Oregon State Lottery Not on Time for NFL Launch
- Matt Shelby says Oregon State Lottery to be delayed
- The exact timeline is still unknown
- Chinook Winds Casino Resort to launch first Oregon sports betting offer on August 27
The Oregon State Lottery will miss the beginning of the NFL season, possibly launching in the first few weeks. Alternatively, the Lottery’s sports betting offer could be delayed by up to a few months.
Oregon State Lottery Likely to Miss NFL Season
It could be a no NFL season for the Oregon State Lottery, as the company may miss out and not open on time for the upcoming event. Currently, the Lottery is trying to design a number of measures that would help it guarantee a flawless player experience – a milestone that hasn’t been achieved yet. In February, the Lottery said that it would expect launching its product ahead of the NFL season.
Initially, the Lottery said that it was preparing a mobile betting solution that would be up and running by September 5, but a revised plan has shifted that timeline. While lawmakers expected mobile betting to precede retail operations, both might be pushed back to 2020 now.
Matt Shelby, a spokesperson and public relation manager at the Oregon State Lottery, has explained that whatever the new timeline, the focus remained solely with making sure that the Lottery meet its internal standards for player experience.
The Lottery to Be Delayed by Weeks or Months
Speaking to the press, Mr. Shelby confirmed that a delay was on the cards, but he wasn’t sure how long that would be. He said that it would be between a few weeks and a few months, with hopes still being that the Lottery could be coming back in the first weeks of the NFL 2019/2020 Season.
Yet, the Lottery is reluctant to launch a half-baked product, especially when the main concerns are to up the ante for players and draw them away from popular offshore opportunities. Mr. Shelby seems confident that a better course of action would be to miss out on much of the traffic for the sake of ensuring a smooth user experience all around.
Meanwhile, the company hasn’t been sitting idly on its thumbs. In June, SBTech was selected as the lottery’s official sports betting platform provider. SBTech won against Playtech and Scientific Games, both of which participated in the bidding process.
The Oregon Lottery will focus on raising a substantial amount in taxation money over the first three years of operation, specifically collecting $141.2 million in GGR. About 19% of the total will go to SBTech. Meanwhile, the Lottery will contribute 53% of all income to public education, which is the main chart of the future tax-distribution money.
Time for Sports Betting Action in Oregon
While the Lottery may drag its feet on the release data, the Chinook Winds Casino Resort is stepping up to take care of the vacuum that the state-owned organization left. The property, located in Lincoln City, will be launching on Monday, August 27 at 9 AM.
This will effectively turn the Lincoln City property into the first place where you can place a sports wager in the Beaver State. As per the existing legislation, Oregon residents would be allowed to place wagers on pro and college betting, but they won’t be able to use a sportsbook app.
Meanwhile, residents will also have to wait a while before college sports are introduced. Chinook will work in collaboration with the Las Vegas Dissemination Company (LVDC). Speaking ahead of the launch, LVDC Director of Sales Jay Vaccaro had this to say:
“We are grateful to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians for this opportunity and are looking forward to sharing our Las Vegas style of sports wagering with the customers of Chinook Winds Casino Resort. The support and cooperation we have received has been outstanding and together we will bring additional fun and excitement to this great property.”
This means that the Oregon Lottery Scoreboard can take its time to streamline the player experience.
Rachael is a veteran gaming journalist with over 9 years of writing experience but has only just started within the gambling industry. She has built a keen interest within the iGaming sector over the years from exposure at events and intends to translate her passion into publications here at GamblingNews.com to keep our readers updated with the latest developments.
