Governor Spanberger vetoes legislation that would have allowed referendum on Tyson’s Corner casino

Casinos in Virginia are relatively new having been authorized by the General Assembly in 2020 through a process that limits them to certain localities who must then hold a referendum before they can be permitted.

Legislation was filed in the 2026 session that would have added Fairfax County to the list but not quite by name. Instead, new language added a sixth category of eligible locations narrowly created for the Northern Virginia locality, including a line that said the casino would need to be “located within one-quarter of a mile of an existing station on the Metro Silver Line.”

Today, Governor Abigail Spanberger issued her first veto of SB756 which passed the Senate on a 25 to 13 vote and the House of Delegates on a 55 to 41 vote.

“Local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has happened in every locality that now has a casino,” Spanberger said in a news release. “But in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors has explicitly opposed this legislation, and an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members who represent Fairfax voted against it.”

Spanberger said approving the legislation would set a precedent that would mean local authority could be side-stepped in other communities.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Scott Surovell (D-34), said in a statement he was disappointed in the veto.

“This bill was Northern Virginia labor’s number one legislative priority — supported by every major building trades union in the region — and it carried the endorsement of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce,” Surovell said.

Surovell said the casino would have provided thousands of jobs and would have given an option to keep Virginians spending money in the Commonwealth rather than travel outside the state. He added that voters would still have had the final say in the referendum.

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