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Top Story Editor's Pick
2025 IN REVIEW

Big Money At The Lake! Deals, Developments & Decisions That Shaped Lake Of The Ozarks In 2025

  • 2 min to read
2025's Top Stories - Economic

Lake of the Ozarks has a one-of-a-kind economic climate. From beloved companies coming to the area to hot casino talks, 2025 delivered no shortage of big business headlines—including LakeExpo's biggest story of the year.

Here are the top 10, listed by views on the articles...

10. Summer USA Sold After 40 Years

14,076 Views

Local entrepreneurs Brian and Erin Gagnon, alongside brother and sister-in-law Adam and Ashley Gagnon, became the proud new owners of Summer USA back in January. And they made sure to keep the business's name!

9. Investors Are Trying For A Casino... Again 

15,093 Views

Voters rejected a state-regulated casino at Lake of the Ozarks in 2024, but the investment group thinks voters will approve a measure in 2026. They think it came down to advertising.

8. Bass Pro Shops Is Coming To The Lake

15,623 Views

The Osage Beach Outlet Marketplace is being redeveloped, and that includes a new Bass Pro Shops location! It's set to open in the spring of 2027. 

7. $4 Million To Help The Lake's Only Traffic Problem... Waiting On The Governor

17,122 Views

Locals and tourists alike know that traveling westbound into Camdenton can get rather backed-up. And a $4 million project that could help fix the Hwy 54 and Route 5 intersection was sidelined in the state budget. 

6. The Lake Is Getting A Chick-Fil-A

17,862 Views

It might be one of the most commonly heard cravings at Lake of the Ozarks, and Chick-fil-A confirmed in an email to LakeExpo that the company is planning a location in Osage Beach, Mo.

5. Indian Casino & Hotel?

20,756 Views

An August report outlines three options for the 29-acre Osage Casinos site at Osage Beach Parkway and Bagnell Dam Boulevard in Lake Ozark. City leaders then took a step in November toward a potential deal with the Osage Nation that could bring in nearly $2 million a year.

4. The Outlet Mall's Future

31,299 Views

While the developers' full vision is staying quiet, the Osage Beach Board Alderman passed a funding agreement in July that would allow them to work together to bring the vision to fruition. 

3. Crazy Memorial Day Weekend

31,676 Views 

For what is traditionally the busiest weekend of the year at Lake of the Ozarks, the weather didn’t get the memo. It was cool and occasionally wet: a bust for boat rental companies, but a massive blowout for on-land venues.

2. The Oasis Jobsite Was Quiet This Year

51,692 Views

Developer Jeff Tegethoff originally thought the $400 million Oasis at Lakeport would be open by now... get the scoop for its reboot here. By December, work had resumed with a target open in fall 2026.

1. Missouri Eliminated Capital Gains Tax

145,667 Views — LakeExpo's TOP STORY of the year!

We were just as shocked as you are. This story went bananas. But more important than the pageviews, this was a victory for Missourians selling property, stocks, or other investments.

Bonus economic stories from 2025:

- A Lake of the Ozarks area resort was sued over an allegedly non-ADA-compliant website. The good news: State Rep Jeff Vernetti is filing a bill to do something about it.

- Two new restaurants are coming to Lake of the Ozarks, from the owners of one of the Lake’s top restaurants, 1932 Reserve. And one of them is a sushi place.

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