Oregon casino sports betting ready to open, state will delay

(Update: Adding details)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon casino plans to begin offering sports betting ahead of the state lottery agency, which does not expect to meet its goal of starting when professional football kicks off, officials said.

Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City expects to open sports betting Aug. 27, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Wednesday.

Chinook Winds sports betting will only be available at the casino and will include NCAA wagers.

“We’re expecting it to be pretty busy,” said Will Robertson, director of casino operations. “There may be lines to get your bets in.”

The casino owned by the Siletz tribe has set aside a “sports wagering lounge” equipped with 15 televisions so players can see the games they bet on, Robertson said.

The Oregon State Lottery also plans to offer sports betting games, but agency spokesman Matt Shelby said the agency does not expect its service to be ready for the opening of the NFL season.

“It will likely be two, three weeks into the season,” he said.

The delay was caused by the need to design interfaces between the games and different purchase technologies developed in recent years, Shelby said.

The state’s app will allow bets to be placed from anywhere, but will not take wagers on college sports, he said.