Michael O’Connell,Patch Staff

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Opponents of legislation that would facilitate the building of a casino in Fairfax County are urging Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) to veto the bill, following its passage in the House of Delegates on Wednesday.

On Monday, Sally Horn and Anne Gruner, co-chairs of the National Security Leaders for Fairfax, sent a letter to the governor, outlining the potential security risk a casino built in Fairfax County would present.

“These risks include the danger of gambling addiction among civilian and personal entrusted with our most sensitive secrets and the opportunities that gambling addiction creates for the estimated 10,000 foreign intelligence officers in the area, for whom a casino would be a key target for recruitment,” they said in their letter. “Proximity is a powerful driver for both gambling and foreign recruitment.”

Horn and Gruner included a copy of the letter signed by 109 former national security professionals that the NSLF sent to Spanberger’s predecessor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2024.

In addition, the No Fairfax Casino Coalition cited concerns regarding local authority, community sentiment, and the economic assumptions supporting Senate Bill 756.

Lynne Mulston, coalition steering committee chair, stated that the coalition remains opposed to placing a casino in Fairfax County. Mulston said opposition from residents and the Board of Supervisors has been clear. She added that the legislation was not requested and is unwelcome in the county.

In December, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to include language in its 2026 legislative program opposing any legislation to emerge from Richmond promoting a casino referendum.

The coalition is concerned about the potential economic impacts. Mulston reported that without independent economic analysis, a casino could shift revenue away from existing local businesses. It could also weaken the county’s tax base and create long-term pressures on public services and county infrastructure.

SB 756, according to the coalition, undermines local land-use authority. It shifts this policy-making role from Fairfax County to the state to advance the casino project. Coalition members noted that this approach proceeds despite consistent opposition from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, residents, and local civic organizations.

On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate rejected the House version of the bill and voted to confer with members from the other chamber to hammer out joint legislation, which would then be sent to Spanberger for her signature.

Representing the Senate will be the bill’s sponsor, Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon), Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Fredericksburg), and Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke), who carried earlier versions of the casino legislation during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions.

On the House side will be Dels. Luke Torian (D-Prince William), Keith Hodges (R-Urbanna), and Rodney Willett (D-Henrico), who introduced SB756 to the House floor on Wednesday for a vote.

The coalition also pointed to the bill’s unverified and unsubstantiated financial projections for both Fairfax County and the Commonwealth. They expressed concern about the structure of the conference committee for finalizing the bill.

The coalition noted that among the conferees are the bill’s patron and his Senate colleague, who carried a similar bill in 2024. According to the coalition, this composition limits the opportunity for broader perspectives.

Mulston emphasized that the coalition’s position is grounded in community feedback and their review of potential economic impacts. She added that the coalition is continuing to engage with residents, local leaders, and state officials as the bill advances to the Governor’s desk.

The No Fairfax Casino Coalition is a volunteer grassroots movement. It consists of over 40 organizations, representing more than 200,000 voices from across Fairfax County.

The following is the full text of the letter the National Security Leaders for Fairfax sent to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (R) on Monday.

Dear Governor Spanberger,

We write to you on behalf of and as the Co-Chairs of National Security Leaders for Fairfax, a coalition of 109 former and retired personnel from the national security community who are deeply concerned by the prospect of a casino in Fairfax County and the threat it poses to our national security.

• Our group includes Flag and General Officers, Ambassadors, and Senior Executives in the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Intelligence Community and their contractors.
• We represent hundreds of years of experience and the deepest understanding of what it takes to obtain and maintain security clearances at all levels—Secret (S), Top Secret (TS), or Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS SCI) to keep our nation’s secrets safe.

You no doubt are aware of the problems of crime and addiction that research shows casinos inevitably bring to communities, but our focus is on their threat to national security. As stated in the attached, December 16, 2024, footnoted letter sent to your predecessor and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, these risks include the danger of gambling addiction among civilian and personal entrusted with our most sensitive secrets and the opportunities that gambling addiction creates for the estimated 10,000 foreign intelligence officers in the area, for whom a casino would be a key target for recruitment. Proximity is a powerful driver for both gambling and foreign recruitment. Successful recruitment of those entrusted with our most sensitive secrets can lead to the loss of those secrets and harm to our security and sources and methods.

• While these risks exist throughout the County, they are particularly high in the Tysons—the location of greatest interest to casino developers and operators—and in the surrounding communities.
• A Tysons casino would be within walking or easy driving distance to the Central Intelligence Agency, National Counterterrorism Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and a plethora of our vital defense and intelligence contractors: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Leidos, Raytheon, BAE, CACI, ManTech, Booz Allen, and MITRE.

The proliferation of casinos in Virginia is already having an adverse impact.

• Calls to the Virginia Problem Gaming hotline have increased significantly and gambling disorder among service members reportedly is soaring.
• Law firms report that financial problems, including most notably from the consequences of gambling addiction, are one of the greatest reasons people lose their clearances and Government agencies report increased difficulty recruiting and retaining young men who can pass security requirements.

Our adversaries Russia and China have taken extreme measures to prevent such problems by prohibiting casinos or gambling in other than restricted zones distant from major cities.

As a former Intelligence Officer and Member of Congress, you undoubtedly understand these concerns and what is at stake. We hope you will agree with us and the 107 additional signers of the attached letter that a casino in Fairfax County will pose unacceptable and needless risk to national security, and that you will veto any bill authorizing a casino that may land on your desk.

Respectfully,

Sally K. Horn
Co-Chair Co-Chair
National Security Leaders for Fairfax
Former Senior Director, Office of the Secretary of Defense

Anne Gruner
Co-Chair
National Security Leaders for Fairfax National Security Leaders for Fairfax
Former Deputy Director, Weapons Intelligence, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Center (WINPAC), CIA