Missouri Lake of Ozarks Ballot Measure Gets Green Light
A proposal to build a new casino at Lake of the Ozarks has been approved in court.
Missouri voters will now decide the fate of the proposed casino in the Lake of the Ozarks area.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:A Missouri judge has ruled in favor of a proposal aiming to include a Lake of the Ozarks casino on the ballot in the next election. Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green delivered the ruling approving the campaign, resolving a dispute over whether the campaign had gathered enough signatures to qualify for a statewide vote in Missouri.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office initially announced that the casino proposal had failed to collect the required signatures to appear on the fall ballot. However, the Osage River Gaming and Convention group disputed this claim, insisting that they had, in fact, collected sufficient signatures to meet the threshold.
While four petitions were initially circulated to support the casino proposal, only one was needed to gather at least 170,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
With the judge's ruling, voters will have the opportunity to decide whether to allow a new casino to be built in the Lake of the Ozarks area.
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Missouri state law currently permits the Missouri Gaming Commission to award a maximum of 13 gaming licenses but with one key restriction: the licenses can only be issued to gaming facilities that are on the Missouri River or the Mississippi River.
Should voters approve the issuance of a 14th license, the proposed $10 million casino development would be constructed below the Bagnell Dam, along the banks of the Osage River.
According to local reports, the tax proceeds from wagering activities would be directed towards improving education in the jurisdiction, including covering early childhood literacy programs, funding teacher salaries, and other related initiatives.
In addition to the casino proposal, voters will have the opportunity to decide on legalizing sports betting within the state in November.
Last month, Ashcroft's office confirmed that the measure will be on the ballot, having met the necessary signature requirements in six congressional districts.
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