Virginia Senate Subcommittee Advances Fairfax County Casino Bill

A bill to bring a casino to Fairfax, Virginia is closer than ever to receiving final legislative approval.

The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee passed SB 982 via a 9-6 majority vote on Tuesday. The bill’s next stop will be at a hearing in front of the full Senate, which is expected to vote on the proposal on Friday.

If the bill is approved by the legislature and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Fairfax County voters will have the opportunity to vote on the casino during a November referendum.

Making progress in the legislature

Senate Majority Leader Scott Survoell (D-34) is responsible for pushing the legislation through the Senate after a similar bill introduced by state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) last year failed to get over the line.

“I am pleased my colleagues voted to advance Senate Bill 982 out of the Senate Finance Committee, where it died in the 2024 Regular Session,” Surovell said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Positive action reflects that many of the concerns that have been raised about the project were in fact addressed by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report on casino gaming in the commonwealth, and that this project presents a huge opportunity to fund school construction in the commonwealth.”

Survoell also said that the majority of Fairfax County’s representatives supported the option to let local voters have their say on a casino.

A 2019 study executed by JLARC found that a Northern Virginia casino would generate up to $155 million in annual taxable gaming revenue for the state. 

A large chunk of that revenue would come from retaining in-state residents who travel to MGM National Harbor in Maryland and other casinos in nearby states.

Is a casino the answer?

While the handing off of the bill from the subcommittee to the full Senate is a positive for gaming enthusiasts, Fairfax County’s legislative director and lobbyist Claudia Arko pointed out that JLARC’s study didn’t specifically examine Fairfax County as the host of the casino. 

An exact landing spot for the casino wouldn’t be chosen until it passes the local referendum. However, developer Comstock Companies and interest holders have advocated for Tysons Corner as the potential host.

A rumored project would erect a casino, housing units, retail stores, a hotel, a convention center and a performing arts theater as part of a new entertainment district near the Spring Hill Metro station.

Fairfax County Board Chairman Jeff McKay sent a letter to the Virginia General Assembly on Monday sharing hesitance toward a casino and its ability to counteract the negative effects on the area’s tax generation.

Office vacancy in Tysons climbed to 22 percent as of Sept. 30, 2024, up from 14 percent in the early days of the COVID pandemic. 

Fairfax County is also facing a $292.7 million budget deficit, which has had major effects on education and other public-facing projects.

“This project presents a huge opportunity to fund school construction in the Commonwealth,” Surovell said. “The majority of the Fairfax County Delegation to the General Assembly supports giving Fairfax County’s [local] government the authority to let voters decide if they support an entertainment district in the County.”