Oregon joined the growing list of states with legal online sports betting in the US in August 2019.
The Scoreboard sports betting app launched in October 2019, allowing Oregonians to wager statewide via a mobile phone. It is the only sports wagering app available in the state, as the Oregon Lottery controls all betting on sports.
No betting on college sports is allowed in Oregon.
The first sportsbook launched at Chinook Winds, a tribal gaming facility, in September 2019.
Latest Oregon sports betting news
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Legal sports betting in Oregon at a glance
Oregon sports betting is available via a lottery app as of October 2019. That is the only way to wager on sports in the state.
The Oregon sports betting app
There is only one sports betting app in Oregon in 2019. The Oregon Lottery contracted with European firm SBTech to provide the sports betting platform for the state.
The app is available for download via the Oregon Lottery website. You must have a compatible smartphone or device in order to use the Scoreboard app.
Sportsbooks at Oregon casinos
Tribes in the state are the only ones allowed to offer casino gaming in Oregon. By the nature of their compacts, they are allowed to provide any gaming available elsewhere in the state that would include sports betting.
Chinook Winds and The Mill offer sports betting. Here is a list of tribal casinos in Oregon:
- Chinook Winds Casino, Lincoln City
- Indian Head Casino, Warm Springs
- Kla-Mo-Ya Casino, Chiloquin
- Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort, Canyonville
- Spirit Mountain Casino, Grand Ronde
- Three Rivers Casino, Florence
- Three Rivers Casino, Coos Bay
- Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Pendleton
Sports betting at Oregon bars and lottery retailers
It seems likely that any place that sells lottery games — from instant tickets to video lottery terminals to keno — will be able to offer Oregon sports betting.
There are thousands of places that offer video lottery, while most convenience stores offer traditional lottery games. It’s not clear how many of these locations will end up offering legal sports betting, however.
Oregon sports betting FAQ
Is sports betting legal in Oregon?
Yes. You can wager via the Scoreboard app anywhere within the state.
A tribal casino launched a sportsbook in August 2019, and an app in the state launched in October.
When the Supreme Court struck down the federal sports betting ban in 2018, it freed the states to make their own choices about whether to offer sports wagering. Oregon’s oversight body, the Oregon Lottery, said that it already possessed the legal authority to introduce sports betting in the Beaver State.
It says that its authority derives from the PASPA exemption that both federal and state government extended for Sports Action, its original sports betting product from many years ago. There has been no real pushback on that idea other than a short-lived legislative effort that died.
Oregon offered a multi-game parlay game called Sports Action from 1989 to 2007. Though the state lottery commission discontinued the game under pressure from the NCAA, there was never any explicit prohibition of Oregon’s sports betting activities on the federal level.
Who oversees Oregon sports betting?
The Oregon Lottery administers sports betting within the state. That includes oversight of the sports betting contract with SBTech and the Scoreboard app.
Where can I bet on sports in Oregon?
You can bet statewide via the Scoreboard app from the Oregon Lottery. At this point, one tribal casino also offers a retail sportsbook: Chinook Winds.
You must be physically within the borders of Oregon in order to place a wager. You do not need to be a resident of Oregon to wager in the state but you must be located in the state, which your phone will verify via geolocation technology.
Beyond the ability to bet online, any lottery retailer is a potential location for a sports betting kiosk. It’s also likely that other tribal casinos around the state will eventually add sports betting to their offerings.
Can I bet on any sports in Oregon?
While pro sports are available for wagering, there will not be any betting on college teams at all in the short term.
That means fans of the University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State University Beavers will not be able to bet on their teams in football, basketball and other sports. That also means betting on March Madness — the men’s college basketball tournament — will not be allowed either.
The ban on college betting appears to be tied to the fact that lottery proceeds benefit higher education in the state.
Who can apply for an Oregon sports betting license?
No one can, at this point.
However, given the Lottery’s comments about its commitment to its retailers, it is likely the gaming locations in the state will be able to offer the lottery sports betting product via kiosks. These aren’t so much “licenses” as places allowed to offer the lottery product.
Can I bet on sports on my phone in Oregon?
Yes, you can bet on sports through the Oregon Lottery’s Scoreboard app. You must be connected to the Internet in order to legally wager in Oregon.
Who can bet on sports in Oregon?
Anyone 21 years or older will be able to bet via the Lottery app.
How much revenue does Oregon sports betting generate?
None, however, the Lottery’s own commissioned report suggests that sports betting revenues could exceed $100 million by its third year of operation.
Oregon sports betting timeline
2018: Oregon Lottery releases app in the wake of PASPA demise
In May 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that PASPA is unconstitutional. The ruling opens the door for states to legalize sports betting if they choose to do so.
The Oregon Lottery debuts its own app for mobile devices. The app is initially available for iOS, but will soon be compatible with Android devices, too.
At first, the app only allows lottery players to check their tickets for whether they won or lost. However, the Oregon Lottery makes no effort to hide that backend development to support both online gambling and sports betting play is going into the program’s design.
2005: Oregon discontinues Sports Action due to NCAA pressure
The state legislature, weary from over a decade of lost economic impact, bows to pressure from the NCAA. It passes a bill to discontinue Sports Action by 2007.
The game ceases after the 2007 Super Bowl. The NCAA almost immediately awarded Portland with a spot as an early-round tournament site, hammering home the rationale behind the discontinuation.
1992: PASPA passes, but Sports Action gets a waiver
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) becomes the federal law of the land. By and large, sports betting is made illegal throughout the United States.
However, there are a few exemptions granted to states with existing sports betting activities. The most notable of these exemptions is Nevada, which effectively gained a monopoly on sports betting in the country for 18 years.
Oregon was another state to enjoy an exemption. Sports Action is permitted to continue under PASPA.
1989: Sports Action debuts and draws external protests
The Oregon Lottery introduces Sports Action, a lottery game that functions like a sports parlay game. Players can wager on a set of NFL games and win based upon those games’ outcomes.
The list of available games expands to include NBA games. However, perhaps due to the presence of the Portland Trail Blazers in-state, the NBA protests its inclusion into Sports Action. The Lottery discontinued the NBA portion of the game after one year.
Somewhat nonsensically, the NCAA protests Sports Action’s presence, despite the fact that wagering through Sports Action did not occur on NCAA contests. Nevertheless, the collegiate governing body vows never to allow one of its lucrative NCAA basketball tournament sites to reside in Oregon as long as Sports Action remained.
