As legislation to build a casino in Tysons, Virginia, advances, allegations of backroom dealings have emerged. It is claimed that the casino developer, Comstock Holding Companies, funded research at George Mason University to commission a report that would support the casino bill. This issue was first reported last month by Virginia Politics Revealed, sparking a wave of criticism from various political figures.
Alex Badtani, an attorney for one of the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor, strongly criticized the situation, describing it as “a backroom deal suspected of collusion, a fraud not policy, and an act of selling out the future of Virginia for money.”
Terry Clower, a professor at George Mason University, had expressed scepticism about the construction of the Fairfax Casino in 2023 but participated in a panel discussion advocating for the casino’s development in 2025. Media outlets have raised questions about a potential deal between the university and the developer in exchange for research funding, and an investigation is reportedly underway, using emails exchanged between the two parties as evidence.