Don Smith, mayor of Rockaway Beach, Missouri, just a few miles from Branson, recently held a town hall meeting where he told residents he’s working on creating a coalition to find a legal way to bring a casino to the region. He added he’s constantly hearing from investors who want to develop a Southwest Missouri casino.
“It’s just overwhelming how many people keep asking me for pushing for the casino. I have several friends in legislature that I’ve been asking stuff. I don’t want to say any names. They say it is possible. They say there are a couple routes we can take. The investors don’t want their name out there yet. They just have millions and millions of dollars,” Smith said.
He added, “We are also going to meet with the Cherokee Nation and that’s going to be coming up pretty soon, they called me last night. I have several contacts in Jefferson City, we’ve already got a lobbyist on this, and it is growing fast. This thing, it’s going to go this time.”
Currently, the Missouri Constitution only allows gambling on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
In 2004, more than 1 million Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment that would have permitted riverboat gambling in Rockaway Beach; 55.9 percent of those voters opposed the issue. Supporters said a casino could have created 1,000 new full-time jobs. The developer, Southwest Casino and Hotel Corporation, had planned to renovate downtown Rockaway Beach.
Smith said he has reviewed that effort from 12 years ago and found a majority of the town’s residents still support gambling. At the time, Herschend Entertainment argued a casino would change the image of Branson as a family-friendly destination.
“Branson is shuttling their tourists out of the state to go to casinos. People love casinos, they’re a blast. And why in the world would we lose that much state revenue – why – just for no reason,” Smith said.
