Oregon sports betting app looks to blaze a trail before NFL season opener

Don’t worry, Oregon: Your bet won’t die of dysentery this Fall if the state lottery has anything to say about it.

The Oregon Lottery announced its highly anticipated mobile sports betting app Scoreboard last week, and we’ve gathered all of the online sportsbook’s details ahead of its upcoming launch.

Lottery officials said they are hopeful the app will be ready to launch on all mobile devices and computers before the 2019 NFL season opener on September 5 between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.

However, there is not yet an official launch date for the Scoreboard app. Officials stated that the platform is still in the testing phase and it will need to cross off several lines on the checklist before it can be made available to the public.

A testing phase is required to ensure the entire experience — including online registration, verification, and user interface functionality — is stable, and that betting accounts are secure across smartphones, tablets, and computers.

The Scoreboard geolocation services will also need to pass inspection to ensure all players are placing bets with two feet inside state lines and that no wagers are made in neighboring states where sports betting is not allowed — such as California, Washington, or Idaho — or on tribal lands.

Anyone who is at least 21 years old and is located inside Oregon’s borders will be allowed to place a real-money wager on sports at Scoreboard.

Users will only be permitted to bet on professional sports — such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, etc. — when the app launches in the coming weeks. Officials stated that while college sports betting, including college football, will be prohibited at launch, they hope to add it in the future.

At launch, bettors will only be able to place wagers via online and mobile devices, but officials said Scoreboard would eventually be available at all of the Oregon Lottery kiosks and retailers located across the state.

When it comes to combating problem gambling, the Scoreboard app will make sure individuals with high-risk behavior won’t receive promotions and instead receive ads for problem gambling hotline in case they need assistance.

Currently, the Oregon Lottery won’t shut down a user’s account if they notice someone is primed for addiction, but lottery members are currently discussing ways to potentially limit or have a timeout program available for at-risk individuals.

State lawmakers did not need to pass any legislation to legalize sports betting in Oregon because the state already offered a form of sports betting with the Oregon Lottery Sports Action parlay game, which launched in 1989.

Because of this, Oregon was partially exempt from PASPA after it was enacted in 1992, which effectively banned sports wagering at the state level across the country, excluding Nevada, who was fully exempt. The federal law was lifted on May 14, 2018.

For a quick rundown of the Oregon Lottery’s Scoreboard sports betting app, here’s everything you need to know before its launch in the coming weeks.

Oregon Lottery Scoreboard details

Operator: Oregon Lottery

Other operators: None

Launch date: TBD, target date: Before September 5

Age requirement: 21 years old

Location: Online and mobile-only (for now)

Sports allowed: All professional sports

Sports prohibited: All collegiate sports (for now)

Bet types: Point spread, money line, total (over/under), prop bets, parlays, live/in-game wagers, futures, etc.

Minimum bet amount: $1

Maximum bet amount: No limit

Gaming provider: SBTech

Geolocation provider: GeoComply

Deposits/Withdrawals: Debit cards, credit cards, PayPal

Estimated handle: $332 million in 1st year, $722 million by 3rd year

Estimated hold %: Industry average of 5-10%

Estimated revenue: $16.1 million‒$32.2 million in 1st year, $36.1 million‒$72.2 million by 3rd year (based on the estimated handle)

Revenue distribution: Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), SBTech

Jacob Jennings

Jacob has been writing ever since he was a wee lad, but he “officially” became a “professional writer” in 2013 after he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) College of Journalism and Communications. At UF CJC Weimer Hall, he learned from some of the world’s top professors — including Pulitzer Prize winners and jurors — in journalism, public relations, marketing, and multimedia. Alongside his passion for writing, Jacob has in-depth knowledge and understanding of all sports and esports and would wager that few know more than him, especially when it comes to his two favorites: NFL and college football. And because sports and betting go together like peanut butter and jelly, he chose to bake (and make) some bread by joining the team at SportsBetting.Legal in 2018. Today, you’ll catch Jacob betting, watching, and writing regularly on sports happening all around the world in addition to covering the legislation that’s currently in the works across the United States. When he isn’t working or watching his favorite sports teams disappoint him by not winning it all every year, you’ll most likely find him immersed in any number of video games, such as Borderlands, Dark Souls, The Witcher, or pretty much any competitive multiplayer game not named Fortnite.

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