Virginia Governor Vetoes Fairfax County Casino Bill

^{Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger believes any new casino expansion in her state should originate in local communities. (Photo: Ukrinform / Alamy)}

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has issued a veto on a bill that would have allowed a plan to bring a casino to Fairfax County to move forward, saying that she wants control of casino expansion to remain with local governments.

The legislation, which would have allowed for a referendum on whether to build a casino complex in Tysons, was spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax).

Spanberger: Casino Requests Should Come from Local Government

The bill went through significant changes as it wound its way through Virginia's Senate and House of Delegates. Ultimately, both houses approved the final version of the bill by comfortable margins, but not by the two-thirds supermajorities required to override a veto.

However, the casino appeared to be unpopular among Northern Virginia residents. In the House of Delegates, 12 of the 15 delegates from Fairfax County voted against the bill, and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted against authorizing a casino in Tysons by a slim 5-4 margin.

In making her decision, Gov. Spanberger said that previous casino proposals had originated from local communities, and any future requests to build gambling venues should follow that same path.

“Local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has happened in every locality that has a casino,” Gov. Spanberger said in a statement. “But in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors has explicitly opposed this legislation, and an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members who represent Fairfax voted against it.”

In addition, the governor pointed to the lack of a single body overseeing all gambling in Virginia as an issue. While there have been attempts to establish a Virginia Gambling Commission, currently the Virginia Lottery oversees casino gambling and sports betting, while other bodies are responsible for charitable gaming and horse racing.

“I remain deeply concerned about the continuous efforts to expand gaming across Virginia without a single, independent, and dedicated entity responsible for regulating all legal forms of gaming across the Commonwealth,” Spanberger said. “A unified regulatory structure is essential to ensuring transparency, accountability, safety, and public confidence.”

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Surovell: Veto ‘Handed Another Win’ to Maryland

Surovell has been pushing for a Northern Virginia casino to compete with resorts in Maryland for years. He stated that he was “deeply disappointed” by the veto, which he says will only continue allowing gambling dollars to flow out of state.

“The Sphere – one of the most iconic and transformative entertainment venues in the world – is going to MGM National Harbor, not Tysons,” Surovell said in a statement. “That is $1.5 billion every single year flowing to our neighbors across the Potomac – jobs, tax revenue and tourism that belong in Virginia, serving Virginia families. Maryland is competing aggressively for the large-scale entertainment investments of the future. We just handed them another win.”

While the General Assembly may attempt to override the veto, it’s unlikely the votes are there, particularly in the House of Delegates, where Surovell’s bill only passed by a 55-41 margin. And if that doesn’t happen, local officials in Fairfax County feel confident there won’t be another attempt to bring a casino to the area soon.

“There aren’t nearly enough votes on this board of supervisors to ask for a casino in the near future,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay said. “And so I think we’re safe as long as the bar is still a local government should be the one that asked for this and requested.”