Online Gambling in Oregon (2023)

Is Online Gambling Legal In Oregon?

Online gambling is a growing sport all over the world. There is an equally overwhelming American participation in online gambling. But few states are yet to regulate this virtual gambling activity within their borders. Remarkably, Oregon is one of those states.

Oregon has a rich gambling history. The Beaver state legalized horse racing betting in 1931 and established the Oregon Racing Commission to oversee it. But Section 167.109 of the Oregon Revised Statutes does not mince words about Internet Gambling. If it is on the internet and a way to make money from gambling, there is no room for it in Oregon.

Does this automatically mean you can’t try any online wager? Well, Yes… And No.

Online gambling is illegal in Oregon, but gambling itself is legal. As a result, the state has been reluctant to shake up its traditional gambling system. But Oregon still permits a range of gambling activities and even some gray areas of online gambling. So let’s look at how this gambling thing works in Oregon.

Legal Gambling Options In Oregon

Oregon has been open to gambling activities since the 1930s. Passing the Pari-Mutuel wagering Act set the ball rolling for the booming gambling sector in the state. In addition, the state adjusted its laws in 1931 and 1973 to permit other gambling activities like greyhound betting and social betting that permit private clubs to host poker games. Here is a breakdown of all the legal gambling activities you can do in Oregon:

Sports Betting

It is no news that most American states could not regulate sports betting between 1992 and 2018. But Oregon was never one of those states. While the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 restricted most American states from regulating online gambling within their borders, Oregon enjoyed some immunity.

Sports betting has been legal in Oregon since 1989. Despite the PASPA introduction, the Beaver state actively regulated Sports Action (or Parlay Type) betting between 1989 and 2007. The state only abandoned sports action in 2007 because the NCAA refused to host its tournaments in Oregon if the state still permitted that kind of sports betting.

A lot has changed since 2007. No, Oregon has not legalized Sports Action, but sports betting is now legal. After the Supreme Court repealed the PASP Act in 2018, the Oregon House of Assembly became the 18th state to Legalize Sports Betting in 2019. 

The Oregon Lottery Commission regulated sports betting in the state between 2019 and 2022. The Commission also leapt forward by creating a state-wide online sports betting platform, the ScoreBoard sports betting app. The app allows punters all over the state to place their bets on sports activities online. This almost felt like a good sign for online gambling, but the Commission maintained a monopoly on every online sports betting activity within the state.

While sports activities like horse and greyhound racing have been available for punters to wager on since the 1930s, Oregon only has three sports betting options. Two of these sportsbooks are retail sport betting outlets, while the third WAS the Oregon Lottery Commission’s ScoreBoard platform.

In January 2022, DraftKings replaced the Scoreboard as the only online sportsbook in the state. The sportsbook offers more bonuses and richer gaming options to their Oregon customers. It also features gaming options from outside Oregon.

Daily Fantasy Sports

In 2017, the Oregon House of Assembly heard House Bill 2594, which intended to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports in Oregon. The Bill would have given the Oregon Lottery Commission power to register and regulate Daily Fantasy Sports operators within the state. Unfortunately, the house adjourned the Bill in July 2017, and it has been stuck in limbo since that time.

Despite this obvious legislative snafu, Daily Fantasy Sports has become a growing activity in Oregon. Unfortunately, the state does not have any regulatory system for the operators, but it is not exactly illegal since it is not an online gambling activity. 

Several people have tried to justify Daily Fantasy Sport as a game of skills instead of the game of luck that we call gambling. While it is an online activity, Daily Fantasy Sport conforms to our definitions of internet gaming rather than the general idea of online gambling. 

There is a growing number of Daily Fantasy Sports Operators in Oregon. And since there is no legal regulation of their activities, we can call them illegal or unregulated Operators.

Lotteries

The lottery has been a consistent form of reward and amusement in Oregon since 1984. Like most state-run gambling outfits, Oregon Lotteries have offered residents guaranteed ways to wager and make some money. 

The Oregon Lottery Commission administers the lotteries and currently manages over 12,000 virtual lottery terminals within the state. These terminals include various gaming options like the popular Oregon Games’ Megabuck, Mega Million, Powerball, and Win For Life. 

However, the lottery system does not have an established online platform. Oregon launched an online platform, but it runs on a limited system that dispenses information like gaming schedules and recently.

Tribal Casinos

Two prominent features of the Beaver State are its Casinos and Indian Tribes. Oregon currently recognizes nine Indian Tribes, and the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act of 1988 permits them to run independent state-sanctioned casinos.

The nine Indian tribes in Oregon run their land-based casinos that offer gaming options ranging from slots to other regular casino options. Three of these casinos are strictly slots casinos, while only the Chinook Winds Casino & Convention Center, Wildhorse Resort & Casino, and the Three Rivers Casino Resort operate Poker Rooms.

Aside from these nine casinos. Oregon also has about 15 recognized Poker Houses. There is no explicit provision in Oregon legislation for Poker Houses, and the Oregon Lottery Commission does not regulate them. These Poker Houses have rich patronage and some licenses from city officials, but the Lottery Commission has not granted any approval to Poker Houses.

Social Gambling

Social or Charitable Gambling is one of the alternatives for Oregon punters. The state is filled with private clubs and Non Governmental Organizations that offer gambling activities for entertainment and charitable purposes. These gambling games do not provide financial rewards to the players but have the same thrill.

Social Gambling provides a wide blanket for gamblers in Oregon. These clubs offer most casino games and sometimes charge their patrons for these games, but they do not offer sizable winnings. Any licensed Religious, charitable, or fraternal organization can offer these gambling options like Poker, Bingo, and other raffle games.

The major limitation to social gambling is the absence of actual rewards. But the state also limits how much the players can wager on most games. Oregon maintains a range of $1 and $10 betting limits for each game in these social gambling centers.

Gambling Laws In Oregon

The heavy restriction against online betting indicates Oregon’s legal stand on gambling. The state has been regulating gambling activities since 1931 when horse racing became legal. Let’s do a quick run-through of how Oregon regulates gambling activities within its borders.

Oregon Lottery Commission

The Oregon Lottery Commission regulates all gambling activities within the state. The Oregon state constitution provides for a five-member lottery commission that oversees the registration and monitoring of gambling operations in the state.

The Commission launched in 1985 when Oregon launched its state lottery, and the Commission has been regulating the lottery and subsequent gambling activities. The Commission works with the Lottery Director to manage the state lottery, while private operators like the casinos and social gambling vendors also submit to the Commission’s supervision.

Regulatory Legislations

While Oregon does not have special statutes regulating gambling activities, the limited regulations cover necessary gambling restrictions. The Oregon Revised Statutes is one of the leading legislation in the state, and it has provisions for gambling regulations. Sections 167.108 to 462.010 of the Oregon Revised Statutes cover most gambling regulations. Section 167.109 makes internet gambling illegal in Oregon, while subsequent sections provide necessary details in the administration of gambling activities in the state. The office of the Oregon Secretary of State summarized the regulation on Lottery as Division 46, and all its contents are from the Oregon Revised Statutes.

While Oregon permits most gambling activities within its borders, Online gambling is generally prohibited. The limit of online gambling used to be the Scoreboard Platform, the state-wide online sportsbook wagering platform. On the 12th of January, 2022, DraftKings Sportsbook replaced Scoreboard as the official sports betting partner of the Oregon Lottery.

Online Gambling Options in Oregon

Most punters are familiar with DraftKings as a gambling operator, and their sports betting platforms are among the best sportsbooks in their respective jurisdictions. DraftKings currently runs Daily Fantasy Sports and a Sportsbook platform in Oregon. The sportsbook platform offers gaming options across major leagues like

• NBA
• NFL
• NCAA
• MLB
• UEFA., among others.

There are other sports betting operators in the state, but only DraftKings Sportsbook operates with a license from the Oregon Lottery Commission. While these unlicensed Sportsbooks may offer similar gaming options as Draftskings, it is an illegal act in Oregon. It is a Class A misdemeanor to participate in unlawful gambling operated by an unregulated provider. It acts up to a $6,500 fine for losing players, while winning players may pay up to two times their winnings.