly vocal opposition from many local residents and elected officials.
Someone later asked for the chamber to reconsider its vote, and the bill passed again by a 59-37 margin with one delegate abstaining.
If signed into law by Spanberger, Fairfax County will join Norfolk, Petersburg, Bristol, Portsmouth and Danville on Virginia’s list of localities eligible to host a casino.
The General Assembly authorized casino gaming in 2020, initially including Richmond among the eligible localities. The capital city was removed from the list in 2024 and replaced by Petersburg after voters rejected two different referendums seeking to allow a casino.
Under Surovell’s bill, a casino establishment in Fairfax County must be part of a mixed-use development totaling at least 1.5 million square feet, but additional criteria that would’ve restricted potential sites to Tysons were dropped earlier as the legislation worked its way through the state Senate.
A preferred operator for the casino will be selected by Fairfax County. If the proposal receives a preliminary approval from the Virginia Lottery, which currently oversees gambling in the state, the Board of Supervisors would then order a referendum on whether casino gaming should be permitted at the targeted site.
Responding in part to concerns raised by the Board of Supervisors, Del. Paul Krizek had proposed additional requirements related to union contracts for the construction and hospitality workers involved in the prospective development and the allocation of the resulting gaming tax revenue. He also suggested increasing the casino operator’s licensing fee to $150 million and requiring that the referendum be approved by a majority of voters in the magisterial district where the establishment will be located, not just voters countywide.
However, most of those provisions were stripped by the House Appropriations Committee, which advanced a substitute last Friday (Feb. 27) that more closely resembles the bill that passed the state Senate.
The substitute did retain requirements that agreements between the casino operator and local government be made publicly available and that the future developer agree to provide construction, funding or land for a nearby public safety facility. A July 1, 2029 deadline for Fairfax County to hold a successful referendum was also included.
Del. Rodney Willett (D-58), who represents part of Henrico County, asked his fellow delegates to reject Krizek’s substitute and adopt the one proposed by the appropriations committee. The amended SB 756 was ultimately approved with no further discussion.
The state Senate voted unanimously this afternoon to reject the House’s version of the bill. Because the chambers passed slightly different iterations, three members from each chamber must now go into conferences to reconcile the differences before a final bill can be sent to the governor’s desk.
“Good to see it pass along with a majority of Northern Virginia delegates,” Surovell told FFXnow when asked about the House’s vote. “[I] look forward to working out our differences on conference and help diversify Fairfax County revenues and recapture hundreds of millions of dollars back from Maryland.”
The potential economic benefits of a Fairfax County casino for the local and state governments have been under some dispute.
A 2019 study commissioned by the General Assembly predicted that a Northern Virginia casino would bring in an additional $155 million in statewide gaming tax revenue, more than half of the five other studied localities combined. The study also anticipated that the casino would draw substantial interest from out-of-state visitors and keep $100 million that Virginia residents currently spend at casinos in Maryland.
A draft study conducted by a consultant hired by Fairfax County last year, however, estimated that a casino-anchored development would would generate a modest $29.1 million in annual tax revenue for the county and $53 million for the Commonwealth.
The Tysons Stakeholders Alliance, one of several community groups that have advocated against the bill, said it intends “to continue fighting this legislation at every level.”
“We’re disappointed with this result, and disappointed that our representatives weren’t allowed to voice their opposition to this bill on the House floor,” Tysons Stakeholders Alliance president Paula Martino said in a statement. “We do, however, want to extend our thanks to the Fairfax County delegates who stood with their constituents today by voting against this bill.”
Interest in bringing a casino to Fairfax County first emerged in January 2023, when state Sen. David Marsden (D-35), who represents Annandale, Springfield and the Kings Park West area, and Del. Wren Williams (R-47) filed identical bills.
While those bills were quickly withdrawn, Marsden introduced legislation in earnest for the 2024 session that would’ve limited possible sites to Tysons. The bill ultimately stalled in the state Senate’s appropriations committee.
Surovell, whose Senate District 34 covers southeastern Fairfax County, took over as patron last year, successfully ushering a bill through the state Senate despite opposition from several other local senators before it died in the House’s appropriations committee.
At today’s session, the House of Delegates also passed a Senate bill authorizing internet gaming by a 70-29 vote, while the state Senate voted 21-17 to approve a companion bill sponsored by Del. Marcus Simon (D-13).
Krizek’s legislation to establish a statewide gaming commission to regulate all gambling easily passed the House on Feb. 17, but is still waiting to be heard by the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
