Oregon To Possibly Have Sports Betting By Next NFL Season
Oregon Lottery spokesman Matthew Shelby has attested that Oregon could have sports betting by this fall. To start, the state’s lottery will introduce sports betting via a mobile app. Land-based sports gambling may be coming in the future, but there are no signs of it coming this year so far.
“To meet that timeline, our initial offering will need to be mobile-based, - leveraging the Oregon Lottery app,” stated Shelby.
Mobile Sports Wagering App To Offer NFL Betting
Oregon’s mobile sports betting app, while catering to NFL bettors, will also accept bets on other professional sports. Collegiate sports betting will not be offered on the app, however, as Shelby mentioned it would be a conflict of interest since universities receive a portion of the lottery profits.
Oregon has also had sour history with the NCAA, where the collegiate association decided against hosting March Madness games in the state. As one of the PASPA exempt states, the Oregon Lottery introduced the Sports Action betting game in 1989, causing the NCAA to temporarily withdraw from hosting games in the state. The NCAA eventually moved back to hosting games in Oregon in 2009. This could be another reason as to why college sports betting will not be available for the mobile app.
Shelby also spoke with KATU news in Portland and stated the beginning wagers would be limited to the mobile-based app and the bettors could only wager on game results. For now, Oregon residents will have to suffice with minimal sports gambling options, until new plans go into motion.
“If you were at an Oregon lottery retailer, potentially, you’d have the opportunity to bet on additional things,” said Shelby. “Who’s going to have the most yards in the first half, that type of thing.”
Future Expansion Beyond Mobile Betting
Shelby says there will be expansion past the mobile betting. There are later plans to start in-game sports gambling by betting in bars and restaurants via kiosks. The businesses that host these plans will have video lottery terminals.
“We’d also like to develop ways to drive traffic to our retailers," explained Shelby. “That will take more time given the fact that we would be rolling out hardware, and training, to a statewide retail network.”
There are no predictions for how the legal sports betting operation will perform, but Shelby, in high spirits, mentioned the state-operated sports book could potentially overtake the illegal black market for sports gambling.
About $6 billion dollars was bet illegally for Super Bowl 53 alone, with that number matching all the money that was wagered legally in the U.S this past year. If lawmakers are able to meet their September deadline for the mobile wagering app, it will not be long before Oregon sports betting is a reality.
| Best Oregon Sports Betting Sites - 100% Trusted + Safe |
#1 |  | 50% Up To $250 | VISA + Wire Transfer | |
#2 |  | 50% Up To $1,000 | VISA, Bitcoin, Cash Wire | |
#3 |  | 50% New Member Bonus! | VISA, Bitcoin | |
#4 |  | 100% Up To $300 | VISA, Bitcoin | |
#5 |  | 50% Up To $1,000 | Bitcoin, Wire Xfer, VISA |