Missouri Group Sues to Place Lake of the Ozarks Casino Measure on Ballot

Supporters of the establishment of a casino on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri turned to court as a way to have their effort added to the ballot in November. The initiative is led by the Osage River and Gaming Convention (ORGC).

Currently, Missouri allows the establishment of casinos only on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. While that is the case for the ORGC’s request, their initiative needs to first appear on the November 5 ballot.

Last week, the secretary of state confirmed that the Convention’s campaign failed to accumulate the required number of signatures. Similar to other states, Missouri requires campaigns to gather a certain number of signatures in order for a proposal to make it to the ballot and either receive approval or face rejection from the voters.

The ORGC Files a Court Claim

Now, as announced by the Associated Press, the ORGC filed a lawsuit, asking a court to step in and add the proposal to the ballot in November. In a statement, the Convention explained that the verification of the signatures via several petitions represented a long and difficult process.

Moreover, they added that the process isn’t immune to mistakes. Still, the ORGC argued that the valid signatures gathered during the campaign from voters across the state were sufficient to have the initiative added to the upcoming ballot. By filing the legal claim, the group said it wants the Court to intervene and add the initiative.

“Verifying every signature on multiple initiative petitions this summer has been a very long process for election officials and we realize mistakes happen. However, ORGC has always been confident their initiative petition contained a sufficient number of valid signatures from legal voters to qualify for placement on the November 5, 2024, general election ballot and are now asking the Court to do so,“

reads a statement released by the Osage River and Gaming Convention

As noted, ORGC’s effort seeks to bring a casino on the Lake of the Ozarks. Ultimately, such a venue is expected to offer supreme gaming and entertainment experiences and become a go-to tourist destination for Missouri.