Ozarks Casino Referendum Restored, Poll Finds Waning Sports Betting Support

Posted on: August 30, 2024, 02:23h. 

Last updated on: August 30, 2024, 02:23h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

A county judge in Missouri has put back a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot that will ask voters statewide to expand gambling to the Osage River in Lake Ozark.

Ozarks casino Missouri referendum sports betting
The Lake of the Ozarks’ notorious rowdy summer “Party Cove” could get a bit wilder should a casino be authorized near the Bagnell Dam. Missouri voters in November will determine if a resort casino is allowed in Lake Ozark. (Image: Google Maps)

Cole County Judge Daniel Green today ordered that Amendment 5 be returned to the 2024 Missouri ballot. The measure seeks to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to grant a gambling boat license to be used “on the portion of the Osage River from the Missouri River to the Bagnell Dam.”

Earlier this month, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) said the group behind the Ozarks casino campaign was a little more than 2,000 signatures short to move the question to the ballot.

Osage River Gaming & Convention brought a lawsuit on allegations that it had collected enough voter support. Green was to preside over the trial when Ashcroft informed the court that his office had found another batch of canvassing documents that were validated to put the campaign across the threshold.

Ozarks Casino Back in Mix

Osage River Gaming & Convention has proposed building a casino resort on the southern side of the Bagnell Dam along U.S. 54/Bagnell Dam Blvd. The development’s tentative resort and casino management firm is Bally’s Corp.

Today is a victory for the initiative petition process and for voters who will benefit from our proposed development at the Lake of the Ozarks,” said Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Osage River Gaming & Convention.

Currently, riverboat gaming in the Show-Me State is limited to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Amendment 5 would also override the state’s current limit of 13 casino licenses to 14.

The Osage Nation of Oklahoma will be expected to fund the Ozarks casino opposition campaign. The federally recognized tribe continues to fight for federal permission to build a tribal casino in the Lake of the Ozarks.

The tribe claims to have historical ties to the region but has not yet had its land taken into the federal trust. The Osage Nation acquired a former Quality Inn hotel at 3501 Bagnell Dam Blvd. in 2022.

Missouri has not entered into any Class III gaming compacts with federally recognized tribes, meaning the Osage’s casino, unless the state government changes course, would be limited to Class I and II gaming like electronic bingo machines.

Sports Betting Poll 

The Ozarks casino question will be one of two gaming matters on the Missouri ballot come November.

The other will ask state voters to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow casinos and professional sports venues to operate retail sports betting. Along with in-person sportsbooks, Amendment 2 would authorize online sports betting.  

New polling from Saint Louis University and YouGov finds waning support. Researchers reported that nearly 50% of the 900 likely Missouri voters surveyed said they’ll vote “yes” on Amendment 2. That’s down from 60% the same poll found in March.

The downturn in support increased the number of likely voters who said they weren’t sure.

For all of the ballot initiatives, there are a fair number of ‘not sure’ voters. Ballot language can be confusing to voters. However, as campaigns spread messages like ‘Vote Yes on 2’ or ‘No on 2,’ voters will form more concrete opinions,” said SLU/YouGov Poll Director Steven Rogers, Ph.D.

Only a simple majority is needed for either gaming referendum to amend the Missouri Constitution.