Oregon sports betting is legal. The state is one of over 30 where sports betting is currently legal in the United States. There is a monopoly sports betting app operated through the lottery and tribal retail sportsbooks in Oregon. It is not a competitive market so that limits online availability. Oregon is one of just a handful of states with a minimum age of 18 for sports betting.
History Behind Legal Sports Betting in Oregon
The history of sports betting in the state of Oregon goes back to 1989. That year, Oregon introduced a game called Sports Action. Sports Action was a parlay form of sports betting, which was part of the Oregon lottery.
Single-game bets were not allowed, and people could only parlay NFL games. People were able to bet on the NBA in Sports Action briefly, but the league sued Oregon, which made the NFL the only league that the Oregon lottery could offer to players.
In 1992, national sports betting was deemed illegal when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed. PASPA prohibited state-sponsored betting, but the federal government didn’t force Oregon to stop Sports Action.
Oregon was one of four states that were exempt from the PASPA decision, so Sports Action continued. This was because the state had already started legal sports betting before the PASPA was discussed in Congress.
Sports Action was available for players to bet on until 2007. The state removed Sports Action because the NCAA threatened Oregon by stating that championship sports couldn’t take place in the state if sanctioned betting continued.
Increase in Sports Wagering Options
In 2018, in a 6-3 decision, the PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court. This allowed legal sports betting to grow in the United States. Oregon was quick to bring back sports betting because it never was truly illegal in the state.
The overturning of the PASPA just gave the state the ability to bring gaming back without repercussions.
In August 2019, the state’s first retail sportsbook opened its doors at Chinook Winds Casino Resort. In September, the state government wanted to reap the financial benefits that legal sports betting. The state launched a legal and regulated mobile sportsbook called Scoreboard for people in Oregon.
This state-sponsored mobile book took the state back to its uncharacteristic sports betting nature that was established with Sports Action in 1989.
Financial History Behind Legal Sports Betting in OR
Oregon realizes the financial benefits that legal sports betting can bring to a state. This is evident in its rich history of sports betting when it brought Sports Action to players in 1989.
Sports betting is a billion-dollar industry, but Oregon hasn’t been able to see much gain from sanctioned gambling as of late. Oregon is one state that’s losing money in the betting business.
Oregon projected that its legal sportsbook would bring in $6.3 million from sports betting in its first year running. This number would help the state in multiple areas of the economy, so everything looked good for Oregon in 2019.
Oregon believed that it would be making over $23 million in two years. However, the app had issues, and there were a lot of start-up expenses that the state didn’t project. Oregon is believed to have to pay $16 million in expenses, and it didn’t receive a generous financial proportion from SBTech.
In the 2019 fiscal year, nearly $67 million was wagered through Scoreboard. However, the lottery only received $4.5 million in revenue. Oregon has ended the contract with Scoreboard. DraftKings now holds the mobile app contract.
Since January 2020, the state has been generating a lot of revenue from sports betting. It was making over $1 million per month for the majority of the year. The COVID-19 pandemic hurt numbers for a few months in the spring of 2020, but the state is rebounding its revenue.
Sportsbook Apps in Oregon
There is only one legal sportsbook app in Oregon. Oregon is unique in the sense that it has a state-sanctioned mobile sportsbook in addition to offering private retail locations for people to bet on sports.
Initially, Oregon hired SBTech to run its sportsbook. This created financial issues, as previously mentioned. It was up and running in October of 2019. In the first weekend that the app launched, there were over 18,000 registrations and close to 56,000 bets placed. These bets amounted to over $1 million wagered.
The NFL is where most wagers are made if you look at the app as a whole. Oregon has banned betting on college sports, so this does cause it to lose money throughout the year. This still hasn’t stopped Oregonians from getting in on the action.
In January 2022, DraftKings took over Oregon online sports betting. This helped create better odds for Oregon players. This also allowed the state to turn around its losses related to the first deal it made that became unpopular with bettors.
The app is available for iOS and Android devices. It’s very easy to set up. Players will never have to worry about security issues when funding accounts. The app accepts all different kinds of credit and debit cards as well as PayPal payments.
On the DraftKings app, players can bet on traditional wagers like the moneyline, spread, and over/under. The app also offers a ton of props and futures bets. It also has superior live betting, so players don’t need to lock in bets early to play.
Retail Locations to Bet on Sports in Oregon
Oregon has a lot of tribal casinos in the state. Since the state sponsors a legal sportsbook, commercial casinos are unable to offer their sportsbooks.
Despite this, tribal casinos have different compacts and regulations, so they’re able to offer sports betting. Sports betting isn’t as popular in retail locations because of the state’s mobile app. It’s very easy to bet on your phone instead of going to a casino.
Oregon tribal casinos use sports betting as an additional way to attract people to their properties. It isn’t a headlining area that casinos showcase, but many of the tribes offer bettors a great experience when wagering on sports.
Tribal Casinos with Sportsbooks
- Chinook Winds Casino
- Indian Head Casino
- Kla-Mo-Ya Casino
- Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort
- Spirit Mountain Casino
- Three Rivers Casino Florence
- Three Rivers Casino Coos Bay
- Wildhorse Resort & Casino
Chinook Winds Casino was the first venue that offered visitors a retail sportsbook. Since then, seven additional casinos have jumped on board. There are 10 total tribal casinos in the state.
Most of these casinos offer a similar betting experience. They have betting windows as well as kiosks for people to place bets. All of the casinos have televisions and bars in their sports betting lounges, but they don’t emphasize this like their other gambling options because of the DraftKings app.
The casinos provide the state of Oregon with over $100 million in taxes every year.
One thing to look for as sports betting continues to develop in the state is wagering at bars. Oregon law states that any place that offers some aspect of the lottery will be able to offer sports betting.
This is because the Oregon lottery runs the state’s legal sports betting business. It’s unknown how many businesses will offer sports betting, but it’s an option just like it is for the tribal casinos.
Sports Teams to Bet on in Oregon
People in Portland and all other parts of Oregon are unable to bet on all college sports. That is the strictest policy in the US. This immediately takes the University of Oregon and Oregon State University out of the betting equation. Still, Oregon is home to multiple professional sports franchises.
The first professional sports team that comes to people’s minds when they hear Oregon is the Portland Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers are in the NBA‘s Western Conference in the Northwest Division. The Trail Blazers entered as an expansion team in 1970 and are the only NBA team in the Pacific Northwest.
Coached by Terry Stotts, the Estate of Paul Allen owns the Trail Blazers. They won one NBA title in 1977 as well as three Western Conference titles, the most recent one in 1992. From 1983 through 2003, the Trail Blazers made the playoffs 21 straight times, tied for the second-longest such streak in NBA history. They’re third in career playoff appearances behind the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs since they came into the league in 1970.
In the 2018-19 season, the Trail Blazers were under 0.500, but in the two years prior, they posted first- and second-place finishes in the Northwest Division. The Trail Blazers are loved by residents of Oregon as well as by fans all over the country.
Oregon also is home to the Portland Timbers, who are a part of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The Timbers were founded in 2009 and are owned by Peregrine Sports LLC. They’re coached by Giovanni Savarese, who has been leading the team since 2018. He has one MLS Cup appearance but lost 2-0 to Atlanta United.
The Timbers provide Oregon residents with a lot of excitement during soccer season. MLS isn’t one of the four major sports leagues in America, but people are still able to get in on the action through betting.
FAQ for Betting in Oregon
Is sports betting legal in Oregon?
Yes, sports betting was never illegal. Oregon was able to offer Sports Action, an NFL parlay game, through the PASPA decision. It only removed the game because of a potential NCAA lawsuit. Once PASPA was deemed unconstitutional, Oregon was quick to return to its roots in sports betting.
Is there a mobile betting option in the state of Oregon?
Yes, there is a state-sponsored mobile betting app operated by DraftKings. It’s the only legal app in the state.
How old do you need to be to bet on sports in Oregon?
To bet on sports, you must be 18 years of age.
Are there any retail sportsbook locations?
Yes, there are eight retail sportsbooks in the state. The only places that can offer physical sportsbooks are tribal casinos. Commercial casinos are unable to offer sports betting in the state. The sportsbooks in tribal casinos launched before the lottery app.
Can you bet on college sports teams in Oregon?
No, Oregon is very strict when it comes to betting on college sports. You’re unable to bet on all NCAA competitions. Many states just don’t let bettors wager on in-state schools, but Oregon takes it one step further.
Is sports betting in Oregon safe?
Yes, sports betting in Oregon is very safe. Since betting is state-sanctioned, Oregon has made sure that security is a top priority with its DraftKings app.
Do you need to be an Oregon resident to bet on DraftKings?
No, anyone can utilize DraftKings to bet. The only restriction is that you must be located in the state of Oregon when you place your bet.