How a Suburban D.C. Casino Could Harm National Security
While some may be looking forward to a potential Fairfax County casino in Virginia, some former CIA and intelligence officers have raised concerns.
A look inside of a land-based casino. CIA agents warn that Tyson casino might be a threat to national security.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:According to these agents, United States secrets could be at risk.
The proximity of a Tysons casino to a significant population of government, military, and contract officials with access to highly secretive government intelligence, diplomatic, and defense information will not only attract organized crime — casinos always do — but also adversarial intelligence services looking to recruit those with such access whom they hope to blackmail.
The most notable signature is Valerie Plame, a former CIA agent whose identity was leaked in 2003.
State Senate Majority Leader Responds
State Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell, a Democrat from Fairfax, is responsible for the bill, which advanced out of a Senate subcommittee on Monday. He’ll go before the General Laws and Technology Committee on Wednesday. His argument is that the country is in trouble if gambling is going to force out secrets.
We already have a massive slots parlor 45 minutes west in West Virginia, MGM [casino] right over the river [in Maryland], and sports gaming on every phone in the state. So I guess the Chinese already know everything.
Those against a casino in the area say that anyone with a security clearance who also wants to gamble could be at risk.
“You could go on your lunch break, right? Or happy hour after work,” said Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko (D-Fairfax), a top opponent against the casino.
Former senior director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Sally K. Horn raised similar concerns: “Problem gamblers who go into deep debt and/or fear losing their clearances and jobs if their gambling problem comes to light are prime targets for compromise and recruitment by Russia, China and others who would do us ill.”
Related: Virginia Lawmakers to Make Another Attempt at Tysons Casino
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Background on the Casino
With this bill, voters will get to decide via referendum on the proposed casino. Comstock Holding Co. spearheads this project and envisions a luxury hotel, concert venue, dining, housing, and more, as the Tysons area is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies.
Comstock and its PAC have donated more than $835,000 to legislators since 2023. According to a 2019 study, the project could generate $155 million in taxes annually in the area and create north of 3,000 jobs.
Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente estimates there will be tax revenue upward of $500 million annually. However, critics say most of the tax revenue, about 70%, would go to the state rather than Fairfax County. Therefore, something else could occupy the area.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Fairfax Board Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay have expressed some scepticism about a casino. Additional critics of the casino have concerns about the morality of casinos, transportation/traffic issues, human trafficking, and crime.
We’ll see what happens to this potential casino project moving forward.
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