HJR23--OSAGERIVERGAMINGLICENSE
SPONSOR: Knight
COMMITTEEACTION:Voted"DoPass"bytheStandingCommitteeon
EmergingIssuesbyavoteof10to4.
Currently,excursiongamblingboatsandfloatingfacilitiesmay
offerlotteries,giftenterprises,andgamesofchanceuponthe
MississippiandMissouriRiversonly,andnoadditionalexcursion
gamblingboatlicensesmaybeauthorizedbytheMissouriGaming
Commission.
Uponvoterapproval,thisproposedConstitutional amendmentchanges
theConstitutionofMissouritoallowlotteries,giftenterprises,
andgamesofchancetobeconductedonexcursiongamblingboatsand
floatingfacilitieslicensedbytheCommissionuponportionsofthe
OsageRiverfromtheMissouriRivertotheBagnellDamasspecified
intheHouseJointResolution. Further,theCommissionshallissue
oneexcursiongamblingboatlicenseinadditiontothoselicenses
thathavebeenauthorizedpriortoJanuary1,2023.
ThisresolutionissimilartoHJR127(2022).
PROPONENTS: SupporterssaythatanadditionalcasinointheLake
oftheOzarkregionwillbringmanyopportunitiestothelocal
communityandresultinmillionsofdollarsbothforthestateand
localarea.Therearemanyneededcapitalimprovementsinthe
regionthatcouldbefundedthroughthepassageofthisresolution.
Revenuefromthisadditionalcasinowillcreatejobsandfurther
fundotherinfrastructure improvement,expansion,andmaintenance
projects. Itisinevitablethatacasinoiscomingtothisareaat
somepoint,andifitisacasinofromtheOsageNation,thenthe
localresidentswillnotseethebenefitfromadditionalrevenues,
norwillthestatefromthelackoftaxes.
TestifyinginpersonforthebillwereRepresentative Knight;Allen
Scott,HiTechAutoBody;AndrewPrewitt,PrewittEnterprises;
DennisNewberry,CityofLakeOzark;DonAbbett,MillerCounty
Commission;JasonSherrow,PierProperties;BuildingResources;
KristaWatts,CityofLakeOzark;TimHand,OsageRiverGaming;
KellyCollins,BreakthruBeverage;andMPCA-MoPetroleum&
ConvenienceAssoc..
OPPONENTS: Thosewhoopposethebillsaythatthereisconcern
withastate-widevoteattheballotimpactingonlyalocalarea.
Thosemostimpactedshouldhavethegreatestsay.Further,
gamblingisunethicalandimmoralbehavior,andoftentakes
advantageofvulnerablepeople.Theprojectedrevenuesthatare reportedaresuspectandlikelyinflated. Thecostsassociated
withproblemgamblingwilllikelyeatupmostpotentialrevenues.
Existingsmalllocalbusinesseswillbenegativelyimpactedbythe
comingofanewcasino.AnewcasinointheOzarkareawould
irreparablychangeLakeoftheOzarkfortheworse.TheMissouri
Republicanplatformstillofficiallyopposestheexpansionof
gamblinginthestate.Otherstestifyingsaytherehavebeen
insultingandmisleadingconversationsconcerningapotential
casinofromtheOsageNation.TheOsageNationinvestsinlocal
communities,andanOsagecasinowouldnotbeburdensomeorharmful
tothearea.
TestifyinginpersonagainstthebillwereBevEhlen;Missouri
BaptistConvention;LesLarson;RickMoss;AlanSullivan;Rockne
Miller;PamelaWhite;KathrynMoss;DarlaCalhoun;JenniferBarker;
LoriBourgeois;VictoriaSteadman;andMichaelT.Egan.
OTHERS:Otherstestifyingonthebillsaythisbillrepresentsa
lotofuncertainty. Whileacasinothroughthisbillisuncertain,
anOsageNationcasinoisalmostacertainty. TheOsageNationis
agreatinvestorinlocalcommunitiesandinfrastructure. The
returnoftheOsagepeopletotheirhistorichomelandisimportant
tothetribeandimportantculturally.
TestifyinginpersononthebillwereDanGier;BryceCrowley,
OsageNationGamingEnterprise;KimberlyPearson;andElizabeth
Suever,Bally'sCorporation.
Writtentestimonyhasbeensubmittedforthisbill.Thefull
writtentestimonyandwitnessestestifyingonlinecanbefound
underTestimonyonthebillpageontheHousewebsite.