By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – People in Rockaway Beach, Missouri insist a new casino was their idea, not something outside interests pushed on them.
Several dozen of them were in St. Louis Friday. They want Missourians to approve Amendment 1 on Tuesday. That would expand gambling into Rockaway.
Opponents say a casino will hurt the family image of nearby Branson. But not Virginia Ferguson.
She's the woman who's been in radio and TV ads that have been running over the past several weeks.
"That's just something somebody thought up," Ferguson said. "A boat would be just as family oriented. They're going to have a big playground area, a place for the kids while the parents are in doing some gambling. I can't see that there's anything wrong with it."
Casino supporters say the project will inject $100 million into the southwest Missouri economy and create a thousand permanent jobs.