Bill approved by Senate committee doesn’t limit a casino to Tysons

A substitute version of the casino legislation (SB756) approved by the Virginia Senate’s Finance and Appropriations Committee removes language that required a casino to be located in Tysons.

The original bill pushed by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) included restrictions on the location of a casino in Fairfax County that meant the only place it could be built is in Tysons.

The new version would allow a casino to be developed in other areas of the county. The bill still requires the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to approve a public referendum letting voters decide if they want a casino in the county. And that would only happen if the bill is approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor.

Under the bill, a casino could be developed in any county with a population greater than 1.15 million in 2020, where at least 6 percent of the assessed value of all real estate in the county is exempt from local property taxation, and that has an urban county executive form of government. The only county in Virginia that meets that criteria is Fairfax County.

That measure was passed by the Finance and Appropriations Committee on a 10-5 vote. The Northern Virginia senators who opposed the bill in committee are Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon), and Barbara Favola (D-Arlington). Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke) voted for the bill.

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The committee approved an amendment from Surovell to add language limiting the site for a proposed casino to a locality that is part of a coordinated mixed-use development with at least 1.5 million square feet.

The revised bill doesn’t preclude a casino from being built in Tysons. The Comstock Cos. proposed a major entertainment center near the Spring Hill Metro station that would include housing as well as a casino.

Under the revised measure, there are now other possible locations for a casino, such as Reston and the Dulles Suburban Center.

Surovell claims a casino would bring much-needed revenue to Fairfax County and would reduce the money spent by Virginians at the MGM casino at National Harbor in Maryland. Casino opponents, including the No Fairfax Casino coalition, dispute the economic benefits touted by Surovell and others.  

This is the fourth year a casino bill has been considered by the General Assembly. Last year, a bill calling for a casino in Tysons was rejected by the House of Delegates.