Casino-Resort Planned by Osage Nation at Lake of the Ozarks Awaits Federal Approval

The Osage Casino is estimated to cost $100 million and will span 40,000 square feet on the tribe’s historic homelands. The Department of the Interior recently released a draft environmental assessment, reviewing the potential environmental impacts of the Osage Nation’s application to put 29 acres of land into federal trust status to develop a Class Two gaming facility and hotel in Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks.

Currently, the 29 acres are owned by the Osage Nation as fee land, located at the northwest corner of Bagnell Dam Boulevard and Osage Beach Parkway in the City of Lake Ozark, where the former Quality Inn Hotel once was.

A Department of the Interior spokesperson noted the draft environmental assessment was a procedural step in the application process, but it does not mean it’s a final determination.

“In order for the nation to conduct casino gaming on the property under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs must first issue a determination that such gaming is 1) in the best interest of the Tribe and 2) not detrimental to the surrounding community, often referred to as a Two-Part Secretarial Determination,” a DOI spokesperson said in an email.

In addition to the Two-Part Determination, the DOI said Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe will have to agree, and the proposed casino land will need to be placed into trust status through DOI approval.

“We look forward to collaborative work with the local community and state of Missouri,” Osage Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said in a statement. “We will provide positive economic benefits to the Osage people, as well as those who reside on Osage ancestral lands.”

The Osage Casino’s website lists a handful of supporters of the project, including two Missouri state lawmakers — Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, and Sen. Justin Brown, R-Rolla — and the Board President of the Missouri Hotel and Lodging Association, Trey Propes.

Though, building a casino at the Lake of the Ozarks has faced criticism in the past.

If all goes well for the Osage Nation, the first phase of construction will include building a casino, sports bar, hotel, meeting space, pool, hot tub and a pool bar.