Virtual Sports May Be New Addition To Oregon Sports Betting

• The Oregon Lottery is looking to add virtual sports betting to their Scoreboard sports betting platform.
• Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the sports betting industry has taken major losses nationwide.
• Oregon needs to change the rules and regulations of their sports wagering market to allow for virtual sports betting to be an option for bettors in the state.

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Lottery is taking public opinion until June 10 on whether or not sports bettors in the state would like to add virtual sports betting to its Scoreboard betting platform.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic has suspended most major sporting events worldwide, the legal gambling industry has suffered major losses. Adding virtual sports betting events to the list of wagers that members can bet on will be an added source of potential revenue until regular sports matchups begin to resume.

The Scoreboard Order For The Public

The Lottery would need to amend their rules and regulations to make virtual sports betting a reality for gamblers in the Beaver State.

While this would typically take a while to get done, the Lottery is hoping to expedite this newest addition to their wagering menu once they receive the stance of residents through the window of public opinion being done.

If virtual sports betting is something that they are interested in, the Lottery would like to act quickly to place this option on their Oregon Lottery Scoreboard application for users.

A temporary administrative order sent out by the Oregon Lottery explained the need for rules to be changed quickly to keep sports bettors engaged and for the platform to be able to profit during the outbreak of COVID-19.

“The Lottery could offer bets on virtual sporting events, which are computer simulations of real-life sporting events in which winners are determined by a random number generator. The availability of such games could keep Scoreboard players engaged and entertained during the public health emergency and help the Lottery raise revenue for public programs, but the current Scoreboard rules do not envision virtual sporting events. Therefore, the rules need to be amended to define virtual sporting events, explain how winners are determined, and explain how Lottery will ensure game integrity in virtual sporting events,” read the order.

What’s Next?

Virtual sports betting has been adopted by many legal sportsbooks nationwide since the Coronavirus pandemic in order for operators to profit.

The Oregon Scoreboard platform has not made as much money as originally estimated prior to its launch in October. Back then when it became live to the public until the suspension of sporting events, it made overall revenues of about $6 million.

However, their payments to operator SBTech took away from those profits considerably.

Scoreboard will ensure that all virtual sports betting wagers and events are computerized with random winners for each match. Odds will also be done digitally so that there is no chance of any unfair advantage or corrupted information on matches for members gambling on the games.

If a public opinion on virtual sports betting events is favorable, the Lottery will work quickly to place the addition onto their Scoreboard platform as so many other states have done before them. The people of Oregon have until June 10 to weigh in on the topic.

News tags: Coronavirus | COVID-19 | Oregon | Oregon Lottery | Oregon Lottery Scoreboard | SBTech | Scoreboard application | Virtual sports betting