Virginia Senate Committee Rejects Casino Referendum in 13–2 Vote

Listen to this news articleLISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:

The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee of the US state of Virginia has announced it has voted against a bill to allow residents in Tysons Corner the chance to participate in a casino referendum. The results of the vote were 13-2 against the motion, although the bill has not been taken off the legislative process completely.

Supporters of the northern Virginia casino highlight research carried out in 2019, in which the results pointed to the estimated tax revenue from the casino could reach a yearly figure of $155 million. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said this would result in members of the local community-saving figures of between $500 and $600 per year.

There aren't many bills that come before this committee that offer this much potential revenue, this absolutely has to be considered.

David MarsdenVirginia Senator

Vote for Bill to be Considered in 2025

However, the Senate committee did not kill off the proposed legislation completely. There was a further motion to kill off the bill completely, but members of the Senate voted against this option. This means that there is a chance to revisit the vote and bill in the legislative session that will be held in the Senate in 2025.

Sen. L. Louise Luca, the chairwoman of the committee and long-term advocate of the proposed casino expressed at an earlier hearing that, at the very least, she hoped the process could be looked at again next year. Luca is keen to get some new research into the estimated revenue a new casino could generate and the tax earnings this is likely to raise.

On the other hand, there is the Reston Citizens Association, one of the lobby groups whose focus is to oppose the creation of new brick-and-mortar casinos in the area. They state that a new casino would create more traffic in the region and members of the local community feel it is not the right fit for their area.

We're very familiar with long term battles, we're going to be even stronger next year.

Connie HartkeReston Citizens Association

More Regulation News

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation

Leave a Comment

user avatar
My Name United States of America
Rating:
0.0
Your Comment

User Comments

Comments for Virginia Senate Committee Rejects Casino Referendum in 13–2 Vote