.         Over the course of the past two years, the possibility of a new casino being constructed in Tysons Corner, VA has been brought up numerous times in the Virginia House of Delegates. Here are the answers to some crucial questions regarding the possibility of the casino opening.

.         Why So?

.         According to Virginia lawmakers, the main factor leading to the pursuit of a casino in Tysons is the decline in commercial tax revenue in Fairfax County. Senator Scott Surovell of the Mount Vernon district has stated that “office buildings are selling at a third of the price they did five years ago” and that there was a “big commercial property tax crunch in this county.” A JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission) report estimated that a new casino in Fairfax would generate $155 million in revenue and employ 3,200 new workers. (Source Reston Patch)

.         Several labor unions have also come out in support of building the casino, saying the casino would help create and maintain jobs in the area, with the Fairfax County Jobs Coalition stating that the development of the casino could potentially bring up to 5,000 jobs to Tysons. (Source FFX Now)

.         Why No?

.         In the areas surrounding Tysons Corner, including the towns of Vienna, Great Falls, and McLean, local residents have spoken out against building the casino, bringing up the argument that crime rates in Tysons Corner are already rising, and that the addition of a gambling center would worsen the problem. Not to mention, gambling in general is becoming an increasingly bigger issue in the United States, with 2.5 million Americans meeting the criteria for a gambling addiction, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

.         On October 27th, 2024 a group of more than 250 people met in McLean Virginia, to discuss concerns about the possibility of a casino in Tysons Corner, which is a town bordering McLean. There, the argument that crime rates will rise around the casino following the construction was made repeatedly, and that gaming operations and casinos have been used to facilitate human trafficking (Source Fairfax Times).

.         What We Know So Far

.         At the time of publication, the Virginia General Assembly has postponed the topic of a casino in Tysons until the 2025 legislative season. The founder of the bill, senator David Marsden from Alexandria, has consistently stated that a casino would help increase tax revenue in Fairfax County, and that the demand for office space has decreased since the pandemic. He suggests that a public referendum should be issued for the citizens of Fairfax County as a whole, and not just the community that the casino would be built in. But as I stated previously, neighborhoods near Tysons Corner have strongly opposed the development of a casino, and are unlikely to support the construction in their community.

.         Impact On Students At Westfield And Throughout Fairfax County

.         So how would a casino impact students at Westfield High School? The easy answer would be that it wouldn’t, given that you must be at least 21 years of age to enter a casino in the state of Virginia, which obviously doesn’t relate to students at Westfield. Therefore, the construction of a casino in Tysons Corner would hardly affect Westfield students in the short-term, if at all. That being said, a new casino in Tysons would have a significant impact on the communities surrounding it, as mentioned by the surveyed residents above. This means that students who go to Langley High School, McLean High School, or George C. Marshall High School would have their communities, including schools, impacted by this casino being built. With Westfield competing with these schools in various events, both academically and athletically, it’s not impossible for negative effects from the casino being built on schools in McLean and Falls Church to spread to other communities in Fairfax County, and around the DMV.

.         Conclusion

.         Therefore, the possibility of a casino being built in Tysons Corner would have a significant impact on the neighborhoods and towns surrounding Tysons, including McLean, Great Falls, and Falls Church. In general, the residents of these towns have disagreed with and pointed out flaws with the proposal, while lawmakers from more central areas of the county, such as Burke and Fairfax, have supported the possibility. With the rise of gambling across the nation, it is apparent to why students in these areas should be hesitant to affiliate with the casino (once of legal age), and students at Westfield should remain aware of the situation, in case the casino causes issues in the areas surrounding Tysons, to try and assure that the issue doesn’t spread to our communities in Herndon, Chantilly, and Centreville.