Ozarks Casino Supporters Try Again With $20M Plan for 2026 Vote

People who want to build a state-controlled casino at the Lake of the Ozarks are getting ready for another statewide push after Missouri voters said no to their idea last year. This time, the group claims it has picked up lessons from its past mistakes and is putting more money and a new game plan behind its second try.

Ozarks Casino Backers Blame Messaging, Prepare Costly 2026 Comeback

In 2024, voters shot down a plan to change the constitution. This change would have allowed a casino to go up near the Osage River. The proposal lost, with a bit more than 52% saying no. The investors do not see this as people rejecting the idea outright. Instead, they think it came down to poor communication, not enough publicity, and pushback from other gambling businesses that saw it as competition, as reported by local media outlet Lake Expo.

The group now known as Lake of the Ozarks Community Gaming has shared its plans with local leaders. A key investor pointed out that voter confusion was a big reason for the previous defeat, mentioning that many voters thought the proposal was linked to tribal gaming efforts and voted against it for that reason. The new push will aim to make clear who owns it, what it is for, and how it will affect the economy.

A big shift for 2026 will be the amount of money spent. The backers plan to put about $20 million into ads and reaching voters, almost four times the cash used in the last try. They say the previous budget only allowed for sending mail and some TV spots, which meant large areas of the state did not hear the campaign’s message.

Ozarks Casino Push Shifts Focus to Timing and Neutralizing Rivals

Timing is another area they want to make better. Legal fights and problems checking signatures made ads start late in 2024, leaving just about two months before people voted. With local groups already saying they support it, the team thinks they can start getting people to sign petitions sooner and stay away from competing with other big ballot items people are talking about. They feel sure they can get the more than 200,000 real signatures they need to be on the 2026 ballot by the middle of May that year.

The biggest change is in the world of casino politics. In the last campaign, when a big casino company got involved, other gaming businesses paid for ads against it. The investors say polls showed people liked the idea at first, but changed their minds as they saw more negative ads. This time around, the group decided not to team up with just one casino company. Instead, they are trying to get everyone in the industry to either support them or stay out of it. They have been talking to the major gaming companies, asking them not to pay for any campaigns against their plan.

If given the green light, the planned casino is expected to bring in at least $100 million in yearly earnings. Those backing the project think this could mean about $4 million a year in tax money for Lake Ozark city and around $1 million for Miller County. They reckon these numbers will strike a chord with voters come 2026.