Proposal for Lake of the Ozarks casino to appear on November ballot

Missouri voters will get to decide on a proposed constitutional amendment.

US.- A Cole County judge has ruled to allow a proposal for a new casino on the Osage River near the Lake of the Ozarks, in Missouri, on the November 5 ballot. The proposal joins a proposition to legalise sports betting in the state.

The Missouri Constitution currently only allows gaming facilities on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. There had been debate about whether a petition to get an amendment on the ballot had received enough signatures, but secretary of state Jay Ashcroft’s said the required number had been reached.

Backers of the plan say the Lake of the Ozarks casino would create 500 construction jobs, 700 to 800 permanent jobs and would generate admission and other fee revenue of $2.1m annually, and annual gaming tax revenue of $14.3m.