SAMPLE EMAIL LETTER

To send to Senators on the General Laws & Technology Committee, the Finance & Appropriations Committee, Delegates and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.  (Email addresses at the bottom)

SUBJECT: SB982: Casino Gaming - Opposition
 

I oppose SB 982, Casino gaming; eligible host localities. It would authorize a casino along one of the four Metro Line Corridors in Fairfax County, and most likely in Tysons along the Silver Line Corridor. I am writing to urge that you decline to act on or pass any such legislation.
 

Some new facts for your consideration:

• The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have not asked for a casino referendum authority. This attempt to provide them with this authority, without their requesting it, sets a dangerous precedent for every local jurisdiction in the state. 

• On behalf of the No Fairfax Casino Coalition, representing the voices of more than 50,000 residents we hope our elected officials hear the voices of these residents of Fairfax County that have stated their opposition to this Casino Bill and that the Senate will vote down this bill. This is a bill designed to benefit private interests, not the Fairfax County community. 

• The language of the bill is unclear and ambiguous regarding the requirement for a referendum. A written request for that clarification was emailed to the members of the General Laws Committee and the Bill Patrons. We believe clarification is essential, especially since Fairfax County governing officials did not ask for this authority. 

• There has been no timely study showing that a casino in Fairfax County would generate net economic benefits. The JLARC study is usually cited for this, but that study is from 2019 and included Northern Virginia – not Tysons – as an afterthought. Further, the results are both dated and biased. Dated, in that it was written before the dramatic rise of on-line gaming, and the establishment of the 1500+ slot machine casino resort in Dumfries, less than 30 minutes away. Dated, in that two bills before you indicate the need for Virginia to get the gaming business regulated first, before additional expansion. And biased in that it makes no attempt whatsoever to model substitution effects, or the negative social costs of a new casino. 

• HB 2498 and SB 1287 establish the Virginia Gaming Commission, an independent agency charged with overseeing and regulating all forms of legal gambling in the Commonwealth. This future agency is essential to streamline the oversight and enforcement of all gaming activities in Virginia. It will focus on prioritizing problem gambling treatment and prevention while promoting greater gaming responsibility to protect all Virginians. Therefore, any new gaming legislation, such as the establishment of a casino in Tysons Corner, should be put on hold until this agency is fully operational. This will ensure the agency can properly evaluate and regulate new projects to align with its mission.

In every case of the five other casino licenses, the local government petitioned the General Assembly to formally request authority for a casino referendum. That is not the case in this instance. The SB 982 bill addresses districts that the patrons for the bill do not represent, setting a dangerous precedent in the Commonwealth.

Respectfully,

Your Name

Your Address

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Email addresses for General Laws & Tech and Finance & Appropriations Committees Senators, Delegates and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors: (copy and paste into your email) 

senatoraird@senate.virginia.gov, senatorboysko@senate.virginia.gov, senatorpekarsky@senate.virginia.gov, senatorcarrollfoy@senate.virginia.gov, senatorcraig@senate.virginia.gov, senatordeeds@senate.virginia.gov, senatorebbin@senate.virginia.gov, senatorfavola@senate.virginia.gov, senatorfrench@senate.virginia.gov, senatorhashmi@senate.virginia.gov, senatorhead@senate.virginia.gov, senatorjordan@senate.virginia.gov, senatorlocke@senate.virginia.gov, senatorlucas@senate.virginia.gov, senatormarsden@senate.virginia.gov, senatormcdougle@senate.virginia.gov, senatormcpike@senate.virginia.gov, senatorobenshain@senate.virginia.gov, senatorpillion@senate.virginia.gov, senatorreeves@senate.virginia.gov, senatorroem@senate.virginia.gov, senatorrouse@senate.virginia.gov, senatorstuart@senate.virginia.gov,  senatorsurovell@senate.virginia.gov, senatorvanvalkenburg@senate.virginia.gov, DelPKrizek@house.virginia.gov, DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov, DelMPrice@house.virginia.gov, DelEBennett-Parker@house.virginia.gov, DelHSeibold@house.virginia.gov, DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov, DelJLeftwich@house.virginia.gov, DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov, DelDBulova@house.virginia.gov, DelIShin@house.virginia.gov, DelLJCohen@house.virginia.gov , DelKKeys-Gamarra@house.virginia.gov, DelVwatts@house.virginia.gov, DelDHelmer@house.virginia.gov, DelCHerring@house.virginia.gov, DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov, DelKTran@house.virginia.gov, DelRSullivan@house.virginia.gov, DelMSimon@house.virginia.gov, DelKDelaney@house.virginia.gov, DelRHenson@house.virginia.gov, clerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov, Braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov, dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov, HunterMill@fairfaxcounty.gov, Lee@fairfaxcounty.gov, Mason@fairfaxcounty.gov, MountVernon@fairfaxcounty.gov, Providence@fairfaxcounty.gov, Springfield@fairfaxcounty.gov, Sully@fairfaxcounty.gov, Chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov