Oregon Lottery

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The Oregon Lottery is the official lottery of the State of Oregon.

1 History
2 Games offered
3 Controversy
4 Vista sidebar gadget
5 References

[edit] History

The present-day Oregon Lottery was enabled by an amendment to the Oregon Constitution approved by voters in the 1984 general election. The lottery commenced operations the following year, initially offering two types of games; scratch-it tickets, and a lotto game known as Megabucks. The lottery has since added numerous additional games, occasionally removing some which are not financially successful.

In fiscal year 2006, the lottery reached USD $1 billion for the first time. Broken down by game, revenue figures for the fiscal year were as follows (all figures in United States dollars):^[1]

Video Lottery: $728.8 million
Scratch-its: $127.1 million
Keno: $117 million
Powerball: $58.9 million
Megabucks: $38.7 million
Sports Action: $12.1 million
Win for Life: $5.9 million
Breakopens: $1.7 million
Pick 4: $1.4 million
Lucky Lines: $1.1 million
Scoreboard: $644,447

[edit] Games offered

The following games are currently offered, or have been offered, by the lottery: ^[2]

Megabucks, an intra-state lotto, first offered in 1985
Scratch-it games, first offered in 1985. Numerous different games have been offered over the years.
"Breakopen" games, first offered in 1987
In 1988, Oregon joined the multi-state lottery game Lotto America, now known as Powerball. Three Powerball jackpots have been won in Oregon; a USD $38.4 million winner from Eugene in 1992; a USD $33.8 million winner from Beaverton in 1999, and a family from Jacksonville won a then-record $340 million jackpot in 2005.
In 1989, the lottery added Sports Action, a sports parlay game which enabled betting on NFL games. Also in 1989, NBA games were added (excluding games involving the Oregon-based Portland Trail Blazers); wagering on basketball was discontinued in 1990. In 2005, a bill was signed which ended football wagering at the conclusion of the 2006-2007 NFL season.
A keno game was first offered in 1991.
In 1992, the lottery begin licensing video poker machines within the state.
In 2001, the game added Win for Life, a game in which the top prize is the proceeds from a perpetual annuity.
In 2005, video slot machines were authorized.

[edit] Controversy

Like other state lotteries (and gambling in general), the Oregon Lottery has drawn its share of controversy. Topics of debate include generic topics such as the morality of legalized and/or state-sponsored gambling, the alleged disproportionate effect that gambling (legal or otherwise) has on the poor, and the suitability of lottery dollars (as opposed to involuntary taxation) as a revenue source. ^[3]^[4]Several issues have been unique to Oregon, however.

In 1989, the lottery added Sports Action, a parlay game allowing wagers on National Football League games. The NFL was highly displeased by this move, though legally powerless to stop the Oregon Lottery as the game took care to avoid infringing upon any NFL trademark (no NFL team names were used; NFL teams were identified by city only.) In 1990, NBA games were added, excluding the Portland Trail Blazers. This prompted a lawsuit from the NBA; however, betting on basketball did not prove financially viable, and the lottery discontinued the NBA game the following year (settling the lawsuit with the NBA thereafter). However, wagering on football proved highly successful for the state, bringing in upwards of $20 million per year in earnings.

However, the reaction from the world of sports was fierce. The NCAA, long opposed to sports betting, took the position that no post season basketball games (which are played at neutral sites) would be held anywhere in Oregon so long as Sports Action was in operation; the NBA criticized the state even after wagering on NBA games was discontinued. Many proponents of the lottery rebuffed such criticism; noting that the state lottery game (with a maximum wager of US $20) was "small potatoes" compared to the Las Vegas sports book. Further, it has been pointed out that the overwhelming popularity of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is driven by office pools and other forms of gambling. Regardless, in 2005 HB 3466 was passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law by Governor Ted Kulongoski; this bill outlawed the Sports Action game as of the conclusion of the 2006-07 NFL season.^[5] Largely as a result, the Rose Garden Arena has been awarded regional games in the 2009 NCAA men's basketball tournament.^[6]

Other controversies have swirled around the 1992 introduction of video poker machines, which may be installed in bars and other adults-only establishments. In 2005, the lottery added electronic slot machines to the mix.^[7] Many have argued that these are particularly addictive forms of gambling. The electronic games have also created disputes over the revenue division between the state and restaurant and tavern owners.

[edit] Vista sidebar gadget

March 2007, The Oregon Lottery published its first Lottery gadget. The gadget relays the winning numbers for Powerball, Megabucks, and Win for Life. The gadget also features winner stories as well as Lottery alerts, jackpot alerts, and the Oregon Amber Alert.