• A group of local businesspeople in Lake Ozark isn’t folding on their casino pursuit
• A tribal casino from the Osage Nation is likely to be built in the coming years

On Wednesday evening, the Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen is expected to approve an agreement with the Osage Nation of Oklahoma that will allow the tribal community to construct an Indian casino smack in the middle of the recreational paradise. Should a group of local businesspeople have their way, the Osage Casino won’t be the only game in town.

A rendering of the Ozarks casino plan along the Osage River from Bally’s Corporation and a committee called Osage River Gaming & Convention that Missouri voters denied during the November 2024 election. The committee is planning a second campaign for the 2026 election. (Image: Bally’s Corp.)

Last November, Missourians rejected a statewide ballot referendum to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow riverboat casino gambling on or near the Osage River. The state currently only allows casinos near the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Amendment 5 was defeated, with 52.5% of the vote against the initiative. The group behind the measure, the Osage River Gaming & Convention Committee, is prepping a comeback for 2026. 

‘Band Back Together’

Osage River Gaming partner and spokesperson Andy Prewitt has confirmed that the committee is reuniting for a second Lake Ozark casino run.

We are getting the band back together,” Prewitt told Lake Expo. “We’ve secured Miller County’s support and are on the Lake Ozark agenda.”

Along with considering the Osage Nation agreement terms, the Lake Ozark Aldermen are expected to review the Osage River Gaming & Convention Committee’s 2026 ballot proposal.

Last year, the committee partnered with Bally’s Corporation to present voters with a casino project that was to include a 20-story hotel, a convention center, and typical resort amenities like an indoor/outdoor pool, fitness center, and many restaurants and bars.

Osage River Gaming hasn’t yet revealed whether it will again partner with Bally’s, a company that continues to face financial challenges, though its third-quarter performance was better than expected and the firm was recently removed from Fitch’s “Rating Watch Negative” outlook.

2026 Referendum Pathway

As the group did in 2024, to place the casino question before voters, the Osage River Gaming & Convention Committee will need first to have its petition language approved by the Missouri Secretary of State. The committee will then need to canvass voters and obtain signatures from a minimum of 8% of the most recent gubernatorial vote in at least six of the eight state congressional districts.

For 2026, that means the committee will need to secure and have certified at least 170,215 signatures.  

If all goes as planned for the committee, Missourians would again be asked if they wish to allow riverboat casino gambling on the Osage River and authorize a gambling license near the Bagnell Dam.

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