Tysons Corner Casino Bill Hits Roadblock in Virginia House Subcommittee

^{Virginia Delegate Paul Krizek stressed the need for a gaming commission. (Image: Associated Press / Alamy)}

A bill to authorize and develop a land-based casino in Tysons Corner has stalled in the Virginia House after passing the state Senate earlier this month.

Senate Bill 982, which was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax County), passed the Virginia Senate by a 24-16 vote on Feb. 4.

Key Legislator Prioritizing Oversight Before New Casinos

However, the bill has since been bouncing around in House committees over the last week. After its first reading, the casino bill was referred to the Committee on General Laws, then moved to the Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it was assigned to the subcommittee for Commerce, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

That came as a surprise, as the expectation was for Delegate Paul Krizek (D-Fairfax) to take up the bill in a gaming subcommittee instead. 

On Wednesday, the Commerce, Agriculture and Natural Resources subcommittee chose not to advance the legislation. And while subcommittee members said they were only passing on it for the day, it’s notable that the subcommittee isn’t expected to meet again during the current legislative session.

The lack of movement may be related to Krizek’s opposition to the bill. According to Krizek, while he would like to support measures to improve the economy in Northern Virginia, his priority when it comes to casinos is the establishment of a Virginia Gaming Commission, which he hopes to accomplish via a budget amendment.

“I think we need to get a strong regulatory framework set up to oversee Virginia’s gaming industry, which is growing,” Krizek told reporters on Wednesday. 

“[The gaming commission] is essential to streamline the oversight and enforcement of all gaming activities in Virginia, and we really need to get that going [first].”

In Krizek’s vision, the Virginia Gaming Commission would be an independent agency that oversees all gambling in the state outside of the Virginia Lottery.

Surovell ‘Disappointed’ in Lack of Movement

Surovell expressed his disappointment with the decision to table the bill via a statement he released on X.

“With the Trump administration moving aggressively to eliminate jobs in Northern Virginia, I am disappointed that the House Committee on Appropriations did not see fit to advance SB 982 to bring thousands of union jobs to Fairfax County,” Surovell wrote. 

While Surovell may want to bring a casino to Tysons Corner, there has also been significant local opposition to the proposal.

More than 100 individuals with national security experience signed a letter arguing that placing a casino in an area where many of the nation’s intelligence officers work and live could pose national security risks, as debt is often a key factor in making assets vulnerable to foreign agents.

Beyond that argument, local lawmakers also say that the general population of Northern Virginia simply doesn’t want a gambling establishment in its backyard.

“I am representing my 200,000+ constituents who have been very clear that this is not an appropriate location for a casino,” Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax County) said during public testimony on the bill.

Virginia online casinos have a ways to go before being legalized. For now, Virginia residents can play casino games online at sweepstakes casinos.