Effort To Bring Casino To Lake Ozark Area Continues

A local group of investors who have been unsuccessful in trying to get a ballot issue in front of Missouri voters over recent years has re-grouped and says there is more than one way to let voters decide on whether a casino should be allowed on the Osage River in the lake area.

“Either we do what we did in Jeff City, unsuccessfully, or go straight to the people in Missouri with a ballot petition. There’s a process in Missouri whereby you collect enough signatures, you get your language approved. It goes on the ballot in Missouri, votes on it. It’s a very effective democracy. It’s also very expensive.”

Tim Hand, from the Osage River Gaming group, also says the main focus now will be on getting enough required signatures for the initiative.

Osage Gaming is hoping to bring a casino in the Eagle’s Landing development and has until May to get those signatures for an issue to be put to the voters in November-2024.

The ballot issue would ask if the numbers of gambling licenses should be expanded from the current 13 statewide to 14 which.

If passed by the voters, it would then pave the way for the investor group to forge on with trying to get a casino in Lake Ozark where the board of aldermen, recently, shot down the Osage Indian group’s request for support after Mayor Dennis Newberry cast a tie-breaking vote on the issue.