Opponents question source of $1.8B casino revenue prediction.
More than a casino bill is on the Virginia Senate agenda Tuesday, but one might not know it from the Mount Vernon Town Hall held Saturday, Feb. 1. During the nearly two-hour event, three Democratic state legislators representing Mount Vernon in Fairfax County spoke, including Scott A. Surovell, the Senate of Virginia Majority Leader and Senator for Virginia's 34 District. Surovell’s bill passed the Senate (24-Y 16-N) on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
The other two legislators were Del. Mark Sickles and Del. Paul E. Krizek. All three spoke and actively engaged with constituents. The meeting was live streamed and an online video is available for viewing on Facebook.
The Virginia General Assembly hit crossover on Tuesday, Feb. 4, when bills must pass in their respective chamber in order to be considered by the other chamber. The town hall covered a broad range of the legislators' priorities and issues within the Mount Vernon community and Fairfax County as the legislators engaged directly with constituents.
However, no bill discussed at the town hall elicited more passion from the public attending than Senate Bill 982. At one point, Surovell threatened to shut down the meeting if heckling continued.
After Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed bills stripping Richmond from the list of Virginia's eligible host cities for a casino following its second failed referendum attempt in November 2023, eyes turned to Fairfax County. Given the parameters of Surovell's bill, SB952, the casino location being offered is Tysons.
Suppose both houses pass SB952, and the governor signs it into law. In that case, the legislation will authorize the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to place a casino referendum on the next election ballot to allow county voters to decide whether to approve adding Fairfax as an eligible location for a casino.
With Democrats narrowly controlling both chambers of the state legislature in 2025 — the House of Delegates with a 51-49 majority and the Senate with a 21-19 majority — the Democrats do hold the majority.
In the weeks ahead, consideration of the bill will move tot the House of Delegates.
The number of people wearing red NO FAIRFAX CASINO t-shirts made Surovell's Senate Bill 952 the prominent legislative issue at Saturday's town hall.
Surovell defended that if a referendum is passed, the casino entertainment establishment at Tysons, currently being promoted by an interested developer, will take up only 5 percent of the floor space. He spoke about the possible benefits of a casino, to reduce impact of increasing real estate taxes on residents, which are now the highest in Virginia for any county, and the need for the county to diversify its revenue sources. There are limited options to do so.
Surovell said that Virginia is losing millions of dollars in revenue to the MGM casino across the river in National Harbor, Maryland. He suggested that his proposed casino could lower taxes for Fairfax County residents and pay for schools in the county and elsewhere in Virginia. Surovell said the entertainment district proposed would generate "$200 million a year in net revenue for Fairfax County" and that "diversifying revenue sources is crucial for Fairfax County." Real estate taxes burden residents, including renters. Opponents question whether the
Surovell closed on the issue, saying he wanted "to remind everybody this is not a vote for a casino."
"It's a vote for a referendum. And if everybody thinks they have strong arguments, take it to the voters and let the voters decide what they want or not. They don't want it? They don't? They don't have that, seriously. So this is about, you know, democracy."
Authorizing a casino in the Northern Virginia market is projected to increase state revenue and economic benefits could increase statewide gaming tax revenue by an estimated additional $155 million (59 percent) and employ an additional 3,200 workers, says a 2019 JLARC study. “A Northern Virginia casino is projected to attract substantial revenue from out-of-state customers and retain in-state about $100 million that Virginia residents are currently spending at casinos in other states.”
Del. Paul E. Krizek (D-Mount Vernon) introduced Virginia House Bill No. 2498. He is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Gaming and expressed concern over the passage of SB982 before establishing a Gaming Commission. Krizek participated in the town hall on Saturday with Surovell.
HB2498 would create the Virginia Gaming Commission, which would be separate from the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government. The Commission would be in charge of all legal gambling in the Commonwealth except for the state lottery.
Krizek's bill outlines the qualifications needed to be a commissioner and a member of the Virginia Gaming Commissioner Board, as well as the powers and duties of those individuals. Current employees of relevant state agencies would also be transferred to the Commission. The bill contains numerous technical amendments.
The No Fairfax Casino Coalition stated in a Jan. 27 email to Senators and Delegates that the 2019 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study is not a substitute for a comprehensive impact analysis of a casino in Fairfax County. The No Fairfax Casino Coalition is calling for the members of the General Assembly to support HB2498 and oppose SB982.
According to the late Sunday night press release by No Fairfax Casino, "Senator Surovell's Senate Bill 982 targets properties on Route 7 in Tysons that are reportedly controlled by a local developer, Christopher Clemente, a principal of Comstock Holdings and managing director and principal of Comstock Partners."
Tuesday, crossover in Virginia; and The Connection will be in production for the first of our twice-monthly print editions.