Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn sounded the alarm over the Virginia Senate’s revised version of its casino legislation S.B. 756.
This bill bypasses local authority, allowing a state commission to authorize a “temporary” casino for up to five years in Tysons. The bill disregards voters’ wishes, and the Board of Supervisors formal opposition to casino legislation.
“A bad casino bill just got much worse,” said Supervisor Alcorn. “Any legislature that forces a casino on a community that does not want it is playing with fire. Our state motto is ‘Thus Always to Tyrants’ and our legislators should remember that. Hopefully members of the House of Delegates will today.”
Alcorn and Board of Supervisors Stand United Against Local Interference
Supervisor Alcorn joined his colleagues on the Board in sending a letter to the Fairfax County’s state legislative delegation. He is calling on members of the House of Delegates to stand with local voters and reject the Senate bill.
The Board’s letter specifically highlights the destabilizing nature of the proposed legislation:
"S.B. 756 proposes bypassing local authority to authorize a 'temporary' casino on behalf of a single, well-heeled developer in a way that throws the economic development of Tysons into chaos."
Tysons is Virginia’s Economic Engine
Tysons is the economic engine for both Fairfax County and the state. Each station area along the Silver Line in Tysons already generates an average of about $30 million in local tax revenue — and even more for the state. A casino threatens the area’s economic vitality as Alcorn has previously stated.
Alcorn Led the Board to Oppose Casino Legislation
In December, Supervisor Alcorn led the effort to rally the Board of Supervisors to oppose casino legislation. He successfully proposed an amendment that was adopted into the county’s 2026 Legislative Program that states:
“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.”