Poll: Nearly Eight in 10 Tysons Voters Oppose Northern Virginia Casino Bill

Posted on: January 27, 2025, 01:13h. 

Last updated on: January 27, 2025, 02:21h.

A legislative push to potentially allow a casino in Northern Virginia by way of Tysons in Fairfax County is unpopular among the public, a new poll finds.

Tysons casino Fairfax Virginia NOVA
A commercial casino resort could be coming to Tysons in Northern Virginia near the town’s abundance of shopping and Fortune 500 companies. A recent poll, however, suggests most residents in Fairfax County oppose such a development. (Image: Shutterstock)

Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) introduced legislation to allow Fairfax County to conduct a local referendum regarding a commercial casino resort. The bipartisan bill is cosponsored by Sens. Lamont Bagby (D-Henrico), Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax), and Todd Pillion (R-Washington).

A survey of 500 likely voters in Fairfax County found widespread opposition to Surovell’s Senate Bill 982. Sixty-four percent of countywide voters said they oppose a casino in Tysons. Voters residing in the census-designated Tysons area were even more opposed at 79%.

More than eight in 10 county voters said they think a casino would “significantly worsen traffic” and more than six in 10 in Tysons said they think such a resort “would hurt local businesses.”

We knew that there was significant opposition to the potential Tysons casino project coming from Fairfax County and Tysons specifically, and these results reflect that clearly,” said Paula Martino, president of the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance. “Virginia legislators should take note of this and listen to the desires of their constituents – we do not want this project here in Tysons.”

As for national security concerns — more than 100 former members of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other retired officials in the federal government’s intelligence community wrote a letter in opposition of a Tysons casino in December — the poll found that about 60% of residents believe a casino “could create a national security risk.”

The Tysons Stakeholders Alliance, a grassroots coalition consisting of Tysons citizens who are opposed to welcoming Las Vegas to NOVA, commissioned the poll. Guidant Polling & Strategy, a Washington, DC-based polling firm, conducted the survey.

Fairfax Leaders Clarify Position 

Surovell and other lawmakers supporting the Northern Virginia casino bill say solutions are needed to bridge a forthcoming revenue gap stemming from a reduction in property tax revenue generated by large-scale workplaces. Tysons and McClean are known for being a major business hub that many of the world’s largest enterprises call home.

With work-life balance remaining adjusted for many in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with many employees still afforded work-from-home options, those business leases are expected to be reworked, which could result in landlords contesting the assessed values of their buildings to reduce their property tax bills.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay says the Tysons casino bill would predominantly benefit Richmond’s coffers, not Fairfax’s. He also says that recent real estate tax increases on homeowners have been higher because of “the state’s negligence in funding public education.”

The county board is expected to soon formally oppose Surovell’s Tysons casino bill in a letter addressed to the Senate majority leader and the rest of the General Assembly.

Tysons Casino Location

If Surovell’s bill passes the legislature and is signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), a seemingly slim chance considering the Republican governor says he isn’t eager to further expand gambling in the commonwealth during his tenure, Fairfax County would be allowed to field competitive bids for a single casino opportunity. Along with a casino and hotel, Surovell’s legislation would require the development to be “part of a coordinated mixed-use project” with a convention center and theater.

SB982 stipulates that the casino must be within two miles of Tysons Corner Center, one of the largest shopping malls in the country, and outside of the Interstate 495 Beltway. The bill passed the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology last week and is now with the Finance and Appropriations Committee.