Missourians will get to vote on whether to authorize a casino at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Backers of a casino in the popular tourist destination need to go to statewide voters to build the casino, because the Missouri Constitution only authorizes those gaming facilities on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft initially rejected putting the ballot item before voters, contending that the measure didn’t collect enough signatures in the required six out of eight congressional districts. Ashcroft found that the plan did receive the necessary signatures in five districts but fell short in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District.
Cole County Judge Daniel Green ruled on Friday that proponents of the casino ballot item did actually gather enough signatures in the 2nd District, which encompasses parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Warren counties, and all of Franklin County. He then ordered Ashcroft to place the proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Ashcroft spokesman JoDonn Chaney said the GOP statewide official does not plan on appealing Green’s ruling.
“During the initiative petition review process local election authorities were tasked with checking well over 1 million signatures,” Chaney said in an email. “From their reporting, the secretary of state’s office determined the Osage River Gaming petition was just short of the required signature count for ballot certification. After a challenge by the petitioner it was determined that enough additional signatures could be verified to place the petition on the November ballot.”
Backers of the plan to build the Lake of the Ozarks casino say the facility will spur 500 construction jobs and create 700 to 800 permanent jobs. State revenue from the casino would go toward education programs, with a specific emphasis on early child literacy efforts.
Missourians are also to vote on a measure legalizing sports betting, though opponents of that proposal filed a lawsuit contending that it didn’t get enough signatures in six out of eight districts.