$755K Spent To Defeat Tysons Casino Referendum Bill By MGM, PR Firm

RICHMOND, VA — Opponents of the proposed Tysons casino have spent more than $755,000 in donations and on lobbying efforts to influence lawmakers in Virginia since the beginning of 2023.

MGM Resorts International, which owns the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino in Maryland, donated $40,750 to political action committees or the campaign committees of various lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly during 2023-2024, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state board of elections.

Also, MGM Resorts spent $222,367 to retain and reimburse six lobbyists during the 2024 legislative session. In addition, PLUS Communications, an Arlington-based public relations firm paid $492,780 to support two corporations formed to oppose the Tysons casino effort and neighborhood slot machines, usually identified as skills games.

Related: Tysons Casino Discussion Now Virtual Due To Winter Weather: NAACP

That all adds up to $755,897, which is less than the $1.2 million Comstock Holding Companies and its allies have spent on their lobbying efforts in Richmond during the same time period.

MGM Resorts International - $40,750

$10,000 - House Republican Campaign Committee (R)
$7,500 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (D)
$3,500 - Virginia Senate Republican Caucus (R)
$2,500 - Todd Gilbert for Delegate (R-Mount Jackson)
$2,500 - Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus
$2,000 - Jennifer Boysko for Senate (D-Herndon)
$1,500 - Mamie Locke for Senate(D-Hampton)
$1,000 - Creigh Deeds for Senate (D-Charlottesville)
$1,000 - Adam Ebbin for Senate (D-Alexandria)
$1,000 - Terry Kilgore for Delegate (R-Gate City)
$1,000 - Barry Knight for Delegate (R-Virginia Beach)
$1,000 - Paul Krizek for Delegate (D-Alexandria)
$1,000 - Jay Leftwich for Delegate (R-Chesapeake)
$1,000 - Todd Pillon for Senate (R-Abington)
$1,000 - Bryce Reeves for Senate (R-Piedmont)
$1,000 - Luke Torian for Delegate (D-Dale City)
$500 - David Bulova for Delegate (D-Fairfax City)
$500 - Israel O’Quinn for Delegate (R-Bristol)
$500 - Marcus Simon for Delegate (D-Falls Church)
$500 - Rip Sullivan for Delegate (D-Great Falls)
$250 - Elizabeth Bennett-Parker for Delegate (D-Alexandria)

MGM Resorts International Lobbyists — $222,367

In addition to its campaign contributions, MGM Resorts International retained six lobbyists to advocate for their interests during the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session, according to disclosures filed with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Council:

$30,000 - Julia Hammond was retained on May 11, 2023, to handle all matters concerning the principal.

Heidi Hertz was retained on Sept. 29, 2023, and her disclosure statement for this principal was incorporated into the statement filed by Julia Hammond.

$13,850 - Ricardo Limardo Jr. registered as a lobbyist on June 13, 2023, and was hired as MGM Resorts’ vice president of federal government affairs.

$164,472.50 - In addition to the compensation listed above, Limardo was reimbursed $164,372.50 for communications and a $100 registration fee.

$13516 - David M. Skiles was retained on May 3, 2023, to focus on hospitality and entertainment. Skiles also was reimbursed $294.36 for events, entertainment, meals and travel expenses and $134 for personal expenses and travel expenses.

Related: MGM Resorts Helped Pay Tysons Casino Opponents' Expenses

Part of Skiles’ responsibilities was to monitor Senate Bills 675 and 628. The first piece of legislation was the Tysons casino referendum bill submitted by Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke) in January. That bill was held over to the 2025 session. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) told Patch that he will be carrying the Tysons casino referendum bill in the upcoming session, which starts Wednesday.

Related: Bishop Declines Casino Advocate’s Invitation To Play Bingo

SB628, which was signed into law by Sen. Glenn Youngkin, amended the list of cities eligible to host a casino by replacing Richmond with Petersburg. This legislation came about after Richmond voters failed to support a casino referendum on back-to-back ballots.

The bill’s Senate patrons were: Lashrecse D. Aird (chief patron), L. Louise Lucas (chief patron), Bryce E. Reeves (incorporated chief co-patron) and Barbara A. Favola.

The Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Council requires lobbyists to file financial statements by June 30. That means information won’t be available until July 1, 2025, about how much the lobbyists working during the 2025 legislative session were paid.

No NOVA Casino And Plus Communications — $492,780

Patch reported in March that a coalition of political and business leaders, including the owners of MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino in Maryland, paid for a survey and provided buses to take Tysons casino opponents to Richmond to speak with lawmakers.

On Jan. 19, PLUS Communications filed paperwork with the State Corporation Commission to form the No NOVA Casino corporation. Daniel Vu, the company's managing director of research, was named as the new corporation's "incorporator."

Read all of Patch's reporting on the plan to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.

In a July 1 filing with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council, Richard Cullen reported that he had been retained as a lobbyist for No NOVA Casino.

In his registration form, Cullen provided the following description of No NOVA Casino’s purpose:

“To further the common good and general welfare of the citizens of the United States of America. It will be operated primarily for the purpose of building a coalition of Northern Virginia residents, businesses, and community leaders dedicated to protecting its communities from the negative impacts of building a casino in our region.”

From May 2023 to April 2024, No NOVA Casino spent $49,650 to retain Plus Communications, which also reimbursed the firm for $320,559 in communications expenses, according to VPAP.

Related: Casino Bill Should Be Rejected By Fairfax Supervisors: Former Lawmaker

Cullen is also the president of Virginia Against Neighborhood Slot Machines, which filed its incorporation documents on Jan. 12, 2024. The corporation’s stated goal was to “protect our communities from the negative impacts of gambling in our region.”

Virginia Against Neighborhood Slot Machines spent $15,335 to retain Plus Communications and paid the firm $102,236 for its communications expenses.

On July 24, 2023, Plus Communications made its only political donation in the 2023-2024 timeframe — $5,000 to Del. Todd Gilbert’s (R-Woodstock) campaign committee.

Gilbert represents District 33, which VPAP describes as “Strong Republican.” In 2022, before any legislation was filed to put a casino somewhere in Fairfax County along Metro’s Silver Line, the Republican Party of Virginia paid Plus $5,500 to produce candidate mailers.