A new NBABet streaming option will integrate sports betting analysis and commentary into live NBA games using the league’s delivery systems.
BetMGM Sportsbook will offer Oregonians an option when it comes to legal sports betting thanks to a partnership with Spirit Mountain Casino
America loves gambling, especially in Oregon. That’s AGA’s big message from its recent report on $4.42 billion in national gaming revenue.
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, all the major leagues, such as the NBA, NHL, MLB and PGA, are on hold while major sporting events, such as the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, have been canceled outright.
There’s not much action for sports bettors to place a wager on.
But don’t count sportsbooks out just yet. Oddsmakers are getting increasingly creative in their efforts to entice potential bettors in states with legalized online sports betting.
While the NBA discusses the feasibility of holding private basketball playoff games with no spectators present and the NHL ponders whether to postpone or cancel the remainder of this year’s regular hockey season and Stanley Cup playoffs, sports bettors seeking wagers can still find action on their mobile devices with their favorite online sportsbooks.
Even though all the hoopla originally in the works for the NFL Draft, slated for April in Las Vegas, has been canceled, the draft itself is scheduled to proceed as planned – although probably through a virtual channel – and sportsbooks are banking on it.
FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and 888Sport – among other online sportsbooks – offer odds on the NFL Draft, including No. 1 overall pick, first three picks in order, first player drafted by each NFL team, first wide receiver drafted overall and which team will draft Tua Tagovailoa.
If the draft doesn’t offer enough NFL action for you, there’s always free agency. For instance, FanDuel is offering odds on Cam Newton’s next team.
Bettors can also wager on the next NFL champion, season MVP and New England Patriots starting quarterback for the season opening game, as well as plenty of other football-related wagers.
Other sports wagers that bettors can consider include MLB World Series champion, Belarusian soccer games and the Masters Tournament.
DraftKings online sportsbook in Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia and New Hampshire is taking bets on table tennis’ Setka Cup, while Belarus Premier League soccer can be wagered on in the same states, as well as New Jersey and Iowa.
Various online sportsbooks in Nevada offer odds on Australian Rules Football and Rugby, Turkish Super LIG Soccer, MLB pennants and World Series futures bets.
A number of sportsbooks, including Bet365 in New Jersey, accept wagers on upcoming boxing matches. Bettors can wager on cricket and darts on Bet365, as well.
FanDuel and DraftKings are ramping up their free-to-play betting pools on their DFS sites that cover wide-ranging topics from presidential debates to TV shows to professional wrestling.
For FanDuel fantasy contests, players create a lineup staying within a $100 budget and then receive points for various categories.
More than 25,000 people have entered FanDuel’s WWE WrestleMania contest, which has cash prizes totaling $5,000. Point-earning categories include signature move hit, putting someone through a table, foreign object used and top turnbuckle-move hit.
FanDuel competitor DraftKings has offered bonus betting pools on everything from the Oscars to presidential debates, including a recent Democratic debate with categories such as the first candidate to bring up the coronavirus and over/under odds on the number of tweets Donald Trump would post during the proceedings.
DraftKings pools expire anywhere from a few days to several months. On April 2, DraftKings offered free pools for subjects as wide as the next day’s weather to television shows (Survivor, Real Housewives of NY, Top Chef and Shark Tank) to MLB and NFL division winners.
DraftKings also is running a social media creative-selfie rally in which DraftKings donates a dollar to United Way for each #DKRally hashtag posted with a photograph up to $1 million.
Both New Jersey and Nevada have received approval from their respective state gaming regulators to accept wagers on eSports or simulated virtual events.
Nevada approved wagering on the Counter-Strike ESL Pro League at all sportsbooks in the state. Wagers on simulated horse races are also accepted. Additional virtual events may be approved in the future.
Other leagues, such as NASCAR, are testing virtual simulations in place of in-person events, which may lead to wagering opportunities down the road.
DraftKings has experienced significant growth in its DFS eSports League of Legend pools while FanDuel’s NBA Sim Sports uses randomly generated stats from the 2019-20 season to entice basketball fans.
Oregon’s sports betting numbers from September are in and looking promising.
Oregon sports betting revenue essentially doubled from August, skyrocketing from $2.7 million to $5.5 million in September. Last month, the state recorded a sports betting handle of $39.3 million – a 39.4% jump from August.
Overall, September’s handle was a 57.2% increase from that same month last year ($25 million in 2021). It’s a sign that while the sports betting season is just ramping up, the industry as a whole displayed promising growth in just a year.
As expected, football was the favorite sport for Oregon sports bettors in September. The Oregon Ducks started their college football season on Sept. 3 against Georgia. Since then, the Ducks are off to a 6-1 start, generating plenty of excitement for in-state bettors.
Additionally, the NFL season kicked off. There’s no shortage of professional teams near Oregon with several teams calling nearby states home:
$14.8 million of September’s total came from football bets, producing $3.3 million in revenue. Baseball dominated in August, and then fell to No. 2. Oregon sports bettors gambled $11.2 million on baseball. The sport generated $1.1 million in revenue.
Soccer rounded out the state’s top three sports in terms of popularity, with $4.6 million in wagers and $300,293 in revenue.
Oregon’s sports betting handle started to dip in June when the state racked up $34 million – a 16.2% drop from May. In July, that number fell to $28.5 million before dropping by nearly $300,000 to $28.2 million in August.
It’s a welcome sign after a natural depression in sports betting numbers, which coincides with football’s offseason. Most states across the country saw a drop off in the summer months, as Major League Baseball was the lone active sport out of the country’s big three of football, basketball and baseball.
Single and teaser bets proved to be the most popular form of sports betting in September, as Oregonians gambled $28.1 million on those formats. Bettors placed $11.2 million on parlays last month, too.
As a reminder, there’s just one legal sportsbook in Oregon: DraftKings.
The Oregon Lottery originally partnered with SBTech to operate its Scoreboard online sportsbook in 2019. In 2022, however, the lottery announced Scoreboard and DraftKings were “combining forces to provide the best sports betting experience ever,” according to its website.
That announcement marked Oregon as the 16th state DraftKings called home.
As of now, no. But there’s growing opposition to DraftKings’ monopoly within the state.
Sport Oregon is a group pushing for the state to walk away from the monopoly and expand with other sportsbooks. Big names such as Adidas, Nike and the Portland Trailblazers back Sport Oregon.
It would take some major lobbying and time, but there’s a chance we see the Oregon sports betting industry shift to include other sportsbooks.
The Oregon Lottery returned about $909 million to the state during Fiscal Year 2022 – a major win for Oregonians.
According to a press release, that number displayed 81% growth year over year. It was a welcome sign to pre-COVID-19 levels of return.
FY22 proved to be a win for the lottery customers themselves, too. The Oregon Lottery paid out nearly $16 billion over the year to players.
Five residents won prizes worth more than $250,000. And another five won more than $1 million, according to the lottery’s release. Small and big prizes accounted for 91% of the dollars spent by customers.
In addition, small business owners benefitted from the lottery’s popularity during this past fiscal year. There are roughly 3,800 Lottery retailers throughout the state.
In total, they generated more than $313 million through sales commissions.
There are a variety of lottery-funded programs in Oregon. Various lottery contributions go toward:
The Oregon Lottery’s website says 53% of lottery funds go to support public schooling. 25.5% go toward job creation in the state. 7.5% goes toward supporting state parks.
Another 7.5% helps boost Oregon’s natural habitats. 4% of lottery funds support the state’s outdoor school and 1.5% support veteran services. The final 1% goes toward funding for problem gambling support.
Lottery Director Barry Pack said in a release:
“Lottery funds are dedicated to supporting some of Oregonians’ most treasured programs. The sales rebound this year shows our players continue to find relevancy in our games and value the reliable revenue they provide to help make our state a great place to live.”
91 cents of every dollar from the Lottery goes directly to winners. “Our mission is to strike the appropriate balance between profits and public good,” the lottery’s website says.
The Oregon Lottery committed to responsible playing in 2022, and the World Lottery Association took note.
The organization handed Oregon the highest certification level for its responsible gaming programs. According to the lottery’s release, Oregon is just one of eight states to reach that level.
The Oregon Lottery came to fruition in 1984 to spark the state economy. The following year, the lottery sold its first scratch-it game.
When Lotto America – now known as Powerball – first launched in 1988, the Oregon Lottery was one of the seven original members.
In the mid-1990s, voters approved an amendment to allow the use of lottery funds toward public education. Today, that sector is the largest recipient of Lottery funds.
Oregon legalized sports betting in 2019. At the time, the Oregon Lottery partnered with SBTech to operate Scoreboard, the state’s first legalized sportsbook.
Eventually, though, Oregon replaced Scoreboard with DraftKings, which stands today as the state’s lone sportsbook.
2020 marked a milestone for the Oregon Lottery. As of that year, the lottery provided more than $12.5 billion to various programs and projects throughout the state.
After paying its winners and its expenses, all remaining profits go toward funding the various programs. To see a complete list of funded projects, head to the Oregon Lottery’s website.
The Coquille Tribe of Oregon hasn’t given up on the idea of a casino in Medford.
Rebuffed multiple times over the years, the Coquille Tribe presented to the city the impact of an Oregon casino at a redesigned Roxy Ann Lanes bowling alley in Medford. The federal government is accepting written comments on the plan through Feb. 23.
Medford city attorney Eric Mitton told KOBI5.com that building a casino in Medford is a lengthy process:
“What that would require legally speaking is for the land to be placed into trust, what that means is basically giving it sovereign designation which is part of establishing a casino under Oregon law.”
The Coquille Tribe already operates the Mill Casino in North Bend and has been trying to build a Class II gaming facility in Medford for the last 10 years. The tribe wants to renovate Roxy Ann Lanes into a 30,000-square-foot gaming facility with 650 machines, a bar and support services.
Members of the Coquille and Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians listened to the study session and had different viewpoints.
Terri Hansen, with the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe, said:
“I don’t approve of the casino at all. I was born and raised here and I don’t want to see it put other tribes out of business. It will affect our tribe as well as Klamath Rain Rock and I still stand for one tribe, one casino.”
Greg Lemhouse, with the Coquille Indian Tribe, said:
“This is about this local economy, this local community and its benefit. I understand another tribe or business may see it as competition, but that’s the nature of our market to compete.”
At its core, the argument comes down to the not-codified-but-largely-followed concept of “One Tribe, One Casino,” the idea that each Indian tribe gets one casino in Oregon and that’s all.
The 250-page study presented options for the city of Medford. One was to build a new casino on undeveloped property in the suburb of Phoenix (population 4,538) just south of Medford, expanding the existing North Bend Casino or making no changes.
Medford is a city in Jackson County with a population of 85,824. The final decision on what can happen with a potential casino belongs to the federal government and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Mitton said:
“We’re working on analyzing what we think would make this city whole in terms of services provided to sovereign land and the financial consequences that coincide with that.”
The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians of Oregon operate Three Rivers Casino Resort in Florence and Three Rivers in Coos Bay.
The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Reservation operate Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City.
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon operate Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation run the Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs run Indian Head Casino in Warm Springs.
Veteran politician and policymaker John Lively has been named chairman of Oregon’s new Gambling Regulation Committee — just in time for a new legislative session beginning on Jan. 17.
The stated goal of the new committee is to revisit and revise Oregon’s gaming laws for the first time in over 25 years and find opportunities to increase state gambling revenue.
Legal Oregon sports betting is controlled by the Oregon Lottery, which makes the bulk of its money from video lottery games. Other gambling in Oregon includes:
Casino gambling exists in Oregon under tribal governance, so it is separate from the state’s oversight; however, one of the committee’s jobs will be to grow the relationship between the state and the tribes. Lively told KLCC:
“If the state continues to try to grow the lottery rapidly, the impact it has on tribes and their revenue and whether that’s a role the legislature can play regarding revenue sharing. .… .I don’t know what the answer is.”
The committee consists of five members:
The Oregon Lottery began selling lottery tickets in 1985 and has been a profitable piece of the state’s budget ever since. For the fiscal year of 2021, the Oregon Lottery reported a contribution of $502 million for state programs.
This past October, the Oregon Lottery announced it had given back $909 million to the state for the fiscal period of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
Oregon Lottery director Barry Pack said in October:
“Lottery funds are dedicated to support some of Oregonians’ most treasured programs. The sales rebound this year shows our players continue to find relevancy in our games and value the reliable revenue they provide to help make our state a great place to live.”
Oregon sports betting became legal in 2019 via the native Scorecard app. Last January, the state made the switch to the DraftKings sports betting app as the sole provider of sports gambling. Oregon residents can also place bets at 10 tribal casino locations.
The 76-year started in politics as a member of the Springfield City Council before moving up to the city’s mayor. He’s been in the Oregon House of Representatives since 2013, first for District 12, but now for District 7 (the number changed, but not the location).
Lively has served on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education. He was the chair of the Committee on Early Childhood and Family Supports, and a member of the Joint Committee on Transportation, Preservation and Modernization.
Lively said that another goal of the Gambling Regulation Committee is to study the activities’ impact on the state’s residents. The committee will have the power to introduce legislation and send it to the full House for consideration. Lively said he wasn’t sure what the first aims of the committee will be but promised it would be active.
“There are areas we could potentially reach some kind of agreement on and work on policy direction, how well we take care of people addicted to gambling, specifically those who are in low-income situations who are most likely to be negatively impacted. Do we have the programs in place? Are they available? Are they effective?”
One tribe’s effort to protect its Oregon gambling territory is under federal investigation. The US Department of Justice is conducting a preliminary probe into the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, assessing the possibility of federal antitrust laws.
The Cowlitz tribe operates Ilani Casino Resort, located outside La Center, Wash.
The Washington casino is one of the most successful in the northwest because of its proximity to Portland. So much so that the tribe has paid out thousands of dollars to block competing casinos from opening nearby, per the Oregonian.
According to the Oregonian, meeting records show the Cowlitz tribe is “eager” to cooperate with the investigation. Tribal leaders and officials have been meeting once a week.
In turn, leaders of the tribe agreed to turn over emails from David Barnett. Barnett, the tribe’s former chair, was instrumental in the tribe’s acquisition of the land and opening of the casino. The Oregonian adds that the tribe will give officials the casino’s financial and mark share data to aid the investigation.
The tribe paid gaming consultants Matthew Rossman and Bruce Studer, of R&S Strategy Group, $30,000 and $50,000 a month to help block competing casinos in the Portland area.
However, Rossman and Studer attempted to build their own casino in the area. Ultimately, the non-tribal casino plans fell through. According to the Oregonian, tribal officials questioned the need to pay the consultants since their efforts didn’t pan out.
The contract with the two gave the Cowlitz Tribe the right of first refusal for any casino operators to build, according to the Oregonian. Tribal leaders terminated the agreement in October.
The Oregonian states that one person involved in the latest meeting shared that the tribe knew of the possibility of an antitrust lawsuit during the fall.
Antitrust laws are in place to discourage monopolies. Essentially, they prohibit businesses from fixing or divvying up markets.
The Oregonian’s report estimates that the Ilani casino generates roughly $300 million in gambling revenue annually. Being in the coveted area near Portland plays a significant role.
The idea of other tribes starting casinos near Portland is hardly tangible. Oregon law states that each tribe can operate a single casino within their reservation. The closest tribe to the area – the Grand Ronde Tribe – is roughly 60 miles away. New legislation is needed for this law to change.
And that law isn’t likely to differ any time soon. Newly elected Gov. Tina Kotek said she doesn’t tout plans to expand tribal gaming, much like former Gov. Kate Brown.
Oregon’s Coquille Tribe wants to build a casino in Medford. It currently operates the Mill Casino Hotel & RV Park in North Bend. Under this plan, the tribe would renovate its Roxy Ann Lanes into a Class II gaming facility.
The Coquille Tribe attempted to do this in 2020 but failed. John Tahsuda, the principal deputy assistant secretary of Indian affairs, cited the tribe’s distance between its reservation and the proposed trust land as the main issue. He called the 170-mile difference a “jurisdictional problem.”
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians currently operates the Chinook Winds Casino and Resort in Lincoln City. They’re going forward with plans for another casino just north of Salem, near I-5, despite no change in legislation.
The same goes for the Grand Ronde. The tribe owns and operates the Spirit Mountain Casino. That casino’s revenue dropped by 20% after the opening of the Cowlitz’s Ilani Casino Resort. In turn, the Grand Ronde announced plans to build a second casino in Wood Village.
It’s worth noting that Rossman and Studer – the two individuals contracted with the Cowlitz Tribe – also planned their failed casino proposal in Wood Village.
One Oregon tribe is once again attempting to build a casino in Medford.
The Coquille Tribe wants to renovate its existing bowling alley and turn it into a new Oregon casino. The tribe’s plan calls for Roxy Ann Lanes to become a Class II gaming facility.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) now seeks public input for the project as it drafts an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the project’s website, the public can comment to the BIA until Feb. 23. The Coquille Tribe will host one more virtual public hearing:
A virtual public hearing will be held on December 15, 2022, starting at 6:00 p.m., and will run until the last public comment is received. Please go to the following link to register to attend the public hearing: Coquille EIS Public Hearing Registration.
A second virtual public hearing will be held on January 31, 2023, starting at 5:30 p.m., and will run until the last public comment is received. It should be noted that the BIA will not be presenting any new or updated information in the second hearing beyond the topics covered in the first hearing, held on December 15, 2022. Please go to the following link to register to attend the second public hearing: Coquille EIS Second Public Hearing Registration.
Roughly eight years ago, the Coquille Tribe made a push on its Medford casino project before it was inevitably denied by the BIA. The site — on land purchased by the tribe — was at 2375 S. Pacific Highway.
Tabbed the Cedars at Bear Creek Casino, the proposed location would have been a Class II casino. The designation means it would have video gaming devices (think slot machines) but no table games.
The decision came as somewhat of a surprise to the Coquille Tribe at the time. Instead of waiting through a period for public comment and consideration of an environmental report, the BIA landed on a decision. Tribe chairman Brenda Meade told the Mail Tribune:
“Instead of a fair and open process, this agency has turned to the hidden, back-room dealing that is the hallmark of an overly political process, a process that federal law repeatedly has tried to prevent.”
John Tahsuda, the principal deputy assistant secretary of Indian affairs, explained in a letter why he didn’t see the tribe’s plans fit.
One of Tahsuda’s main reasons for shutting down the project was the distance between the tribe’s reservation and the proposed trust land. In his letter, he noted a 170-mile difference between the two, calling it a “jurisdictional problem.”
Additionally, Tahsuda noted that the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the city of Medford opposed the project soon after the proposal came to fruition. It’s worth noting that over time, the city began to lighten its stance on the proposed casino, but ultimately didn’t sign on.
In an email to the Mail Tribune, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians chairman Dan Courtney said the tribe opposed efforts to circumvent federal and state gambling laws:
“The Interior Department was correct to stop this project. This was never a dispute we wanted to have with a sister tribe. We want all Oregon Tribes to be able to provide economic opportunities and governmental services for their members and communities.”
Back in 2016, when talks of a Medford casino arose, former Gov. Kate Brown expressed her apprehension about the project.
Brown wrote in a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs:
“I believe that the state should, as a matter of policy, resist the building of additional casinos because state support for even a single, modest additional casino is likely to lead to significant efforts to expand gaming across Oregon to the detriment of the public welfare.”
It’s worth noting, though, that Brown is no longer governor. Oregonians elected Tina Kotek in November. There’s optimism that a shift in power could potentially result in a different outcome than in 2020’s bid.
In North Bend, the tribe already operates the Mill Casino Hotel & RV Park. The 24-hour casino boasts more than 700 slot machines and table games. In addition to an RV park, the hotel includes more than 200 waterfront rooms near the Oregon Coast.
A whim turned into a win for an Oregon Powerball winner. Retiree Brooks Keebey, 82, matched the first five numbers, winning the $1 million Powerball jackpot — and he doesn’t mind that it wasn’t the billions it might have been.
In early November, hopeful lottery players bought Powerball tickets for the record $2.4 billion drawing on Nov. 7. Asked if he felt disappointed at not winning the mind-blowing jackpot, Keebey said, “I’m not greedy.”
Acting on a drawing-day impulse, Keebey had purchased $10 worth of Powerball tickets at the TNT Hollywood Tavern in Salem, where he and his wife reside.
The delayed drawing on the night of Nov. 7 just increased the suspense for people holding tickets. After the drawing took place the morning of Nov. 8, Keebey scanned his tickets at a different local store. The terminal instructed him to see customer service. He’d matched the first five numbers, failing to match the Powerball.
After state and federal taxes of 8% and 24%, respectively, were taken out, he took home about $680,000, according to the Oregon Lottery. His plans for the prize money seem as modest as his words about his win: a used Cadillac for his wife, paying property taxes and retirement.
Oregon had another $1 million Powerball winner from the drawing.
The state lottery has some advice for its players to protect any jackpot wins:
And, of course, you can’t win if you don’t check your ticket. And, in Oregon, you must claim a prize before a year passes.
According to the website, the Oregon Lottery started selling tickets on April 25, 1985. Since then, it has earned almost $15 billion. About a third of its sales revenue goes to beneficiaries, including:
The largest Powerball prize ever won in Oregon to date was $340 million in 2005.
