A bill in support of a Fairfax casino will be introduced in 2024
With new casinos appearing on Virginia’s southern border, state legislators now want to examine whether affluent northern Virginia should open some of their own.
Senator David Marsden, will introduce legislation for the second straight session to allow Fairfax County to hold a voter referendum for a new casino. His preferred site for the facility is Tysons Corner. However, the legislation would permit the casino to be constructed near any of the Silver Line Metro stations, including Reston.
Marsden says the project would also bring union jobs and that labor lobbyists are expected to support the proposal. He says Fairfax County is currently facing an economic crunch in its commercial tax base because of a shortage of office space since the pandemic and needs to seek other ways to generate revenue. “I don’t like the lottery. I don’t like any of it. But we have to be practical, not naive.”
Northern Virginia voters have been wary of new gaming in the region after rejecting a referendum for a Richmond casino and a slots parlor in Manassas Park in November, with 58% of voters saying “no.”
However, Marsden believes Richmond’s failure to approve a casino produces an opportunity for Fairfax County.
Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn thinks putting a casino along the Silver Line wastes the area’s most valuable real estate.
Alcorn states that allowing a referendum is complicated because of the amount of money casino supporters can spend promoting the referendum. “It’s bad politics,” he said.
A 2019 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee study found that a northern Virginia casino could generate $155 million in annual tax revenue, nearly twice what’s projected for a Richmond casino.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office refused to comment on whether he would endorse a casino bill.
