In Springfield, Missouri, the Camden County Republican Club (CCRC) recently hosted a meeting for area residents to discuss the pros and cons of allowing a casino to be built at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Timothy Hand, director of the development company Osage River Gaming, told the crowd the 13 state-regulated casinos “generate more tax revenue for the state than the other 160,000 businesses combined with the state of Missouri’s largest revenue source.”
Hand said a 14th casino would require legislation allowing a referendum on a constitutional amendment. He said, “We are trying to change the constitution to also allow gaming on the Osage right from Bagnell Dam to where it meets the Missouri River in Jefferson City.”
Hand said the $200 million casino “would be scaled to the size that we believe fits this demographic market.” He said it would create 700 permanent jobs plus 350,000 indirect jobs. A legislative analysis indicated a state-regulated casino would generate $100 million in net new revenue to the Lake area and more than $25 million in state and local tax revenue.
hosted the discussion saying the number of people moving to the area has increased in recent years. “The area is growing economically,” CCRC President Les Larson said. “There’s a lot of things that are affecting it in a real positive way.”
Osage River Gaming officials said they expect the constitutional amendment referendum to be on the 2024 ballot. Last year, lawmakers failed to pass House Joint Resolution 127 which would have allowed a statewide vote on the issue. The bill has the support of key legislators including Republican Speaker Pro Tem John Weiman, Majority Leader Dean Plocher and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe.
Osage River Gaming recently claimed support is softening for a casino proposed by the Osage Nation, which would be tax-exempt and unregulated by the state.
