Fairfax County Casino Under Consideration Again in Virginia Legislature

^{Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (front) has again introduced legislation that could authorize a casino in Fairfax County. (Photo: Steve Helber / AP)}

A prominent Virginia state legislator has filed a bill to bring a casino to Fairfax County, renewing an effort to bring a casino to the county a year after a similar bill made little progress in the House of Delegates.

Senate Bill 756, filed by State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax County), would add Fairfax County to the list of municipalities eligible to host casinos in Virginia. The bill specificaly defines the eligible area as Tysons, effectively making it the only viable location should the measure advance.

Surovell: Casino Would Stop Flow of Gambling Dollars to Maryland

Currently, Virginia law only allows for casinos to be hosted by five cities: Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Petersburg. Each required voter approval via a referendum before casinos could come to those locations. Petersburg is the most recent addition to that list, with voters approving a new casino in the city in a November 2024 referendum.

Surovell’s bill would authorize a casino in Fairfax County as well, with rules on location effectively limiting the options to Tysons. According to Surovell, the move is necessary to stop residents from going over state lines to gamble.

“We’re also losing a couple hundred million dollars a year to the MGM Casino over in [Prince George’s County], and I can’t stand seeing all that Virginia money going over the bridge to Maryland,” Surovell said. “We’ve got to get that money back in Virginia.”

The proposal has been brought forward since at least 2022, with state lawmakers failing to pass legislation on the issue in each year’s legislative session.

Opposition Sees Same Old Failed Casino Bill 

But it’s not just legislators who have had a cool reception to the plan. In December, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 against the proposal after hearing complaints about the casino from Tysons residents. And on the news of Surovell reintroducing the bill, the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance (TSA) issued a press release reiterating its opposition to casino gaming in the area.

“The introduction of this bill is disappointing to the residents and stakeholders of Tysons, who have been clear and consistent that a casino is not what our community wants or needs,” TSA President Paula Martino said in a statement. “This bill is an attempt to use the same failed legislation as before to get a different result, and Tysons residents will react in the same manner as in previous years. We urge members of the General Assembly to listen to Tysons residents and vote against this bill as it moves through the legislature this session.”

In the event that a bill authorizing a Tysons casino was to be signed into law, a local referendum would still have to be scheduled for voters to approve casino gaming. There would also be a competitive bidding process to select an operator for the facility.

The renewed push for a Fairfax County casino comes as Petersburg celebrated the opening of its casino on Thursday. At 5 p.m. , the temporary facility for Live! Casino Virginia opened to the public after a multiyear process that saw several controversies make headlines before the city finally got approval for its casino. 

The temporary version, which is located in a tented building, will be replaced by a full-scale casino complex in 2027. The resort is being developed by The Cordish Companies in partnership with Bruce Smith Enterprise.