Politics & Government
Fate Of Fairfax Co. Casino Bill Voted On By VA Senate
The Virginia Senate voted Friday on a bill that seeks to pave the way for a casino to be built in Fairfax County.
RICHMOND, VA — For the second year in a row, the Virginia Senate voted to approve legislation that would pave the way for a casino to be built in Fairfax County.
On Friday, the Senate voted 23 to 14 to pass the bill, which will now move to the Virginia House of Delegates for consideration.
Despite receiving considerable opposition from Fairfax County residents, especially those living in the Tysons area, the Senate approved a Tysons casino referendum bill in 2025 on a 24 to 16 vote. That legislation was later left in a House of Delegates subcommittee.
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On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations recommended SB756 with a substitute to the full Senate for consideration. The substitute removed the requirement that a casino would be built in Tysons, which made all of Fairfax County as a possible location for any casino proposal.
A casino built in Northern Virginia would generate more revenue than all of the other casinos authorized by the General Assembly, referencing a 2019 study conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee.
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"That's just not revenue for Northern Virginia, it's revenue for the entire state," said Majority Leader Scott Surovell, (D-Mount Vernon), the bill's sponsor. "And this has been studied. It was looked at. It was validated by JLARC. Did they come out with specific numbers? No, but they said it will generate more than all the other five combined."
Sens. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon), Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), and Barbara Favola (D-Arlington), who are all part of the Northern Virginia delegation, spoke in opposition to the bill.
Read Patch's reporting on Comstock Companies' plan to build a casino in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.
"People love their firefighters and they love their dogs, but there are almost virtually no times when Republicans and Democrats and independents alike are united on a political issue," Boysko said. "I go to the grocery store. I am stopped by my constituents. I have gone to the doctor. I have been stopped by my doctor when I was having a sick visit, who said, 'Please do not bring a casino here. We don't need it.'"
Upon learning the results of Friday's vote, Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville), who has been a vocal opponent of the bill, wondered "Groundhog Day" in Richmond again, referring to the 1993 Bill Murray movie.
"Last year I criticized the Senate for passing the ill-conceived, wrong-headed casino bill and yet here we are again," he said, in a statement. "In the year since, the opposition of the people of Fairfax County to this idea has only grown stronger, while the arguments of bill proponents have increasingly flailed with ever-changing, but no more accurate, revenue projections. The Board of Supervisors has made clear that we have no interest in a bill that continues to treat our residents as Richmond's ATM while we have to pay for the negative effects of a casino in our community. "
In December, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to include language in its 2026 legislative package opposing the casino legislation under consideration.
"We have unequivocally explained that we do not support casino legislation initiated without our buy-in. (Surely this is a concept gamblers should be able to understand.) But here we are again," Bierman said. "Rather than listen, bill proponents have stuck their heads in the sand and pretended that our position isn't clear or that it's our responsibility to fix their silly bill that no one wants. No thank you."
Surovell dismissed the board's opposition, saying that the 5-4 vote was taken when the Braddock District seat on the county board was vacant.
Rachna Sizemore Heizer (D) was elected as the new Braddock District supervisor on Dec. 9, 2025.
During an Oct. 1 candidate forum ahead of the Democratic Party primary in the supervisor's race, Sizemore Heizer said she did not support the effort to bring a casino to Tysons.
When asked recently if her position had changed since being sworn in, Sizemore Heizer told Patch that she opposed the legislation and would not support anything her constituents opposed. She added that it was an issue that constituents mentioned frequently during the campaign.
Both houses of the general assembly must approve legislation before the Feb. 18 crossover deadline, which is when each house considers the other body's approved legislation. Any bill that is approved by both houses goes to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) for her signature.
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