Osage Nation announces plans for Missouri venue
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A northeastern Oklahoma tribe has announced plans to expand its commercial footprint into Missouri.
Officials with the Osage Nation issued a press release Friday afternoon announcing plans to develop a new entertainment district in Miller County, Missouri, near the Lake of the Ozarks. The $60 million project will be completed in phases and will include a new hotel, restaurants and a casino. Miller County is about 4.5 hours northeast of Tulsa.
The Osages’ preremoval homelands include all of what is now Missouri. Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a tribe can open a casino outside its jurisdictional area under certain circumstances, including in their preremoval territory with the blessing of that state’s governor.
The tribe has previously made overtures to open a casino in the state, including retaining a lobbyist and meeting with municipal officials around Cuba, Missouri.
A representative for the tribe did not respond by deadline Friday to inquiries about the project’s specifics, including a timeline, how many jobs the project is slated to create or the size of the planned hotel and casino.
On Sept. 7, the first day of Osage Congress’ annual fall session, Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear advised the Legislature that the tribe’s gaming enterprise board had purchased land in Missouri and would eventually be conveying the title to the tribe. A representative for the tribe confirmed Friday evening that Standing Bear’s remarks were about the land in Miller County, Missouri.
In order for the Missouri casino to open, some legal hurdles would have to be cleared first.
Currently, Missouri laws allow only for riverboat casinos on the Missouri or Mississippi rivers or within 1,000 feet of either river’s shoreline. The Lake of the Ozarks is along the Osage River. Missouri has 13 casinos state wide.
Additionally, in order to be used for gaming, the property has to be taken into trust for the tribe by the federal government, a process that potentially can take years.
A Friday search of the Federal Register showed no notices of a land into trust acquisition in Missouri on behalf of the Osage Nation. A representative for the tribe confirmed Friday evening that they were just beginning the process of applying for land into trust status.
Additionally, the tribe will have to negotiate a compact with the state, which would also be subject to federal approval.
The Osage Nation currently operates seven casinos in Oklahoma. Construction that is underway to replace its properties in Pawhuska and Bartlesville is tentatively slated to be complete in fall 2022.
