Thomas Gounley

TGOUNLEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

The town of Rockaway Beach has seen better days.

The downtown go-kart track is abandoned. Hotel rooms that used to see new tourists each night now rent to locals by the week or the month. On a sign hanging in the front window of a flea market that no longer opens, there's a handwritten request: "Last one to leave Rockaway turn out the lights."

"We're tired of being the armpit of poverty," said Rockaway Beach Mayor Don Smith.

Smith and other locals, however, see a reason to hope. A billionaire, whom Smith declined to name, wants to bring a riverboat casino — complete with riverboat casino jobs and riverboat casino tourists — to the town of about 850.

"This guy, I’ve met with him, I’ve talked on the phone with him several times, we met with him two weeks ago and he straight told me, ‘I’ll give you $15 million right now. $15 million is nothing to me. I just want the casino here," Smith said at a Sept. 20 meeting with residents, according to the Branson Tri-Lakes News.

For slot machines and poker tables to become a local reality, however, support needs to extend far beyond eastern Taney County. A majority of Missouri voters would need to vote to loosen the state's current restrictions on casinos.

Rockaway Beach knows this. The town has tried before.

"I think maybe people have had the time to realize that not passing it the first time was a mistake," Rockaway Beach business owner Joyce Halcomb said this week.

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A town that lost its tourists

Rockaway Beach was a thriving tourist attraction until the mid-1950s, when the construction of Table Rock Dam turned Lake Taneycomo — which abuts Rockaway Beach — from a water water lake to a cold water lake, making swimming less of a lure.

These days, visitors to this part of the state are more likely to frequent Table Rock Lake or Branson, a 20-minute drive away, although Rockaway Beach still offers a serene setting for fishing

In 2001, after years of decline, Rockaway Beach residents voted 370-12 to authorize city leaders to explore the feasibility of luring a casino. The Missouri Constitution currently only allows gambling on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, making an amendment approved by voters necessary.

Proposals were solicited. Tens of thousands of signatures were collected. An amendment qualified for the ballot. Opponents organized.

And in August 2004, 55.9 percent of Missouri voters rejected the amendment that would have allowed the Rockaway Beach casino.

Halcomb, who has lived in Rockaway Beach since 1998 and owns the Dockside Pub, told the News-Leader this week the outcome was "deeply disappointing." The city's slow decline continued, she said.

"There's less traffic," she said. "Fewer tourists."

Smith, the town's mayor, said people often blame the casino measure's failure on the opposition of entities like the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and the Herschend family, which owns nearby Silver Dollar City. Both voiced concern about a casino's impact on Branson's "family-friendly" reputation.

But Smith said a larger factor may have been that Rockaway Beach's casino shared the ballot with an amendment — ultimately approved — that prohibited same-sex marriages from being recognized in Missouri. That measure prompted a strong turnout from religious voters, he said.

A new push

Smith said he was approached by the entity that wants to build the new casino about six months ago, and that his goal is to have a new amendment before Missouri voters "as soon as possible." He said he is working with contacts in Jefferson City.

"I think southwest Missouri is hemorrhaging money from tourists because of not having a casino," Smith said.

Since the 2004 vote, Rockaway Beach has had at least one casino push that fell apart in the initial stages. In 2006, according to News-Leader archives, a developer drew up plans for a casino, and there was talk of a 2008 vote. Smith said he didn't know what happened to that effort.

In 2008, Missouri voters approved Proposition A, which capped the number of casinos licenses in the state at 13. All 13 licenses are currently in use, according to Missouri Gaming Commission.

Smith told the News-Leader he believes one ballot measure could address both the location and licensing restrictions. He said a "huge majority" of his town's residents are in favor of a casino.

"This time around we're going to be a lot stronger than the first time," Smith said.

Al Patel, who converted a Rockaway Beach convenience store into the White River Sports Bar and Grill two years ago, called the casino an "awesome idea" and said he expected it would draw additional businesses to town. He noted that Arkansas residents will vote in November on a measure that would allow a casino in Boone County, and said a Rockaway Beach casino would keep revenue inside the state.

Halcomb, who also supports the current casino push, said the town needs something that makes it a destination again.

"You don't pass by us going anywhere," she said. "We don't have through-traffic."

On Monday, two men fishing from a small island within sight of downtown — both Rockaway Beach residents who declined to give their names — voiced concerns about the casino. They said they felt the town was already too rundown, that the town had drug problems and that a casino would only bring more trouble.

Cathy Lilley, a Fordland resident visiting Rockaway Beach with her family after a stay in Branson, said she hopes "there's never a casino here."

"Quiet, slow-paced," she said. "This is what we like about it."

Smith said he doesn't believe a casino should impact the feel of the town.

"The casino will be very family-oriented," he said. "It will be similar to casinos in Deadwood, South Dakota, where you see mostly senior citizens playing slot machines and then going to the buffet afterwards."

A casino near Branson? Arkansas ballot measure would allow casino near state line