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A $60 million entertainment district developed by the Osage Nation could be coming to the Lake of the Ozarks.
The nation announced plans Friday to begin developing the project in Miler County, which would include a “new hotel complex that will feature a casino, restaurants, entertainment, and more” and would be “completed in multiple phases.” The exact location of the planned complex within the county is not yet known.
Osage Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said in a news release that the tribe had “established very good relationships with several communities in Missouri and seek to have a presence back in our homeland.”
The Osage, whose reservation is located in Oklahoma, originally resided in much of what would become Missouri before their lands were ceded to the U.S. in 1808. Their presence remains prominent in the Ozarks region through the city of Osage Beach, Osage County and the Osage River.
State lawmakers who represent the region, including Sens. Justin Brown and Mike Bernskoetter, Rolla and Jefferson City Republicans, praised the tribe’s planned development.
Bernskoetter, who represents the northern Lake of the Ozarks area, called it a “promising opportunity to bring jobs to Missouri.” The southern Lake of the Ozarks area senator, Brown, said he “looks forward to working with the Osage Nation, community leaders and my colleagues in the legislature to make this a reality and welcome the Nation home.”
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The tribe had for several years worked to secure support for the Missouri project. In 2017, they hired several lobbyists, including former Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley, while scouting potential locations in the state for development.
Under federal law, the Osage will have to come to an agreement with Missouri about taxation and policing on the district’s property, which Gov. Mike Parson would decide whether or not to approve, before the project can open for business. Tribal casinos currently operate in 30 states.
The Missouri Gaming Commission, which oversees and regulates casinos in the Show-Me State, told the Missouri Independent on Friday they had not yet discussed the proposed project.
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If approved, the project would bolster what is already a fertile tourism industry in the Ozarks. Miller County, where the Osage project is set to be developed, generates around $40.7 million annually and 682 jobs, according to the state’s tourism division. Camden County, which includes the southern Lake of the Ozarks area, generates $187.45 million and just south of 4,000 jobs annually.
Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.
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