Subcommittee advances bill allowing Fairfax County to place casino referendum on ballot

The Commerce, Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee of Appropriations voted to pass by Senate Bill 982, a measure that would allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to place a countywide referendum asking voters whether to permit casino gaming as part of a planned entertainment and convention complex in Tysons Corner.

Senator Suravel, who presented the bill, said the legislation “does not authorize a casino.” He told the subcommittee the bill would authorize only the local board to place a referendum on the ballot and described location and project requirements written into the bill: the project must be within a quarter mile of a Metro station, outside I‑95, include a 1,500,000‑square‑foot entertainment/convention complex and be within two miles of an enclosed mall. Suravel said the studied proposal would include a 6,000‑seat concert venue, a 4,000–5,000‑person conference center, a hotel and residential units, and he said the bill’s language would make much of Tysons Corner eligible rather than a single parcel.

The senator cited a consultant estimate that the project could generate about $1.2 billion in gross gaming revenue annually and said that when taxed under Virginia’s structure that could net roughly $232 million a year to the Commonwealth. He also noted a statutory allocation for problem‑gaming services that he said would yield a little over $9 million annually. “For every billion dollars in gaming revenue, it’s $183 million per year for the state for school construction,” he said, describing the proposal as a source of school construction funding.

Labor unions and hospitality workers urged the subcommittee to move the bill forward so Fairfax voters could decide. Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia Labor Federation, said the measure is “our top priority” for the region and argued union labor agreements tied to a casino would create thousands of middle‑class jobs and secure wages and benefits. Eamon, who identified himself as a Hyatt Regency Crystal City employee, said a union contract improved his wages, health insurance and job security and asked not to “kill this opportunity” for workers. Aden Graham of Unite Here said the industry can be organized through labor‑peace agreements and called the opportunity “once in a lifetime.”

Opponents told the panel they opposed expanding gaming in a high‑income, high‑density area and urged caution. Todd Gacki of the Family Foundation said the earlier rationale for authorizing casinos was to help economically depressed localities and argued Tysons Corner differs from those areas. Rena Hicks of Freedom Virginia said the Commonwealth has other options to raise revenue and opposed piecemeal gaming expansion. Senator Woodkill spoke to the subcommittee on behalf of more than 200,000 constituents who oppose locating a casino in Tysons Corner and said the community had made its opposition clear.

Fairfax County representative Noel Dominguez told the subcommittee the county has not taken a formal position but noted Tysons is an active economic development corridor anchored by Capital One Hall and other venues. Delegate Krasick, who seconded the motion to pass the bill by for the day, thanked Senator Suravel for his work and said he supports the bill’s job creation focus; Krasick later moved to pass the bill by, and the subcommittee approved the motion by voice vote.

The subcommittee’s action advances the bill in committee; it does not authorize construction, a gambling license, or a local referendum without subsequent action by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and, if a referendum is placed on the ballot, approval by Fairfax County voters. Several speakers and the sponsor noted additional steps would be required: developers would have to assemble property and negotiate terms with the county, and the county would have to vote to place a referendum before voters could decide.

The bill drew questions about regulatory capacity and oversight. Delegate Kriesic, chair of the General Laws subcommittee on ABC and gaming oversight, said he is working to establish an independent Virginia Gaming Commission to provide consolidated regulatory oversight before further expansion of gaming and argued the commission should be operational before new projects move forward. Senator Suravel and supporters said local negotiation and the referendum process would limit state risk and that voters could reject a project at the ballot box.

The subcommittee approved the motion to pass by for the day on a voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the hearing transcript. The committee chair closed the meeting with procedural remarks and adjournment.