Big money flows to Lake of the Ozarks casino expansion, sports betting election campaigns in Missouri

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 8:52 PM
Photo:  Bally's Corp. (courtesy)
  • Jack Suntrup, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Casino giant Bally’s on Saturday poured $1 million into the campaign for a casino at the Lake of the Ozarks, boosting the effort with a month to go before the Nov. 5 election.

The campaign for Amendment 5 also received $500,000 each from Eldon-based Osage Landing Development Co. and RIS Inc., bringing the weekend haul to more than $2 million.

Bally’s has helped bankroll the effort, which, if successful, would allow for a casino on a site on the Osage River below the Bagnell Dam, which created the popular boating and recreation destination in mid-Missouri.

A change in the state constitution is necessary to get the project underway because the state’s current fleet of 13 casinos is limited to sites along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.