- Two casinos could be coming to Lake Ozark
- The Missouri town is a recreational paradise
The Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen has signed off on the possibility of two casinos coming to town.
During their Wednesday meeting, the local government in the sportsman’s haven gave their blessings to a tribal casino from the Osage Nation of Oklahoma. The aldermen ratified an agreement that requires the Osage casino to direct 2.5% of the gross gaming revenue (GGR) to the city.
The tribe will also share 1% of the casino hotel’s room revenue and make a $100K annual contribution to the Lake Ozark Police Department. The tribe is projected to fund the local government with almost $2 million annually.
The Osage Nation continues to seek federal approval for a tribal casino on the property where the Quality Inn stood at the junction of Bagnell Dam Boulevard and Osage Beach Parkway.
The $100 million development plan calls for a 40K-square-foot casino with 750 slot-like electronic bingo machines, a 150-room hotel, 6,000 square feet of meeting space, and several restaurants and bars. The project is a tribal initiative as permitted by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), meaning it won’t offer traditional slot machines, live-dealer table games, or sports betting, as found inside Missouri’s riverboat casinos.
Commercial BackingÂ
Just up Bagnall Dam Blvd., Lake Ozark Aldermen on Wednesday heard from a group of local investors about their intent to reignite an effort to bring a commercial riverboat casino to town. It is the same entity that was behind the failed November 2024 statewide amendment to allow casino gambling on or near the Osage River.
The Osage River Gaming & Convention Committee, however, is now going by Lake of the Ozarks Community Gaming. The committee seeks voter approval to build a casino resort on a former quarry east of Highway 54 near the Lake of the Ozarks sign.
The committee partnered with Bally’s Corporation for its 2024 campaign. The casino company isn’t a part of the 2026 initiative.
The Lake of the Ozarks Community Gaming group said picking Bally’s early last year contributed to Amendment 5’s defeat, as interests, including the Osage Nation, raised a $10 million opposition campaign that led to nearly 52.5% of statewide ballots voting against the proposition to expand riverboat casino gambling to the Osage.
The aldermen, after hearing about the group’s 2026 referendum plans, unanimously passed a resolution in support of the commercial endeavor.
Waiting GameÂ
The Osage Nation needs the federal government to take its 29 acres of land into the federal trust before it can move forward in building its tribal casino. Lake of the Ozarks Community Gaming needs to amend the state constitution through a November 2026 statewide ballot referendum to allow a casino on the Osage River.
The federal government shutdown stalled the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs review of the Osage Ozarks Environmental Review, a sign-off needed to deem the land sovereign.
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