Missouri lawmakers endorse plan for casinos at Lake of the Ozarks

The House Special Committee on Government Oversight approved Thursday a proposed constitutional amendment that could allow casinos to be built near the Lake of the Ozarks.

The proposal 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, U.S. News reports.

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. 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.

“If done correctly, it could be an economic driver” for the Lake of the Ozarks, he said.

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.

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.