WORKING FOR LOTTERY RETAILERSORLA's Government Affairs team focuses on protecting Oregon Lottery Retailers
ORLA is the only major trade association in the state that has defended lottery retailers since the introduction of video lottery in Oregon. ORLA staff have regular conversations with the Oregon State Lottery (OSL) on issues of importance including the protection of commission rates. ORLA also works to shield against extreme regulatory attacks, such as increased casino expansions off tribal reservations, and is supportive of gaming as entertainment, adjunct to the hospitality industry. Update in September: The Oregon Lottery is delaying the rollout for sports betting to ensure they have worked out all the bugs, hoping to have it up and running by mid-October. The new sports app, called Scoreboard, will only offer lines on international and domestic professional sports and will not feature college sports markets. The app will also offer betting formats ranging from single-game to parlays as well as in-game wagering options and use a geolocating service to ensure betting occurs only from within state lines and geofencing will be used to prevent any use of the app on tribal lands. Lottery Retailer Forums: In anticipation of the contract negotiations, the Oregon Lottery hosted Lottery Retailer Forums around the state to talk directly with Lottery retailers. ORLA representatives attended and provided testimony at each of the four retailer forums. Download the Oregon Lottery's presentation here: OSL Retailer Forum presentation Retailer Contracts: The current lottery contract with the state expires in 2020 and with that in mind, ORLA has reactivated our Lottery Committee and will be working over the next year and a half to develop and negotiate terms for the next lottery retailers contract. ORLA requested that the Lottery move the length of contract back to a six-year contract and we will continue to ask for this and other important retailer considerations during the Lottery contract negotiations. The timeline for contract negotiations looks roughly like this:
ORLA Lottery Committee: ORLA is hosting regular meetings with our Lottery Committee to keep dues paying members informed and discuss the contract. If you are interested in participating in an upcoming meeting, email Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs, at Astley@OregonRLA.org. Gaming Initiatives: On May 3, 2019, the Oregon Lottery Commission voted 5-0 to move forward on pursuing a contract with a European company to bring sports betting to the Oregon Lottery’s mobile app. The Oregon Lottery hopes to have sports betting rolled out by the start of the 2019 NFL season. The following week Senator Chuck Riley, Chair of the Senate Committee on Business and General Government, introduced an amendment to HB 3389. The bill, which would allow the winners of large multi-state lottery games such as Mega Millions and Powerball to accept their winnings anonymously or have them paid into a trust that would not identify them, passed the House in late April 55 to two in favor and seemed to be on its way to passing in the Senate. Senator Riley’s amendment, however, would significantly alter the bill by prohibiting lottery gaming on personal electronic devices or through the internet effectively killing any chances for the Oregon Lottery to offer gaming on mobile phones or other devices. At the first meeting in March 2018, ORLA invited Lottery Director Barry Pack and Chief Gaming Operations Officer, Farshad Allahdadi to speak to the group. Lottery members heard first hand some of the upcoming advancements in lottery gaming as well as the future of the Lottery as it pertains to new games, new accessibility and how they interact with retailers and players. One potential is using mobile devices for “direct player transactions” and “push notifications.” Have questions / concerns about issues relating to the Lottery? Give us a call at 503.682.4422 or email Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs, at Astley@OregonRLA.org. Related News & Information:
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LOTTERY RESOURCES LOTTERY RETAILER FORUMS Watch now: Lottery Retailer forums need your voice |