A bill permitting Northern Virginia residents to consider a commercial casino is anticipated to be introduced when the state’s General Assembly meets in January. 

Virginia Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Fairfax) is once more spearheading the legislative effort to enable Fairfax County voters to evaluate a casino project in Tysons. 2025 would signify the third consecutive year that Marsden has proposed a bill to recognize Fairfax as an acceptable site for a commercial casino. 

Marsden’s 2024 legislation — Senate Bill 675 — was put on hold in February by the Senate Finance & Appropriations Resources subcommittee. The subcommittee moved SB675 to the 2025 session, but the legislation is not anticipated to receive a positive vote prior to the November 18 cutoff that would automatically add the statute to the 2025 legislative schedule. 

Consequently, there is a high likelihood that Marsden will submit a revised version of SB675 when the Senate reconvenes on January 8. Marsden's earlier casino legislation for Northern Virginia restricted the project to an old auto dealership on Route 7 in Tysons. 

Public Surveying 

Marsden has somewhat dampened his excitement for a Tysons casino after proposing a Fairfax gaming bill in 2022 with minimal involvement from the community or local authorities. 

Following significant criticism for what appeared to be a secret agreement with regional real estate developer Comstock, which invested thousands of dollars into Marsden and other pro-casino legislators' campaign efforts, the veteran state senator seems more receptive to feedback. Local homeowners associations, town officials, and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have all voiced their opposition to a casino in Tysons. 

Marsden indicates that a public survey will soon take place to assess whether additional local residents may back a casino upon learning about the economic advantages it could offer, with the key benefit being that the casino, resort, and convention center would produce tens of millions of dollars in yearly tax income for the county, potentially alleviating rising property tax rates for homeowners. 

Marsden has consistently argued that his casino involvement serves to alleviate the county's property tax issues that worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tysons and McLean in Fairfax County host several of the globe's biggest corporations, yet certain office areas are still unoccupied as businesses persist in permitting remote work and flexible workweeks. 

Referendum Priority 

Marsden and his team in Richmond cannot independently impose a casino on the residents of Fairfax. The 2020 casino legislation in the state mandates that a casino may only be approved in a county and/or city if a local referendum endorsing the project occurs beforehand. 

The 2020 gaming legislation aimed to create employment opportunities and generate tax revenue in economically distressed regions. Fairfax and Tysons definitely do not fall into that category, as Northern Virginia ranks among the wealthiest areas in the whole nation. However, Marsden thinks the county’s tax base should have choices to prevent their property taxes from increasing further in the future as businesses adjust their office leases and office buildings might decrease in value, leading to a reduction in their tax obligations. 

Supporters of the Northern Virginia casino consist of many local unions. The trade organizations, such as the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO, Unite Here Local 23, and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, think the resort would create numerous well-paying jobs and produce essential tax income.