Tysons Corner Casino Proposal Advances Despite National Security Concerns

^{Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (center) is championing the Tysons Corner casino. (Image: Margo Wagner / AP)}

The Virginia Senate gaming subcommittee voted 5-2 on Monday to advance a bill that would allow Fairfax County residents to vote on a potential casino in Tysons Corner, a controversial proposal that some have said could threaten national security.

SB 982 will next be heard by the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee and will need approval there before potentially receiving a full floor vote.

A ‘Crown Jewel’ to Compete with Maryland

The bill has support from Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax County), who says he wants a casino in the near Washington, D.C. to compete with the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino in Maryland.

“National Harbor is Maryland’s crown jewel,” Surovell said during Monday’s meeting. “We need a project like that in Virginia so Virginia can have its own crown jewel.” 

But while Surovell touted the economic benefits of the casino, and brought in union leaders who support what would be a massive construction project, others noted who wasn’t present in the room to advocate for the resort. 

“I found it really interesting that you didn’t have anybody in the community,” State Senator Christopher Head (R-Alleghany County) said. “Anybody from community groups that were speaking in support of this. The community lined up almost out the door in opposition.”

Casino Opposition Cites National Security Concerns

National security concerns were also raised during the meeting. A letter signed by Sally K. Horn, a former senior director in the office of the Secretary of Defense, noted that a Tysons casino would present a unique threat when compared to other casinos in the general vicinity.

“Nowhere else in this region…can you find such a large concentration of intelligence, defense, and other federal offices, and contractors whose employees hold security clearances at the highest security level,” Horn wrote. “For those in the national security community who work and/or live in the Greater Tysons area, a Tysons casino would be within easy walking or driving distance. The same cannot be said of, for example, the MGM casino at National Harbor, which on a good day is roughly 40-45 minutes from Tysons.”

Horn’s letter, which referenced a previous letter signed by more than 100 former national security professionals, noted that there have been at least seven cases in the public record “where national security experts succumbed to compromise and recruitment because of debt.”

“A Tysons casino would be fertile ground for adversaries to identify potential marks,” Horn wrote. 

During Monday’s meeting, Surovell argued that the lack of concern over national security related to MGM National Harbor or the proliferation of online gambling throughout the nation was a sign that the issue was being used as cover by those who simply didn’t like the idea of living near a casino.

“To my perspective, this is a lot of NIMBY [Not In My Backyard] stuff dressed up in different clothing,” Surovell told the subcommittee. “Right now, Tysons is a place where people work. There are very few people who live there. It’s a lot of office buildings and parking lots. This project is exactly the kind of project that was intended to be on that line when it was built. You don’t like living near density, don’t live near the Metro.”