Virginia Lawmakers to Re-Introduce Bill For Casino in Fairfax County

Virginia lawmakers are preparing to re-introduce a bill to allow Fairfax County residents to vote on a referendum, which could bring a casino and conference center to Tysons.

Virginia lawmakers will allow Fairfax County residents to vote on a referendum for a casino in Tysons

According to 7News, the proposal was considered earlier this year in Richmond during the legislative session, but it will likely be mentioned again in the next General Assembly session.

Fairfax County residents would have the final say on a casino in Tysons. Virginia State Senator Dave Marsden said there are a lot of benefits to a brick-and-mortar casino in Fairfax County.

“We're in a situation where people are starting to really pay attention to how much they're paying in taxes on their homes and on their cars and what have you,” said Marsden. “We're already seeing this year $450 on the average home going up on real estate taxes.”

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors raised taxes again on homeowners this year, per 7News. Marsden said a casino could give relief to homeowners by contributing tax revenue to the county.

Commercial tax revenue will continue to drop in Fairfax County because of remote work

Marsden added that commercial tax revenue will continue to plunge in Fairfax County because the demand for office space has declined with remote work.

“We have a serious situation going on here with a paradigm shift in worker behavior, which has led to huge numbers of office vacancies and much fewer buildings being leased out,” said Marsden.

“And we still have a number of years to go for leases to expire that were taken out before and during the pandemic. And as those leases expire, people are going to come back for much less floor space, just going to put a real hurt on the county's revenue structure.”

It should be noted that Tysons has an estimated population of 27,700 people in 2024.

Virginia State Senator Jennifer Boysko refused a casino in Tysons during this year's General Assembly Session

During this year’s General Assembly Session, Virginia State Senator Jennifer Boysko was not in favor of a casino in Tysons. She argued that a casino would hurt corporations' plans to build homes in the region.

“The Silver Line where this is proposed to put the casino is Class A top real estate in the county,” said Boysko. “This is where the Fortune 500 companies have come to build their homes. This is where we have focused our economic development for years.”

There are currently three Class 3 casinos in Virginia: Caesars Virginia, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, and Rivers Casino Portsmouth.

Additionally, one more traditional Class 3 casino is expected to open by November 2025 in Norfolk: HeadWaters Resort & Casino, which will be operated by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

There are also 14 sportsbooks in the Old Dominion: Bally Bet, bet365, Betfred, BetMGM, BetRivers, Betway, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock Bet, and SuperBook.