Osage River Casino question to be on November ballot after court ruling

COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - A group trying to build a casino in Missouri is feeling lucky now that a judge ruled in their favor Friday.

A Cole County judge ruled Friday that a petition to add a 14th casino in Missouri did get enough signatures. After a petition to add a 14th casino license in Missouri was found to be over 2,000 signatures short, a group wanting to build an Osage River casino at the Lake of the Ozarks filed a lawsuit.

The Secretary of State’s Office conceded in front of a Cole County judge that a mistake was made and the petition did get enough signatures.

“We don’t think they were up to anything nefarious. We think that just the clock ran out on them. And we’re, we’re gratified that the system works. We’re gratified that the court understood it, and we’re really excited to be able to take our message to the voters in November,” said John Hancock, a spokesperson for Osage River Gambling.

Because the November ballot was already finalized earlier this month, it required a court order to make a change.

READ MORE: Missouri voters show favorability to proposed amendments in 2024 election

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was unavailable for an interview following the ruling. His office sent our Missouri Capitol Bureau a statement that said, “During the initiative petition review process local election authorities were tasked with checking well over 1 million signatures. 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.”

Just getting their petition approved isn’t enough though, now Missouri voters will decide in November whether to allow another casino.

If ed, it would amend the Missouri constitution to allow for a casino along the Osage River. Currently, casinos are only allowed on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. It would also change state law to allow for 14 casino licenses, one more than currently permitted.

The potential casino is expected to add to Missouri’s economy. The petition said it would add 700 jobs to the lake area and millions to the local economy.

In addition to this casino question, Missourians will be asked about restoring abortion access, legalizing sports betting and raising the minimum wage in November.