Ex-intelligence officials warn against building new casino near US spy agencies

A GROUP OF FORMER United States government officials have warned against plans to build a new casino in a part of northern Virginia that is home to several intelligence agency facilities. The proposed casino would be built in Tysons, also known as Tysons’ Corner, an unincorporated community of about 30,000 residents, located between McLean and Vienna, west of the nation’s capital.

Part of the Washington metropolitan area, Tysons is adjacent to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center headquarters. It is also only a handful of miles from the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which is located in nearby Langley, Virginia. Several major government contractors have offices in Tysons, including BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Palantir Technologies, and Deloitte.

A bipartisan group of local lawmakers, headed by State Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax), have proposed a bill that seeks to examine the possibility of building a casino complex in Tysons. The casino would be part of a mixed-use development that would include upscale apartments, a luxury hotel, and a concert venue. Supporters of the bill argue that the proposed development would bring jobs to the area and would elevate the quality of life of Tysons residents.

But the proposed plan is being resisted by a group calling itself National Security Leaders for Fairfax. The newly formed group is reportedly led by Anne Gruner, former deputy director of the CIA’s Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation and Arms Control Center, and Sally Horn, who served as a senior director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Last December, the group authored a letter [PDF] to local government officials, arguing that the existence of a casino in Tysons could potentially aid the machinations of foreign spies.

The letter decries “[t]he 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”. It cautions that, not only would a casino “attract organized crime —casinos always do— but also adversarial intelligence services looking to recruit those with such access whom they hope to blackmail”.

Gambling addiction has long been considered a vice that could endanger holders of security clearances, because it poses risks to their financial stability and personal integrity. Excessive gambling can lead to debt, which may make individuals vulnerable to coercion, bribery, or exploitation by adversaries seeking access to classified information. The behaviors associated with problem gambling —such as deception, secrecy, or desperation to recover losses— can potentially undermine the trustworthiness and reliability required for maintaining a security clearance.

But those who support the plan for the casino complex dismiss such claims. They argue that there are already several other casinos in the area and that building one more in Tysons would not alter the security dynamics. State Senator Surovell told The Washington Post, which reported about the proposed casino last week: “We already have a massive slots parlor 45 minutes west in West Virginia, [an] MGM [casino] right over the river [in Maryland] and sports gaming on every phone in the state”.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 27 January 2025 | Permalink