Oregonians are going to be able to place wagers on the NFL, including possibly some of the prop bets seen in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, however, they will have to wait until next year to do so. According to a report by Oregon media outlet KATU, the Oregon Lottery has stated that it hopes to have a mobile sports gambling app available before the start of the next NFL season.
Oregon already allows a limited amount of sports gambling. When the U.S. government cracked down on the activity with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), Oregon was exempt because it already offered sports gambling-type games, including a type of “pick ‘em” wagering activity on football offered by the Oregon Lottery that was finally withdrawn about ten years ago.
Now, however, the Oregon Lottery is reviving its sports gambling activity and is preparing the mobile app. At first, wagers will only be allowed on the outcome of games, either against the spread or the final outcome, but other football-related bets could be allowed in the future.
According to a spokesperson for the lottery, Matthew Shelby, “It’s in the black market, offshore sports betting operations that people can access. The question that we’re looking at is should there be a regulated, state-run way for people to do that?”
After the mobile betting platform is introduced, there are plans to allow in-game betting through kiosks located at bars or restaurants. Shelby adds, “If you were at an Oregon lottery retailer, potentially, you’d have the opportunity to bet on additional things. Who’s going to have the most yards in the first half, that type of thing.”
As has already been seen in other states that have legalized sports gambling, bets on collegiate games will not be allowed. Part of the reason is because universities in the state pick up revenue from proceeds earned from the Oregon Lottery.
Neither state officials nor lottery officials are certain how much revenue will be generated from the sports gambling industry in the state. Shelby said that the organization wasn’t sure and an economist for Oregon, Mazen Malik, indicated that his office has not conducted any studies to try and estimate the amount.
Eight states in the U.S. have already approved sports gambling, two more are almost there and many others are considering legislation that still hasn’t been approved. Despite Sheldon Adelson’s attempts, I mean, the U.S. Department of Justice’s attempts, to curtail sports and online gambling, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down progress.
