Oregon Sports Betting Sees Another Increase in Handle to $25.3M for April

The Oregon sports betting industry has not seen massive growth and expansion like other states around the country, but there was some positive news in April. After the state saw a decrease in revenue and handle for two straight months, both of those numbers were on the rise in April.

The total sports betting handle in Oregon for the month of April was $25.3 million. This was an increase of over five percent from March, but it still does not come close to challenging the state record.

In January 2021, the total sports betting was an industry record $34.9 million. January was a big month for nearly every state with legal sports betting, and the NFL Playoffs had a huge role in the numbers.

Oregon also saw a massive jump in gross gaming revenue for the month of April as the total was nearly two times the amount in March. Gross gaming revenue was $2.7 million after it was only $1.4 million in March.

None of these numbers put Oregon inside the top ten in terms of betting markets in the US, but it is important for the state to show some growth. There likely won’t be much change over the next few months, but new records could be set when the NFL returns this fall.

No Boost From March Madness

While most of the company put up impressive numbers in March, that was not the case in Oregon. The 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament helped several states challenge previous state records for industry and handle; Oregon bettors were not able to bet on this event.

The Scoreboard app does not offer any bets on college sporting events, and that is a big reason why the state is showing little growth. Sports bettors can bet on college markets at retail locations, but those are only offered at two tribal casinos in the state.

Basketball Most Popular Market

The National Basketball Association is a popular league in the state of Oregon, and that was the most popular betting market in April. Betting on basketball accounted for $13.6 million in betting handle last month, easily leading the way.

Parlay betting continues to be a popular option for sports bettors in the state as it accounted for $6.6 million in wagers. Baseball was the second-most popular betting market in Oregon as the total handle on that sport was $4.3 million.

New Options Coming?

Lawmakers in Oregon are attempting to improve the current sports-betting climate, and there was some hope for change to begin in 2021. House Bill 2127 was introduced in January, and it sought to make the Oregon Racing Commission the new regulatory body of the industry.

The bill was introduced on January 11, but there hasn’t been any action taken on it since January 19. This bill would also allow for more operators in the state besides the Scoreboard app and would lead to an increase in both handle and revenue.