A national report released Wednesday gives Oregon an F for how well it protects its residents from online gambling addiction.
The nonprofit Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research, or CASPR, gave the state a score of 43 on a scale of 100, placing it in the bottom 10 of 50 states.
OJP has previously reported that online gambling in Oregon brought in less than 5% of the state’s $1.7 billion in total gambling revenue in 2024. (Most of that revenue comes from the sale of Oregon Lottery tickets, and video poker machines). And while online sports gambling accounts for only a fraction of this, it is the fastest-growing segment of gambling in Oregon and many studies have concluded it’s far more addictive than other forms of gambling.
The lure of 24/7 unlimited online gambling makes addiction and bankruptcy more likely for countless Oregonians, according to Nicholas Reville, CASPR’s executive director.
Oregon’s failing grade, according to the CASPR report, stems not just from the fact that it offers sports betting online (as do 30 other states). Oregon also actively promotes online betting. In early February, the state’s lottery web page posted an announcement that Super Bowl bets were open on Draft Kings, and advertised a variety of “prop bets.”
Only two other states, New Hampshire, ranked 43rd, and Delaware, ranked 50th, sponsor advertising for online gaming.
CASPR also marked down Oregon because, unlike other states with sports betting, it doesn’t maintain a list of struggling gamblers who self-report to be banned from gambling for a set period. Draft Kings allows Oregon players to submit personal information to “self-exclude” themselves from making new online bets for anywhere from one year to five. But unlike 29 of the other states that allow online gambling, there is no way for problem gamblers to tell Oregon that they shouldn’t be allowed to play other games.
The Oregon Health Authority estimates there are 88,000 Oregonians with gambling disorders and another 180,000 at risk for developing a problem with gambling.
“For a state like Oregon, there’s just a lot of harm happening to citizens, and it’s not really bringing a lot of benefit,” Reville says.
The day before CASPR’s report, the Oregon Lottery announced that March was Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
As for the failing grade, a spokesperson for the Oregon Lottery said the state offers a variety of resources to treat problem gambling. (The state’s problem gambling recovery and prevention efforts are supported by 1% of Oregon Lottery revenue.)
Legislative oversight of gaming has been lacking as well. The Oregon Legislature had committees on gambling regulation in the 2021–22 interim and 2023 regular sessions. They passed no legislation in either session. They were essentially “ineffective,” says Kitty Martz, executive director of Portland’s Voices of Problem Gambling Recovery.
Oregon also hasn’t taken enough action to combat “prediction markets” like Kalshi, Martz says. These markets can operate nationally because users trade “contracts” with each other, not with a centralized bookmaker like Draft Kings. Users place bets on everything from whether someone on trial gets the death penalty to who will win a certain election.
Oregon’s “lack of regulatory guardrails for the prediction markets becomes not only concerning on a gambling harm level, but an ethical level,” Martz says.
OJP sent Gov. Tina Kotek’s office the report Wednesday for comment. Kotek has not responded.
>>Need support for a gambling problem? Call the National Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-MY-RESET
Oregon Journalism Project
This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit investigative newsroom for the state of Oregon. OJP seeks to inform, engage and empower Oregonians with investigative and watchdog reporting that makes a significant impact at the state and local levels. Its stories appear in partner newspapers across the state. Learn more at oregonjournalismproject.org.