JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Missouri voters will soon decide whether to add a new casino license, specifically to build a casino at Lake of the Ozarks.

Lake of the Ozarks is a popular tourist destination, but this time of year, when it’s cool, it starts to resemble a ghost town. Proponents of Amendment Five say there’s something that could help: a casino.

A “yes” vote on Amendment Five would provide a 14th casino license in Missouri; the state constitution currently only allows 13. It would also amend the constitution to allow casino construction at the edge of the lake, since they can currently only be built along rivers.

Yes out of 5. Spokesman John Hancock tells me that adding a casino would create year-round tourism in the lake area.

“The local Lake of the Ozarks community needs Missourians to vote in favor of this project so they can benefit from this economic development they so desperately need,” Hancock said.

Bally’s, the group sponsoring this amendment, already has a model of the casino it would like to build. They want to build it on a large portion of Highway 54, which is currently just a quarry. It would include a 300-room hotel.

However, even if Amendment Five passes, Bally’s is not guaranteed to obtain the new casino license. The state would go through the normal bidding process before awarding the license.

Although the Lake Ozark City Council has expressed support for the amendment, the Missouri Gaming Association opposes it because it says voters already weighed in on the issue 30 years ago.

In a statement, the association said: “The Missouri Gaming Association has led an effort to limit the number of casinos in the state. We do not support opening casino gaming to an additional waterway nor do we believe that the Missouri Constitution should be amended for any gaming issue.”

If Amendment Five passes, it is expected to bring $2 million to the Lake Region each year and contribute $14 million in tax revenue for early childhood literacy.

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