Sports betting is banned in the majority of the US states. This is why offshore sportsbook gambling has become so popular. There are many live bookies who are operating in Oregon without a license. Bets win if there is either 0 or 1 goal scored in the match. If there are two goals exactly, the stake is returned. Bets lose if there are three or more goals scored in the match. Under 2.25: Bets win if there is either 0 or 1 goal scored in the match. Sports betting sites in Oregon allow you to place wagers on your favorite teams and players from anywhere with an internet connection. Most of these websites also allow you to bet using a mobile. Oregon has both retail and regulated online sports betting via the Scoreboard app. You are able to bet on the NFL season in Oregon and there are many options for players as well. Oregon is home to some of. Oregon sports fans have been able to legally bet on sports at reputable online sportsbooks operating legitimately outside of the United States for more than a decade. Below we provide more details and insight into the legalities, nuances, and details of Oregon's sports betting.
- All Sports Scoreboard
- How To Sports Bet In Oregon
- How To Sports Bet In Oregon Now
- How To Bet On Sports In Oregon
Oregon Lottery spokesperson Matthew Shelby has announced that the Lottery plans to get legal online sports betting up and running before the start of the NFL season on Sept. 5, 2019.
Talking on a podcast with OregonLive, Shelby said:
“We’re targeting NFL this year, launching our sports betting offering… mobile first just because it’s faster and then follow up with a sports-betting kiosk… it’s going to be much more than that sports action we offered. We’re looking at a full sports book.”
That timeline was confirmed in an Oregon Lottery meeting on Friday. Oregon has been working on the issue for awhile.
The lottery is launching its service via a stand-alone sportsbook. It isn’t building a new product, but is buying “off-the-shelf.”
The sportsbook supplier is SBTech. The Oregon Lottery selected the company on March 13 this year and issued a Notice of Intent a week later. Second-placed Scientific Games complained, but it looks like the SBTech deal is going ahead.
More details came out during the Oregon Lottery – Commission Meeting on May 31, 2019.
What legal sports betting will be on offer in Oregon
The Oregon Lottery made a presentation to the Commission in which it set out the bare bones of its sports betting plans.
The new sports betting product will offer three betting categories:
All Sports Scoreboard
- Single Event — Betting on the outcome of a single match or sporting event.
- Parlay — Chaining bets together to create the possibility of a large win for a small outlay. All elements of the parlay must hit for the customer to win.
- In-Game — Bets on events that happen after a game has started.
Wager types look fairly standard:
Sports betting will be available on three platforms:
- Mobile Devices — All options available.
- Kiosks — All options available but in-game betting options will be less convenient because of the need to access the kiosk.
- Lottery Retailers — Parlay and single event only — in-game not practical.
Players will be able to sign -up online but will be required to set their own deposit limits when they do. These can be daily, weekly or monthly.
Responsible gaming is a big part of the Lottery’s roll-out plan. The presentation to the Commission spend the majority of its time explaining the Responsible Gaming strategy which is heavily influenced by best practice elsewhere:
It is clear that mobile is a critical element of the plan. And that’s where there may now be a problem.
Sen. Chuck Riley opposes Oregon online sports betting
Oregon is in an unusual position. The state-owned lottery ostensibly has the power to launch sports betting without any further reference to the legislature.
Farshad Allahdadi, chief gaming operations officer for the Oregon Lottery, told Legal Sports Report:
“Sports betting on a local level — if it is authorized federally — does not need any additional state legislative action.”
Nonetheless it has moved slowly because it wants political support.
Until a couple of weeks ago this seemed to be a no-brainer. But then in a surprise move, Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro) threw in an amendment to House Bill 3389. The amendment baldly states:
“SECTION 3. The Oregon State Lottery Commission may not initiate or operate a lottery game for which tickets or shares may be purchased:
(1) Via the Internet; or
(2) Via a personal computer, mobile device or other personal electronic device.”
Bang. Sudden death for mobile sports betting — if the bill becomes law. Online and mobile sports betting accounts for around 80 percent of the market in New Jersey, so a ban would radically reduce the Oregon Lottery’s potential revenues.
The Lottery’s presentation to the Commission appeared to take the amendment into account, and included a section specifically on the risks of mobile sports betting:
Whether this will be enough to convince lawmakers to ignore Riley’s amendment is the big question.
Oregon expects major sports betting revenues
Provisional sports betting revenue projections are for up to $35.5 million in the first year, rising to $100 million a year, according to Shelby. Oregon’s population is less than half that of New Jersey, so the figures look realistic based on NJ’s experience so far.
In lottery terms, this is not big bucks. In 2017, the Lottery transferred $695.8 million to the state out of its total revenues of $1.25 billion.
Nevertheless the state pension funds are in trouble and some of that money will divert to fund pension obligations, so it has political support.
At the Commission Meeting, revenue forecasts for the lottery were given in outline, but there was no mention of the possible addition from sports betting.
How To Sports Bet In Oregon
All the Commission could say about Riley’s amendment was that the bill now sits with the Revenue Committee and “we continue to watch that.”
Portland is known as a hipster town, but there are also some big time sports fans located in the city. The Trail Blazers are the sweetheart professional sports team in the city, and the Timbers are also well received, especially after bringing a championship to Portland in 2015.
On this page I will touch on the legality of sports betting in Portland, recommend a couple of offshore betting sites for Portland residents and touch on the progress of sports betting in the state of Oregon.
Is Sports Betting Legal in Portland?
Regulated sports betting returned to Oregon in August of 2020. Oregon already had a law in place that allowed some forms of sports betting, so they were able to fast track sports betting regulation because they were not required to pass any new laws. Mobile sports betting in the state is run by the Oregon Lottery. You can place sports bets at the Oregon Lottery website, through their ‘Score Board’ sportsbook.
How To Sports Bet In Oregon Now
As a Oregon resident you also have the option to place your bets through offshore betting sites, like the two I recommend below, which are licensed and regulated outside of the United States. These sites accept Americans and provide a safe and secure betting platform for United States residents, including those in Portland. The offshore betting sites have built a strong reputation through years of experience serving the USA betting market and provide a great alternative to the Oregon Lottery sportsbook.
Best Betting Sites for Portland Residents
- Built for American bettors
- Wide variety of competitive betting lines
- Easy to navigate betting platform
- Accepts players worldwide
- Competitive betting lines
- Fast & easy deposits and withdrawals (including Bitcoin)
Bovada and BetOnline are the two most popular online sportsbooks accepting USA residents.
Bovada.lv is our top rated betting site for Portland residents. They are entirely focused on the American market, which allows them to cater their sportsbook, betting platform, bonuses, deposit/withdrawal options and customer service to best serve United States customers.
Bovada is currently the most popular online betting site for American players. Check out our full review here.
How To Bet On Sports In Oregon
Legal Offline Sports Betting in Portland
At this time you cannot place legal sports bets offline in Portland. Chinook Winds Casino Resort is the only Tribal Casino in Oregon currently taking bets in person, so you would have to make the two hour drive to Lincoln City if you want to bet over the counter.
More Tribal Casinos will likely add sportsbooks in the future, but at the moment Portland residents looking to place bets should do so through the Oregon Lottery website or one of the offshore betting sites I’ve listed above.
Professional Sports Teams in Portland
Portland is home to two top level professional sports teams. The Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA and the Portland Timbers of the MLS.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers are the main pro sports team in Portland. The Blazers were founded in 1970 and have been in Portland ever since. The team did bring a championship to Portland back in 1977, and they went back to the finals twice in the early 90’s, but they haven’t had as much success of late.
With the NBA trending towards super teams it’s unlikely that the Blazers win a title anytime soon, but they have been competitive in the tough Western Conference making the playoffs in each of the past 7 seasons.
Portland Timbers
The Timbers were founded in 2009 as the MLS continued their expansion. The team has been successful in the MLS, winning the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2015 and winning the MLS is Back Tournament last year. The team is still strong so they could be adding more league titles in the future.