The plan for a casino development on Missouri’s Lake Ozark now hangs in the balance after the signature-gathering company involved in securing the necessary public support turned against the developer. Missed payments and broken promises have led to a legal challenge that could sink the entire project. Further complicating the project’s future is a competing development from the Osage Nation.
Missed Payments Led to Legal Action
According to a recent report by local news outlet LakeExpo, Groundgame Political Solutions LLC was hired to organize a massive signature-gathering campaign for a new casino. A group named Osage River Gaming and Conventions (ORGC) had its eyes on a spot along Highway 54 near the Osage River. They planned to gather enough public support to change Missouri’s constitution and allow the new development.
Groundgame owner Meghan Cox noted that the group was contacted on short notice after the original signature-gathering company failed to gather the needed support. In the lawsuit, Cox stated that ORGC promised millions in investor funding, timely payouts, and bonuses if the campaign was successful. ORGC allegedly appeared confident in their success.
Defendants employed promises of timely payment, successful campaign bonuses, and millions of dollars in investor funding. The only problem is that Defendants had no intention of paying Plaintiff.
Groundgame Political Solutions statement
However, the relations between the two parties quickly deteriorated after several missed payments. Cox alleges that ORGC never had the millions of investor funding and had no intention of paying for the signature-gathering service. She accuses the developer of falsifying payment screenshots, making empty promises, and deliberately misleading her and her team.
ORGC’s Casino Plans Are Increasingly Uncertain
Groundgame’s lawsuit seeks $1.6 million from ORGC. The developer allegedly paid only $710,000 out of the $2.3 million owed to the signature company. Cox noted that she even transferred $1 million of her own money to keep the project going under the promise that $20 million in investor funds would be coming in soon. Groundgame reportedly pushed for a $1.4 million settlement, but these efforts fell through.
With the lawsuit looming over ORGC, the fate of the casino development is more uncertain than ever. A competing project by the Osage Nation aims to develop a high-profile casino resort on a 28-acre site near Lake Ozark. Originally valued at $60 million, the project would include a hotel complex, casino, restaurants, and an entertainment center.
These challenges do not bode well for ORGC’s Lake Ozark project. With the company’s financial status unclear, unresolved legislative hurdles, a high-profile lawsuit, and a competing development, the prospects for an ORGC casino seem slim. However, Lake Ozark remains an attractive destination and another casino is likely a matter of time.