Tysons Casino in Northern Virginia Formally Opposed by Fairfax County Supervisors
Posted on: December 10, 2025, 09:30h.
Last updated on: December 10, 2025, 10:12h.
- The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally opposes a casino
- Since 2023, state lawmakers have mulled legislation to allow a casino in Tysons
A legislative effort to allow a casino resort in Tysons or anywhere else in Fairfax County is officially opposed by the county’s local government.
On Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to add a position statement to its 2026 Legislative Program formally opposing a casino development. The annual program details to lawmakers in Richmond the county’s priorities and positions on possible state legislation.
Since 2023, the Virginia General Assembly has been discussing whether to allow a casino somewhere in Northern Virginia. State Sens. David Marsden (D-Fairfax) and Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) have both championed bills to designate Fairfax County for a casino. State Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart) has led Northern Virginia casino legislation in the House of Delegates.
Should the talks resume in January, when the General Assembly convenes for its long session, Fairfax leaders want Richmond to know where they stand on slot machines and table games.
No Casino in Tysons
By the narrowest of margins, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors put pen to paper that it doesn’t want a casino.
The official declaration reads:
“Oppose legislation in the General Assembly that authorizes a casino in Fairfax County without any request for such legislation from the Board of Supervisors, without implementation of a statewide Gaming Commission, and without a tax revenue split that substantially benefits Fairfax County as opposed to the commonwealth. The designation and location of a casino is inherently a major land-use decision, and General Assembly intervention in Fairfax County’s land-use processes would undermine decades of community consensus and economic success.”
Unlike Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, Danville, and Petersburg, which sought casinos through state legislation, Fairfax, nor any city or town within the county, has not asked for gaming privileges.
Marsden and his casino cohorts, including regional real estate developer Comstock Companies, have proposed allowing a casino near the Spring Hill Metro Station next to the Adaire apartment building in Tysons.
Chair Concerned
Fairfax Board Chair Jeff McKay reluctantly broke the 4-4 tie by voting in support of the casino declaration proposed by Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn. McKay is opposed to a casino, but believes the county’s formal opposition could backfire.
What I have been concerned about from day one isn’t necessarily whether we are for or against it. It is to make sure that the protections that residents of this county need are in the bill,” McKay said in favoring a casino position that would have ensured that the county and its voters have the final say through a ballot referendum.
The state’s 2020 gaming law, which qualified Norfolk, Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, and Richmond for casinos, mandated that local ballot referendums presenting the resort development’s details to city voters were required before a state gaming license could be granted. A simple majority support was needed for the casino to proceed to construction.
After Richmonders twice rejected casino proposals, state lawmakers passed legislation to qualify Petersburg. Again, a local referendum was included.
McKay is concerned that Fairfax’s blanket declaration against a casino might come across as “arrogant” and entice some southern state lawmakers into forcing a casino on the county. A casino in Northern Virginia, state fiscal analysts say, would create considerable tax revenue for the state, possibly more than the five others combined.
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