By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Voters in Missouri's capital city defeated two propositions Tuesday that would have opened the door to casino gambling.
The first proposition would have removed a ban on casino gaming in Jefferson City's charter, and the second would have allowed the city to issue a license to any prospective casino developer.
But voters defeated both measures by identical margins of 62 to 38 percent. Brad Scribner is with the anti-casino group "Citizens Supporting Integrity."
"We wanted to overwhelmingly defeat it so that future (city) councils would know that this was not a good thing for the citizens of Jefferson City," Scribner said.
Ed Storey represents the group Casino Jefferson City, which supported the proposal.
"I firmly believe that this would be a good source of revenue for Jefferson City that would not otherwise be available to improve our community, and I still believe that," Storey said.
Storey claims that a casino could have brought an investment of about $60 million into Missouri's capital city.