Missouri voters reject Amendment 5, blocking new Lake of the Ozarks casino

Missouri voters narrowly defeated Amendment 5 on Tuesday, ending a proposal to establish a casino on the Osage River near the Bagnell Dam at the Lake of the Ozarks. The amendment, which required statewide approval to move forward, was voted down by a 52% to 48% margin, per the Missouri secretary of state office.

Bally’s Corporation and the Osage River Gaming and Convention Committee (OGCC) were the primary advocates for Amendment 5, with plans to develop a casino resort near the lake’s Bagnell Dam. The project would have expanded the state’s total number of land-based casinos from 13 to 14.

The proposal had sparked considerable debate, largely due to Missouri’s longstanding restriction that casinos must be built along either the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers. In contrast, Amendment 5 would have permitted a casino on or near artificial water bodies like the Lake of the Ozarks, which was created in the 1920s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The initiative had been in the works for years, as the OGCC sought to utilize the remaining casino license made available when a fire destroyed the President Riverboat Casino in 2009. Efforts to advance the proposal had faced delays due to legislative hurdles and the pandemic, ultimately reaching the ballot only after an initiative petition campaign this year.

For the Osage Nation, the amendment’s defeat removes a potential competitor to its proposed nearby casino in Miller County. The tribe, which operates several casinos in neighboring Oklahoma, has long claimed historical ties to the Lake of the Ozarks region.

Its proposed $60 million casino project, which does not require state approval due to its status as a Class II tribal venue, is awaiting federal authorization. The Osage Nation actively opposed Amendment 5, hoping to maintain its own position as the sole casino operator near the lake.

The defeat of Amendment 5 signals a setback for the OGCC, which had invested years of effort to place the casino proposal before voters. After this latest defeat, it is unclear whether the group will continue pursuing this project.