Lake Of The Ozarks Casino Proposal Won’t Reach Missouri Ballot After Signature Shortfall

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — A proposal to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow a state-regulated casino at Lake of the Ozarks will not appear on the November ballot after organizers failed to gather enough petition signatures.

On Tuesday, the private investor group behind the push told LakeExpo they were not on pace to have enough signatures to get the question onto the ballot, so they have paused their initiative petition campaign for this year.

This proposed casino is different from the proposed Osage Indian casino that — with the required government approval — would be built at the intersection of Bagnell Dam Blvd. and Osage Beach Pkwy. in Lake Ozark. That tribal casino would not require a constitutional change as it operates under permission from the U.S. Dept. of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs.

By contrast, this private investor group, named Lake of the Ozarks Community Gaming, would operate under state oversight and would require a change to the Missouri constitution in order to open. The state constitution currently limits gaming to "riverboats" (loosely defined in state law) on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

This was the investor group's second signature-gathering attempt, and they seemed confident when seeking support from the City of Lake Ozark late last year.

At that time, spokesperson Andy Prewitt said the group had plenty of reasons to believe the signature-gathering process would be easier in 2026 than it had been in 2024. That year, the group did manage to get the issue on the ballot — after a legal battle with the Secretary of State's office over signature validation — but it was rejected by voters in November 2024, with a vote of 52.5% No to 47.5% Yes.

To get the issue on this November's ballot, the group needed approximately 200,247 signatures. However, Prewitt told LakeExpo they did not have enough by the May 15 deadline. He noted the investor group had used a different signature-collection agency than they did in 2024.

"After careful consideration, Lake of the Ozarks Community Gaming has made the difficult decision to pause the 2026 initiative petition campaign for a convention center with casino at Lake of the Ozarks. Our commitment to this project and the community it would serve has not wavered. We believe the strongest campaigns are built on the right foundation at the right time, and we will continue working toward that moment. We are deeply grateful for our local and statewide partners and the dedicated team that invested in this effort."

The investor group had announced a $20 million budget to get the issue on the ballot, focusing not only on signature-gathering but also on major marketing initiatives.

After November, though, the group may have an even higher bar to clear if they hope to change the constitution. One of the issues that will appear on this November's ballot is a reform to the state's initiative petition process. The question was placed on the ballot by the Missouri legislature, and if passed by voters, it would raise the threshold to get future initiative petitions on the ballot.

The Missouri Independent explained the proposed change this way: Instead of a majority of all votes cast statewide — as every constitutional amendment, as well as three entire constitutions, has been approved in the past — amendments proposed by initiative would have to receive a majority in every congressional district.