Oregon Lottery

Oregon Lottery logo

The Oregon Lottery is run by the government of Oregon. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL).

History

The Oregon Lottery was enabled by an amendment to the Oregon Constitution, approved by voters in the 1984 general election. The Lottery began the next year, eventually offering two types of games: scratch-it tickets, and an online jackpot game, Megabucks. The Lottery has since added many games, occasionally removing some which were not successful.

In fiscal year 2006, the Lottery reached $1 billion for the first time.

Games offered

The following games (including those retired) have been offered by the lottery: ^[1]

• In 1985, Megabucks, an in-house jackpot game, was introduced. Megabucks, in 1990, was the first US lottery game to give players a choice of lump sum or annuity, should they win the top prize.
• In 1985, Scratch-it games were introduced.
• In 1987, "Breakopen" games were introduced; they were discontinued in 2009.
• In 1988, as a charter member of MUSL, Oregon helped launch Lotto*America, which became Powerball in 1992. Four Powerball jackpots have been won in Oregon; a $38.4 million winner from Eugene in 1992; a $33.8 million winner from Beaverton in 1999; a family from Jacksonville won a then-record $340 million jackpot in 2005; and in March 2007 a man from Milwaukie, Oregon, won a $182.7 million jackpot. Powerball's cash option began in 1997.
• In 1989, the Lottery added Sports Action, a parlay game which enabled betting on NFL games. 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. (Sports wagering also is legal in Delaware, Montana, and Nevada.
• In 1991, a keno game began.
• In 1992, the Lottery began Video Lottery games that included versions of draw poker. Video Lottery games are a type of slot machine know as a Video Lottery Terminal.
• In 2001, Win for Life, which awards its top prize as a lifetime weekly annuity, was introduced. (Unlike Megabucks, Mega Millions, or Powerball, there is no cash option for top-prize winners.)
• In 2005, "line" games were added to Video Lottery Terminals.
• In 2006, the tic-tac-toe-style game, Lucky Lines, was launched by the Lottery.
• In 2009, the first Raffle drawing was conducted.
• On March 28, 2010, Oregon added Mega Millions.

Controversy

Like other US 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 government-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.^[2][3] Several issues have been unique to Oregon, however.

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.^[4] Many have argued that these are particularly addictive forms of gambling. The electronic games have also created disputes over the revenue division between Oregon and owners of restaurants and taverns. Still another is that in 2001, Oregon introduced an online game that, to this day, requires top prize winners to receive lifetime payments, with no cash option available. This is in contrast to Megabucks, which became the first US lottery game to give winners a choice of lump sum or annuity. Neighboring Washington's Lottery offered a similar numbers game that became a scratch game in 2005, and offers a cash option.

The Oregon Lottery also has received criticism from dedicated players over the fact that all of its in-house drawings are computerized (RNG), rather than using traditional ball drawings. (Powerball, drawn in Florida, but played in Oregon as well, continues to conduct ball drawings.)^{[citation needed]}

Sports Action

In 1989, the lottery added Sports Action, a parlay game allowing wagers on National Football League (NFL) games. The reaction from the sports world was negative. 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). They even stated that Oregon would never have an NFL team as long as the betting continued.^[5] The revenues were used to provide funding to intercollegiate athletics in the state.^[5]

In 1990, NBA games were added (excluding games involving the Trail Blazers.) This prompted a lawsuit from the NBA; however, betting on basketball did not prove financially viable, and the Lottery discontinued NBA betting the following year (settling the lawsuit with the NBA thereafter). Still, wagering on football proved highly successful for Oregon, bringing in over $2 million yearly in proceeds. 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 in Oregon so long as Sports Action was available;^[5] the NBA criticized Oregon even after its wagering on NBA games was discontinued.

Many proponents of the Lottery rebuffed such criticism, noting that the Oregon Lottery, with a maximum wager of $20, was "small potatoes" compared to the Las Vegas sports book and the various illegal sports books throughout the country. Further, it had 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.

In 1997, a bill was introduced to eliminate the lottery game,^[5] but was not enacted into law. In 2005, House Bill 3466 was passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ted Kulongoski; this bill outlawed Sports Action game as of the conclusion of the 2006-2007 NFL season.^[6] As a result, the Rose Garden Arena was awarded regional games in the 2009 NCAA men's basketball tournament.^[7]

Vista sidebar gadget

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

References

1. ^ http://www.oregonlottery.org Oregon Lottery official site
2. ^ http://www.gamblingaddiction.org/oregonreport/OregonReport-02.htm Gambling and problem gambling in Oregon
3. ^ http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/gambling/lottery/a0026528.cfm Focus on the Family: A History of the Lottery
4. ^ http://www.slots2000.com/20050519/video-slots-installed-by-oregon-lottery_6e65_occjjr.aspx Video slots installed by Oregon Lottery
5. ^ ^{a b c d} "Senator wants Sports Action abolished". The Register-Guard. wire reports (Eugene, Ore.): pp. 3C. April 16, 1997. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VoAzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2esDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5804,3937499&dq=jeannette-hamby&hl=en. Retrieved 10 May 2010. 
6. ^ http://www.oregonfaculties.org/2005%20Leg%20Report.htm Association of Oregon Faculties 2005 Oregon Legislative Report
7. ^ http://www.blueoregon.com/2006/07/march_madness_c.html March Madness coming to Portland in 2009