Tysons Casino Bill Heads To Full VA Senate For Consideration

Updated at 12:35 p.m.

RICHMOND, VA — Legislation that would pave the way for a casino to be built in Tysons is headed to the full Senate for a vote as the bill sponsor said state interests in money generated by a casino outweigh opposition by Fairfax County residents.

The casino bill was approved Tuesday morning by both the Resources Subcommittee and Committee on Finance and Appropriations of the Virginia Senate.

If passed by the House of Delegates and signed by the governor, Senate Bill 982 would allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to put a referendum on a ballot for residents to decide whether to build a casino in Tysons.

Comstock Holding Companies, a Reston-based developer, has spent more than $1.5 million since 2023 to pass legislation allowing a casino to be built on Metro's Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Virginia. The development would include an entertainment district with a performance space and convention center anchored by a casino.

“A Fairfax casino would generate $1.8 billion for the state if it did pretty much just as well as the MGM Casino across the river, which most people think it would,” Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon), the bill’s patron, told subcommittee members. “What's important is the state-level impact."

On Monday, Jeff McKay, chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, sent a letter to leaders of both houses in the Virginia General Assembly restating the board’s position that it did not support the language in the bill in its current form.

“Some proponents of this legislation have sought to link the proceeds of a potential casino to real estate taxes,” McKay said. “I want to be clear that the largest driver of increases in real estate taxes is the more than half-billion-dollar deficit in state funding for K-12 education in Fairfax County. If the state fully funded its obligations to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the County would receive an additional $568.7 million, allowing us to lower the FY 2025 real estate tax rate by 17.5 cents. This would in turn save homeowners an average of $1,300 on their tax bill.”

Although Surovell mentioned the board's letters, he asked members of both committees to focus on the benefits a casino in Tysons would bring to the state and not on the opposition the bill has received in Fairfax County.

"All the local stuff, the money that it would bring to Fairfax, the benefits it would bring to Fairfax, the tax relief it would bring to Fairfax is a different issue. The board of supervisors can consider that," he said.

During the finance committee hearing, Sens. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) and Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) voiced their opposition to SB982.

"We've had legislation identifying five sites for casino sites, and having this additional piece of legislation, I believe, would open up the door for a number of requests across the Commonwealth for a casino, and that is not a path I want to go down," Favola said.

"This is unlike any other jurisdiction that has received authority to hold a referendum to host a casino. Fairfax County did not seek this. They did not ask for this," Boysko said. "They are confident specifically around the location of the site that is being rammed down the county's throat, that location already has very strong potential to generate very strong revenues without a casino."

The subcommittee voted 3 to 1 to recommend the bill to the appropriations committee, where it was approved on a 9-5 vote.

Now that SB982 is out of committee, Surovell said it would probably be heard on Friday, although long debate bills are often pushed from Friday to Monday in order for legislators to get home.

"I focused on the state impact because that's the issue for the General Assembly," Surovell said in an email after Tuesday's committee vote. "The local impact is for the county and the Fairfax County voters to consider during the referendum process if the Board of Supervisors chooses to exercise the authority."

Following Tuesday morning's finance committee vote, Paula Martino, president of the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance, released the following statement:

“We are shocked and dismayed that this bill continues to move given that the community is overwhelmingly opposed to the casino. No elected official representing Tysons has asked for this legislation. Every single community within Greater Tysons is against it. Our recent poll we released shows just how unpopular this legislation is not only in Tysons but across Fairfax County. It also shows that voters are ready to vote out any elected officials who supports it. So we can’t wait to get the list from Senator Surovell on which Fairfax County senators he mentioned support this bill, because they will be serving their last term in office. Through our collective canvassing efforts, we have enough votes to primary and defeat virtually any Fairfax County elected official who votes in favor of a Tysons casino or doesn’t come out strong against it. We are tired of being ignored.”

For the third time this legislative session, members of the No Fairfax Casino Coalition headed to Richmond to voice their opposition to a bill that would pave the way for a casino to be built in Tysons.

“I just feel strongly that a casino does not belong in our neighborhood,” said Tara Holtawni of Vienna, was making her first trip with the coalition on Tuesday. “It's a very family friendly community. Nobody here wants it, nobody asks for it.”

Senate Bill 982 — which would give the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors the power to put a casino referendum on a ballot for residents to decide. Comstock Holding Companies, a Reston-based developer, has spent more than $1.5 million since 2023 to pass legislation allowing a casino to be built on Metro's Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Virginia.

Building a casino in Tysons might generate money for the state, but Quang Nguyen of McLean thought it was a bad idea. “There might be a better way to get revenue, like trimming down the budget,” he said.

Related: Tysons Casino Bill Passes First Hurdle In VA Senate Subcommittee

With the exception of a combined $50,000 contributed to the caucuses of both the Republican and Democratic parties in both houses of the general assembly, Comstock Hospitality Holdings has donated $50,000 to the two caucuses in the house and $90,000 to the campaign committees of 25 delegates. That’s according to financial filings with the state board of elections and reported by the non-profit Virginia Public Access Project.

Comstock Hospitality Holdings 2025 Donations - $190,000

• $25,000 - House Democratic Caucus
• $25,000 - House Republican Campaign Committee
• $25,000 - Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus
• $25,000 - Virginia Senate Republican Caucus
• $10,000 - Chamiele Herring for Delegate
• $5,000 - Terry Austin for Delegate
• $5,000 - Amanda Batten for Delegate
• $5,000- Katrina Callsen for Delegate
• $5,000 - Karrie Delaney for Delegate
• $5,000 - Emily Jordan for Senate
• $5,000 - Barry Knight for Delegate
• $5,000 - Adele McClure for Delegate
• $5,000 - Israel O'Quinn for Delegate
• $5,000 - JJ Singh for Delegate
• $5,000 - Jeion Ward for Delegate
• $5,000 - Michael Webert for Delegate
• $4,000 - Delores McQuinn for Delegate
• $2,500 - Jed Arnold for Delegate
• $2,500 - William Davis for Delegate
• $2,500 - Chad Green for Delegate
• $2,500 - Jed Arnold for Delegate
• $2,500 - William Davis for Delegate
• $2,500 - Chad Green for Delegate
• $2,500 - Delores Oates for Delegate
• $2,500 - Eric Phillips for Delegate
• $2,500 - Kim Taylor for Delegate
• $2,500 - Otto Wachsmann for Delegate
• $2,500 - Tony Wilt For Delegate
• $1,000 - David Owen for Delegate

Patch previously reported that Building a Remarkable Virginia, Comstock’s political action committee, contributed a total of $50,000 to the campaigns of two Republicans running for state office — Supervisor Pat Herrity, who is running for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking re-election this November.

Building a Remarkable Virginia (2025) - $50,000

• $25,000 - Jason Miyares for Virginia
• $25,000 - Friends of Pat Herrity