Just a few weeks ago, Mayor Don Smith of Rockaway Beach, Missouri, was optimistically touting a casino in the struggling town of 850 people, located 10 miles northeast of Branson. Now, Smith said, “I would say there’s an 80 percent to 90 percent chance that it’s dead. It looks very unlikely now.”
Smith said even if voters agreed to more than the 13 casino licenses allowed under state law—all currently in use–Missouri’s existing casino interests most likely would file suit. “They would have been able to tie that up in the courts for years,” he said.
Smith described the proposal’s backers as a group of investors, including a billionaire. He said they own several Branson-area businesses but have no casino industry experience. The investors now are interested in bringing a non-gambling attraction to Rockaway Beach, Smith said.
Branson city and business leaders have stated their concern that gambling could detract from the tourist destination’s family friendly brand.
