Lawmakers in Virginia have voiced their opinions on a bill to be considered in 2025 that would potentially allow a casino in Fairfax County, in addition to sports betting that is currently available in the state.
Senator David Marsden introduced State Bill 675 in the 2024 legislative session, but a subcommittee voted to continue discussions in 2025 while more research is conducted.
“We're in a situation where people are starting to really pay attention to how much they're paying in taxes on their homes and on their cars and what have you," Marsden told 7News. "We're already seeing this year $450 on the average home going up on real estate taxes.”
With the county's Board of Supervisors having raised homeowner taxes this year, the Senator also warned that Fairfax’s commercial tax revenue could decrease as demand for office space declines. Marsden is championing casino revenue tax to take the pressure off homeowners and the potential tax revenue shortage.
“We have a serious situation going on here with a paradigm shift in worker behavior, which has led to huge numbers of office vacancies and much fewer buildings being leased out,” continued Marsden. “And we still have a number of years to go for leases to expire that were taken out before and during the pandemic. And as those leases expire, people are going to come back for much less floor space, just going to put a real hurt on the county's revenue structure.”
Even if SB 675 passes the Senate and House in the 2025 legislative session and is approved by the VA Governor, it would need to go to the ballot before being approved.
“Currently nothing has come before the Board of Supervisors for a vote, though proposals I’ve seen in the media involved locations outside of Mason District," explained Mason District supervisor Andreas Jiminez.
"No matter what happens at the state level, Fairfax County voters would have a chance to decide through a ballot referendum before anyone broke ground on a proposed project.”
The state has seen plenty of interest in gambling projects recently. In April, Bruce Smith Enterprises announced plans to develop a gaming district in Petersburg, Virginia, which would bring in an estimated $2.8 billion in economic stimulus.
