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Missouri Casino Faces Hurdles Other than Amendment

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – As reported by the Missourian: "In the campaign ads, grandmotherly Virginia Ferguson of Rockaway Beach taps on the television screen to get voters' attention and tells them that if they ratify Amendment 1, it will provide a new economic life for her hometown and about $50 million in revenue for the state without a tax increase.

"Maybe. Maybe not.

"Although passage of Amendment 1 would provide the necessary constitutional authorization for a casino to be built at the White River town, it doesn't guarantee the facility will ever become a reality.

"…In 1986, voters ratified a constitutional amendment granting the legislature the power to authorize betting on horse races in Missouri. Eighteen years later, there still isn't a single horse track in the state.

"Cynthia McCafferty of Fleishmann-Hillard, the public relations firm that is handling the media campaign for the pro-Amendment 1 group Missourians for Economic Opportunity, conceded a successful statewide vote on Aug. 3 is just one of many hurdles, and not necessarily the easiest one, that must be jumped to bring a casino to Rockaway Beach, a small town near the popular tourist destination of Branson.

"…However, the Missouri Gaming Commission has the final say on who, if anyone, gets a casino license. The panel traditionally has been stingy with issuing such permits, currently allowing just 11 casinos to operate in the state…"

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