Oklahoma's Osage Nation Pushes Bid For Missouri Casino

A Native American tribe in Oklahoma is hiring lobbyists in its bid to open a casino in Missouri.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Osage Nation hired former Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley on Aug. 15 to lobby on its behalf. The tribe also hired two of his associates at Strategic Capitol Consulting Firm.

The Osage Nation wants to build a casino near the Cuba, Missouri. The city is 80 miles (129 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.

Federal law allows tribes to open casinos in states outside their reservations under certain circumstances. Such decisions in Missouri require approval from the governor.

The hiring of lobbyists by Osage Nation comes nine months after the tribe wrote checks worth more than $52,000 to help support Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens' inauguration.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com