oregon lottery

The Oregon Lottery is run by the State of Oregon. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Games offered 3 Controversy 4 Vista sidebar gadget 5 References //

History

The Oregon Lottery was enabled by an amendment to the Oregon Constitution approved by voters in the 1984 general election. The lottery commenced operations the following year, initially offering two types of games; scratch-it tickets, and a jackpot game called Megabucks. The lottery has since added numerous additional games, occasionally removing some which are not financially successful.

In fiscal year 2006, the lottery reached USD $1 billion for the first time. Broken down by game, revenue figures for the fiscal year were as follows (all figures in United States dollars):[1] Video Lottery: $728.8 million Scratch-its: $127.1 million Keno: $117 million Powerball: $58.9 million Megabucks: $38.7 million Sports Action: $12.1 million Breakopens: $1.7 million Pick 4: $1.4 million Lucky Lines: $1.1 million Scoreboard: $644,447

Games offered

The following games are currently offered, or have been offered, by the lottery: [2] Megabucks, an in-state jackpot game, first offered in 1985. Oregon Megabucks, in 1990, was the first US lottery game to give players a choice of lump sum or annuity, should they win the top prize. Scratch-it games, first offered in 1985. Numerous different games have been offered over the years. "Breakopen" games, first offered in 1987 In 1988, Oregon joined the multi-state lottery game Lotto*America, which became Powerball in 1992. Four Powerball jackpots have been won in Oregon; a USD $38.4 million winner from Eugene in 1992; a USD $33.8 million winner from Beaverton in 1999; a family from Jacksonville won a then-record $340 million jackpot in 2005; and in March 2007 a man from Milwaukie, Oregon, won a $182.7 million jackpot. Powerball (whose cash option began in 1997) is offered by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). In 1989, the lottery added Sports Action, a sports parlay game which enabled betting on NFL games. In 1989, NBA games were added (excluding games involving the Oregon-based Portland Trail Blazers); wagering on basketball was discontinued in 1990. In 2005, a bill was signed which ended football wagering at the conclusion of the 2006–2007 NFL season. A keno game was first offered in 1991. In 1992, the lottery begin offering Video Lottery games that included versions of draw poker. In 2005, "line" games were added to the product mix on its Video Lottery terminals. In 2006, the tic-tac-toe-style game called "Lucky Lines" was launched by the Lottery.

Controversy

Like other state lotteries (and gambling in general), the Oregon Lottery has drawn its share of controversy. Topics of debate include generic topics such as the morality of legalized and/or state-sponsored gambling, the alleged disproportionate effect that gambling (legal or otherwise) has on the poor, and the suitability of lottery dollars (as opposed to involuntary