Fairfax County Casino Bill Passes Virginia House, Awaits Governor's Signature

^{The Fairfax County flag. The Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill that could allow a casino to be developed in the Northern Virginia county, awaiting the governor’s approval. (Photo: ManuelMata / Alamy)}

A bill that would allow the development of a casino in Fairfax County passed the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday, meaning it now needs only Governor Abigail Spanberger’s signature to become law.

SB 756, initially proposed by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), passed two separate votes on Wednesday after surviving a request for reconsideration.

Surovell Thanks County Legislators for Casino Support

The bill initially passed 64-32, then again by a slightly narrower 59-37 margin with one abstention. 

Due to slight differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, a conference committee will be required to finalize the language before it heads to Spanberger’s desk.

Surovell’s proposal has undergone several changes since he first put it forward. An early requirement that essentially forced the casino to be built in Tysons was dropped during its path through the Virginia Senate. The legislation also changed multiple times regarding whether local voters must approve the casino.

In addition, if the eventual proposal is greenlit by the Virginia Lottery, a referendum will be required on whether casino gaming will be allowed at the chosen site. Such a referendum process had been weakened, strengthened, and briefly removed altogether throughout the legislative process.

But while the bill might not be exactly the one that Surovell pushed for, he said he was happy to see it move through both houses of the state legislature.

“Good to see it pass along with a majority of Northern Virginia delegates,” Surovell said, speaking to FFXnow. “[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 bill would add Fairfax County to the list of eligible host locations in Virginia, joining Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Petersburg, and Portsmouth. It requires that any casino in the county must be part of a mixed-use development of at least 1.5 million square feet.

Local Groups Vow to Continue Opposition

Surovell has long argued that Northern Virginia needs a casino to counter MGM National Harbor, a casino located just over the border in Maryland. 

However, the proposal continues to face opposition from local officials and community groups.

“This narrative that you hear over and over again that Fairfax County needs a casino to survive and thrive is just wrong,” Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-Fairfax) told reporters. “Tysons’ office-vacancy rate actually declined in 2025. It’s now at 20 percent, which is below the Washington, D.C., metro area.”

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors also voted against authorizing a casino in Tysons, albeit by a narrow 5-4 margin. A recent poll also found that 63% of Fairfax County voters opposed bringing a casino to the region.

The No Fairfax Casino Coalition has organized dozens of community groups against the proposal, while the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance has consistently remained against the bill, whether it singles out Tysons or not.

“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.”

 All agreements between the casino operator and the local government must be made public, and there is a deadline of July 1, 2029 for voters to approve a casino in Fairfax County.