Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has rejected legislation that would’ve opened the door for a casino in Fairfax County.
The governor vetoed SB 756 from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell today (Thursday) ahead of an April 13 deadline for her to take action on all of the bills passed by the General Assembly during its 2026 session.
In her explanation, Spanberger argued that the bill would’ve set a new precedent reducing local authority over gambling after many residents and Fairfax County leaders expressed opposition to the possibility of a casino. An independent statewide commission should be established first to regulate all gambling, she said.
“Local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has happened in every locality that now has a casino,” Spanberger said in a press release. “But in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors has explicitly opposed this legislation, and an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members who represent Fairfax voted against it.”
Introduced for a second consecutive year by Surovell (D-34), who represents southeastern Fairfax County, SB 756 would’ve added the county to the list of localities in Virginia eligible to host a casino. If approved, the county’s Board of Supervisors would’ve been tasked with selecting a preferred operator and organizing a voter referendum to officially authorize casino gaming.
Though the legislation went through several different iterations throughout this session, including one version that would’ve allowed a temporary casino with no local approval required, the final bill reverted back to Surovell’s original proposal.
Virginia currently has five localities eligible for a casino, but unlike those cities, Fairfax County leaders didn’t request the authority, and the Board of Supervisors narrowly voted in December to oppose any state legislation to allow a casino unless they asked for it.
The legislation also differed from past efforts to expand casinos by including criteria that limited potential sites to somewhere outside the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Tysons. The establishment would’ve been required to be in a mixed-use development totaling at least 1.5 million square feet.
Reston Station developer Comstock Companies had openly angled to build the casino as part of an entertainment complex near the Spring Hill Metro station, though the legislation itself didn’t directly single out an exact location or developer.
Surovell’s bill passed the State Senate 25-13 and the House of Delegates 55-41 on March 14 — the last day of the regular legislative session.
The bill was supported by a majority of Fairfax County’s senators, including Surovell, Dave Marsden (D-35), Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-33) and Stella Pekarsky (D-36), but only three of the county’s 15 delegates — Del. Laura Jane Cohen (D-15), recently elected Garrett McGuire (D-17) and Rozia Henson Jr. (D-19) — voted for it.
Both supporters, led by a range of labor unions, and opponents, including the Board of Supervisors and some state lawmakers, ramped up lobbying after the General Assembly adjourned, seeking to convince Spanberger to either sign or veto the bill.
Opponents, ultimately, won out.
“Governor Spanberger made the right decision,” said the No Fairfax Casino Coalition, which counted dozens of homeowners’ associations among its members. “Claims that a casino would solve vacancy or economic problems in Tysons were not supported by independent analysis, and the bill advanced without the rigorous review this kind of proposal requires.”
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay issued a statement thanking Spanberger for vetoing the casino bill, indicating that he had personally explained the myriad concerns raised by the board and residents.
On behalf of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and our over 1 million residents, I would like to thank Governor Spanberger for her veto of SB756, also known as the casino bill. Governor Spanberger was gracious with her time in affording me the opportunity to outline the Board of Supervisors’ and our residents’ concerns on this matter. This veto demonstrates the Governor’s respect for local authority and being responsive to those we represent. Our residents have been clear in their overwhelming opposition to a casino in Fairfax County.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Governor and the General Assembly in making Virginia affordable for all of our residents. In Governor Spanberger, the Commonwealth has a leader who will fight for us day in and day out and I could not be prouder as a Virginian for a leader such as herself.
In addition to questioning whether a casino would fit the county’s long-term vision for Tysons, residents and county leaders had expressed skepticism of proponents’ claims that it would bring significant revenue to offset declines in the local commercial tax base. The House had explored an even 50/50 split in tax revenue for the state and county, but that provision didn’t survive to the final text.
Virginia law currently allocates approximately 70% of gaming tax proceeds to the state and 30% to the host locality, according to county officials.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who vocally opposed the casino proposal for years and even appeared on a public access TV show with Surovell for a debate on the topic on Monday (April 6), thanked Spanberger “on behalf of all residents” in his district, which includes Reston, Vienna and part of western Tysons.
“We never wanted it and we never asked for it,” Alcorn said in a statement. “Just having this in statute would chase away real economic development opportunities for Tysons, which is already the 12th largest business district in the country. Tysons’ future is now brighter than it was yesterday thanks to Governor Spanberger.”
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, who represents McLean, the Herndon area and Great Falls, lauded his constituents for their advocacy as well as members of the county’s General Assembly delegation who voted against the bill.
“I’m so glad that Governor Spanberger has ended this distraction and that we can get back to real issues facing Virginians and the people of Fairfax County: lowering costs, expanding opportunity, tackling housing affordability, improving education, and promoting public safety,” he wrote in a statement.
Surovell, meanwhile, expressed disappointment in the governor’s decision, maintaining that a casino-anchored development like the one envisioned by Comstock would’ve been a financial boon for both the state and county worth as much as $1.5 billion in annual economic activity.
“The voters of Fairfax County were never going to be bypassed,” Surovell said. “SB 756 did nothing more than give Fairfax County the same rights that Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, Danville, and Petersburg already have — the right to put this question to the people. It was a permission slip, not a mandate. Fairfax voters would have had the final say. Instead, that choice has been taken away from them by the stroke of a pen.”
My statement on Governor's veto of SB756 pic.twitter.com/SsYu6XLghE
— Senator Scott Surovell – ssurovell.bsky.social (@ssurovell) April 9, 2026
In Virginia, a governor’s veto can be overridden by the General Assembly if two-thirds of the members in each chamber vote to do so. The margins by which SB 756 passed last month suggests it lacks sufficient support in both the Senate and the House.
Even so, Surovell hinted that this won’t be the last time lawmakers and residents will see a Fairfax County casino bill.
“The Governor vetoed a rare moment of consensus in favor of workers, businesses, and economic growth,” he concluded. “I have worked on this legislation for four years. I will not stop. Northern Virginia workers and families deserve the economic opportunity that every other region of this Commonwealth already has access to. We will be back.”
Future legislation would presumably need to take a different form to win Spanberger’s support, or perhaps the creation of a statewide regulator, as mentioned in her statement, would be sufficient.
The General Assembly considered bills (HB 271 and SB 195) that would’ve established a Virginia Gaming Commission, but the House version was “continued” to 2027, essentially killing it. The Senate version was incorporated into a different bill to hand that authority to the Virginia Lottery that failed to advance out of a conference by the end of the session.
Spanberger’s full press release announcing her decision is below.
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today vetoed legislation that would require the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to call a referendum vote on a casino in Tysons Corner regardless of the Board’s explicit opposition. The Governor said the bill would set a precedent against local decision-making on gambling, and she reiterated her belief that a statewide independent commission is needed to regulate gambling in Virginia.
“Local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has happened in every locality that now has a casino,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “But in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors has explicitly opposed this legislation, and an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members who represent Fairfax voted against it.”
Spanberger noted that since the General Assembly first authorized casinos in 2020, all of the five cities where they now operate — and the one where multiple local referendums failed — have actively sought the authority to hold referendums and have strongly advocated for their projects. Existing law requires that once the General Assembly asserts a locality is eligible for a casino — as Senate Bill 756 does for Fairfax County, the local governing body must petition the court for a referendum. This process worked for the six aforementioned localities that wanted to hold casino referendums, but in the case of a locality where the local governing body opposes such an effort, the impact of this legislation is to supersede local authority.
The Governor noted that the legislation would further restrict local decision-making by enabling legislators in Richmond to assign the specific location of the casino.
“In no other circumstance has the General Assembly prescribed specifications for a casino’s location,” said Spanberger. “This effectively precludes local input and eliminates local decisions. While this legislation specifically affects only Fairfax County, it would set a precedent to bring casino referendums to other localities where the local governing board may similarly oppose such an effort.”
Additionally, the Governor reiterated that while gambling has expanded in recent years in Virginia, the Commonwealth continues to lack a statewide entity to regulate the industry.
“I remain deeply concerned about the continuous efforts to expand gaming across Virginia without a single, independent, and dedicated entity responsible for regulating all legal forms of gaming across the Commonwealth,” Spanberger added. “A unified regulatory structure is essential to ensuring transparency, accountability, safety, and public confidence. I am committed to working with the General Assembly moving forward to ensure that communities across the Commonwealth remain safe, prosperous, and healthy.”
The Governor’s official veto statement for Senate Bill 756:
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 756 as it would strip the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors of control over the local approval process, require the county to set a referendum, and set a broader precedent.
Per existing law, once the General Assembly decides a locality is “eligible” for a casino regardless of the locality’s preferences, the local governing board has a non-discretionary, ministerial duty to adopt a resolution and petition the court to hold the referendum. Therefore, local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has been the prior standard and process. Senate Bill 756 would effectively change this standard and eliminate local control.
While this legislation only affects Fairfax County, it would set a precedent that could be used to bring casino referendums to other localities where the local governing boards may similarly oppose such efforts.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
