Oregon Sports Betting Numbers Declined in March
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Without the benefit of March Madness, Oregon’s online sports betting activity continued to decline.
The Oregon Lottery reported a March sports betting handle of $36.2 million ($36.1 million from DraftKings, $24,836 from Scoreboard), down 8.2% from February’s $39.5 million but was 50.5% higher than March 2021’s $24.1 million.
Betting on college sports online is currently outlawed in Oregon, meaning the state’s residents were unable to wager on the NCAA men’s or women’s basketball tournaments. March Madness typically serves as a boost for states that permit college betting.
Oregon’s March sports betting revenue was $3.6 million ($3.6 million from DraftKings, $5,295 from Scoreboard), an increase of 8.5% from February’s $3.3 million and was 163.4% higher than March 2021’s $1.4 million.
Basketball was the most bet on sport in March, taking in $23.2 million in bets. Hockey ($3.7 million), soccer ($3.3 million), tennis ($2.7 million) and baseball ($113,546) rounded out the top five. All other sports accounted for $3.1 million in wagers.
DraftKings Sportsbook officially became the single-source betting option in Oregon on Jan. 18, taking over for the Scoreboard app that previously took in bets across the state.
Oregon Sports Betting Revenue & Handle, March vs. February
| Handle | Revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| March | $36.208M | $3.621M |
| February | $39.457M | $3.335M |
| Change | Down 8.2% | Up 8.5% |
Oregon Bill to Allow Betting on College Sports
A bill in the Senate could allow Oregon residents to finally bet on college sports. Senate Bill 1503 is currently under consideration in the Senate Rules Committee and would overturn the current ban on wagering on the outcomes of college games.
The bill is sponsored by Senate President Peter Courtney, who highlighted the importance of wagering on college games in a regulated and legal market for Oregon residents during a public hearing about the bill. Courtney reiterated how betting on college games illegally is already taking place in the state on offshore websites or through illegal books.
“Illegal betting can be dangerous for Oregonians,” Courtney said during a February public hearing. “These illegal websites are not regulated and can expose gamblers to potential fraud or theft.”
Courtney is against college player props and supports an amendment that would ban betting on college individual performances. Another amendment would direct proceeds towards funding the Oregon Opportunity Grand Program, which gives college scholarships to low-income Oregon residents.
“This will stabilize and permanently fund Opportunity Grants in a very powerful way,” said Courtney, who said he believes the new revenue could add up to 3,000 new grants for college students. “This is a major source of funding in the millions of dollars.”
Those against the sports betting bill point toward potential revenue loss for the state’s tribes, who can offer college sports betting on tribal lands. But many of those tribal casinos are in rural areas away from most of the state’s population in cities.
“The reality here is this would be taking money out of tribes’ pockets,” Justin Martin, a lobbyist for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde said. “We need to take a pause and study this and look at the right way to do things in Oregon moving forward.”
The Senate Rules Committee did not act on the bill. It remains in the committee.
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