A successful first week
Scoreboard, the Oregon Lottery’s sports betting app, has registered more than $500,000 in wagers since launching on October 16.
the first time that those on the West Coast can place a legal sports bet on a mobile
After numerous delays to its launch, the highly anticipated Scoreboard app release saw thousands of registrations. The Oregon Lottery announced yesterday in a tweet that over 16,500 people have already signed up for an account.
This is the first time that those on the West Coast can place a legal sports bet on a mobile device.
One bettor spoke about how legal mobile sports wagering is a much better alternative to using underground websites or bookies, saying:
I feel more confident in my bet placing and getting my money back.”
Overcoming initial teething problems
The mobile sports betting launch in Oregon was set for the end of August or the start of September at the latest. However, the product did not pass the initial round of testing, and changes had to be made before launching to the public.
The Oregon Lottery intended to release Scoreboard in time for the start of the NFL season, but it only managed to get it on the market in week seven. A large portion of the bets made on the mobile app in its first week were on pro football games.
Further changes in the works
There are many different sports Oregonians can bet on with the Scoreboard app, but college sports markets are not yet available through the mobile offering. The Oregon Lottery’s reasoning to initially only offer pro sports betting was that it made an “easier sell to the border audience”. Lottery officials have said this might change at some stage in 2020.
The state only has one pro sports team, the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team, and two big-time college sports teams, the Oregon State Beavers and the Oregon Ducks. Officials acknowledge that there would be a significant demand for college sports betting.
The only retail sports betting facility in the state is under the operation of the Siletz Tribe. Unlike its state-run rival, this sportsbook offers college sports betting. However, the tribes in Oregon cannot offer online sports betting.
Since the ending of the federal ban on sports betting, states with legal mobile sports betting have seen massive revenue results.