Summary:
- Virginia lawmakers Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s proposal to build a casino in Fairfax County’s Tysons area.
- The legislation would authorize a referendum, allowing Fairfax County voters to decide on the project.
- The plan includes a hotel, concert venue, and convention center alongside the casino.
With Virginia lawmakers preparing for the 2025 legislative session, one of the key topics up for discussion is the potential construction of a casino in Fairfax County, possibly somewhere near Tysons.
While the idea of a casino in Fairfax County has surfaced in previous General Assembly sessions, it has yet to gain enough traction to advance.
Surovell: “It Would Generate Hundreds of Millions in Tax Revenue”
This year, the proposal is being championed by Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who sees it as a significant economic opportunity.
It would generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue for both the Commonwealth and Fairfax County
His interest in casino expansion dates back to 2016, following the opening of MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just across the Virginia border.
It’s always really disturbed me that that thing was plopped right there to suck money out of our state that should be remaining in the state, helping to pay for schools and services. About one-third of it is being funded by Virginia residents going into Maryland
The Decision, in Local Voters’ Hands
If passed, Surovell’s proposed legislation would allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to hold a referendum, putting the decision in the hands of local voters.
Surovell clarified that while many opponents claim the bill would authorize a casino in the county, this is not true.
All the bill does is authorize a process by which the voters could eventually approve one.
The proposed project wouldn’t be limited to a casino, as it would also feature a large-scale entertainment complex hosting a hotel, concert venue, and convention center.
Critics have raised concerns about the potential for increased traffic congestion in Tysons, a region already notorious for severe traffic congestion.
Surovell addressed this claim by emphasizing the proximity of the proposed site to Metro’s Silver Line.
The latter is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system that consists of 34 stations in Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and Arlington County Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Part of the reason the state chose to invest billions of dollars in extending the Silver Line out this way was to put exactly this kind of density and this kind of activity at this location
The Senate Majority Leader further added that the entire point of Metro is “to try and get people to these locations without using cars.”
Virginia’s 2025 legislative session was set to begin on Wednesday but the date suffered a delay until next week due to a series of water disruptions in Richmond caused by the weather.
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