Please help start entertainment activities at Osage River and Lake of the Ozarks by supporting our cause.
The state constitution currently allows casinos only along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The proposed constitutional amendment would add the Osage River downstream from the point where the Bagnell Dam forms the Lake of the Ozarks to where it joins with the Missouri River a little east of Jefferson City. Casino hotels in Osage Beach. Best selection of Casino hotels with reviews & maps. Book in advance and save.
In 1994, the voters of the State of Missouri passed the following ballot initiative.
'Shall the General Assembly be authorized to permit only upon the Mississippi River and the Missouri River lotteries, gift enterprises, and games of chance to be conducted on excursion gambling boats and floating facilities?'
The measure passed, and since that time, according to Missouri constitutional law, riverboat gambling is allowed on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers (but boats in artificial moats, within 1000 feet of an approved river, are allowed).
Presently, there are 13 riverboat gaming casinos in Missouri. The industry employs nearly 10,000 people with an annual payroll of $320 million. Industry annual revenue in the state exceeds $1.5 billion and generates nearly a half billion in tax revenue.
Only the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers were included in the original ballot initiative and therefore other river locations such as the Osage River and Lake of the Ozarks are notably absent. Lake of the Ozarks is undisputedly the largest and most dominant tourist destination in Missouri, and perhaps of the entire Midwest. The entire lake economy is centered on recreation and entertainment, yet the citizens, businesses and tourist to this great vacation spot have no access to gaming and casino entertainment and the associated ancillary activities. The town of Boonville has a casino because of its proximity to the MO River, but Osage Beach, Lake Ozark, Camdenton and Sunrise Beach have no such access. It makes no sense.
But we intend to change that.
Missouri currently limits the number of casino licenses to 13, all of which are currently in use. HJR 87 has no provision to add additional licenses, so its passage does not guarantee a casino at the Lake. It does however open up the Osage River for a casino should a license become available in the future. This could occur if an existing casino property were to close its doors or the state legislature votes to increase the number of licenses.
In the event HJR 87 fails in the State legislature or is rejected by the voters, Osage River Gaming is prepared to conduct a citizen's ballot petition to place the measure directly on the ballot. The proposed ballot initiative is much more expansive than HJR 87, and will, in addition to the Osage River, also include Lake of the Ozarks as a permissible location for a gaming casino. The measure will also include the addition of three new gaming licenses.
Please check out our Q & A or contact us directly.
Osage River Gaming
4655 Osage Beach Parkway (Suite A #180)
Osage Beach, MO 65065
(573) 693-2756
osagerivergaming@gmx.com
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A proposal that could allow casinos near central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks won approval Thursday from a House committee as a first step toward placing the measure on the statewide ballot.
The state constitution currently allows casinos only along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The proposed constitutional amendment would add the Osage River downstream from the point where the Bagnell Dam forms the Lake of the Ozarks to where it joins with the Missouri River a little east of Jefferson City.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A proposal that could allow casinos near central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks won approval Thursday from a House committee as a first step toward placing the measure on the statewide ballot.
The state constitution currently allows casinos only along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The proposed constitutional amendment would add the Osage River downstream from the point where the Bagnell Dam forms the Lake of the Ozarks to where it joins with the Missouri River a little east of Jefferson City.
Republican Rep. Rocky Miller, who represents the Lake of the Ozarks area, said he filed the proposal as a preemptive move after being approached by a group interested in pursuing a ballot initiative to open the Lake of the Ozarks to casinos. Gambling losses new tax law. Miller said he believes a legislative proposal would be better crafted than an initiative petition and could ensure that any casinos go through the current licensing process overseen by the Missouri Gaming Commission.
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'If done correctly, it could be an economic driver' for the Lake of the Ozarks, he said.
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The House Special Committee on Government Oversight advanced the proposal on a 3-2 vote, with all Republicans present in support of it and both Democrats present in opposition.
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Missouri voters in 2004 rejected a ballot initiative that would have amended the constitution to allow a casino along the White River at Rockaway Beach, which is near the southwest Missouri tourist destination of Branson.
