Oregon Horse Racing Betting Sites

Advance deposit wagering providers (ADWs) must acquire licenses from the Oregon Racing Commission (ORC) before offering online horse racing betting to residents.

The ORC investigates applicants before licensure to ensure they have the reputational, financial, and technical means to satisfy the Commission’s licensing conditions. Once licensed, Oregon ADWs are subject to ongoing ORC oversight, inspections, and audits.

In other words, Oregon horse racing betting sites must demonstrate they are safe, comply with all applicable laws, and promote responsible gambling.

Oregon Online Racebooks

• AmWager
• Twinspires
• FanDuel Racing
• DRF Bets
• DK Horse
• Caesars Racebook
• TVG
• Xpressbet
• NYRA Bets
• 1/ST Bet
• Hollywood Races
• Iron Bets Racing

The ORC website lists active licensees.

Note: The Oregon Racing Commission list of licensed ADWs is not comprehensive because some licensees operate multiple “skins” (brands).

For example, FanDuel Racing is licensed in Oregon but doesn’t appear on the list. That’s because the FanDuel Group acquired TVG and now offers online wagering through both brands under a single license initially awarded to TVG.

Oregon Horse Race Tracks

Live horse racing is a declining industry in Oregon, where just one permanent race track and four annual events combine for fewer than 30 race days.

Grants Pass Downs

Grants Pass Downs at the Don Jackson Racing Facility is Oregon’s sole remaining permanent race track and hosts the state’s only commercial meet every fall from September through October.

The Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association also hosts a seven-day meet (Racing on the Rogue) every July at Grants Pass Downs.

Fans can find Grants Pass Downs at the Josephine County Fairgrounds in Grants Pass.

1451 Fairgrounds Road
Grants Pass, OR 97527

Eastern Oregon Livestock Show Racing

The Eastern Oregon Livestock Show hosts three days of racing and pari-mutuel wagering every July in Union.

760 E Delta St
Union, OR 97883

Crooked River Roundup Racing

The Crooked River Roundup holds four days of horse racing and wagering every July at the Crook County Fairgrounds in Prineville.

1280 S Main St
Prineville, OR 97754

Tillamook County Fair Racing

The Tillamook County Fair offers three days of pari-mutuel horse racing by the coast every August in Tillamook.

4603 East 3^rd St
Tillamook, OR 97141

Oregon Off-Track Betting Locations

Organizations with race meet licenses may operate standalone off-track betting facilities (OTBs), subject to Oregon Racing Commission approval.

Ten Oregon OTBs offer simulcasting and pari-mutuel wagering, including six in the Portland metro area.

Portland OTBs

ALEXS-BAR

Off-track wagering seven days a week; occasional handicapping tournaments

1712 NE 223^rd Ave
Fairview, OR 97024

Portland Meadows

Off-track betting area open five days a week; bets accepted in the poker room when the OTB area is closed; 16 big screen TVs

8102 Northeast Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97218

Rialto Poolroom

Visit the Jock Club Betting Lounge at the Rialto for off-track betting, drinks, pool, poker, and entertainment in a cozy, classical atmosphere.

529 SW 4th Ave
Portland, OR 97204

The Speakeasy

Off-track wagering at an unassuming locals’ bar “where everyone knows your name.”

15680 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Stadiums Sports Bar

Large sports bar with nearly 50 TVs, off-track betting, games, and sports programming.

16065 SE McLoughlin Blvd
Oak Grove, OR 97267

Tom’s Bar

Tom’s Bar is open until 2:30 AM seven days a week. It offers off-track betting, pool tables, arcade games, six big-screen TVs, and an attached homestyle diner.

3871 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202

Other Oregon OTBs

GOOL Sports Cantina & OTB (Salem)

Bet on horse races, order tacos, watch Spanish-language soccer broadcasts, and catch every major boxing bout at GOOL Sports Cantina.

1486 Hawthorne Ave NE
Salem, OR 97301

Emerald Lanes (Eugene)

Family-friendly bowling alley, restaurant, pro shop, and OTB.

140 Oakway Road
Eugene, OR 97401

Lava Lanes (Bend)

Bettors can find Central Oregon’s only off-track wagering location at 300 Sports Club inside Lava Lanes. Other amenities include pool tables, arcade machines, a café, and cosmic bowling.

1555 NE Forbes Rd
Bend, OR 97701

Action’s Sports Bar (Ontario)

Visit Action’s Sports Bar for off-track betting, nine pool tables, darts, pull-tab games, and daily food and drink specials.

490 East Lane, #10
Ontario, OR 97914

Historical Horse Racing Machines in Oregon

Historical horse racing machines (HHRs) are legal but unavailable in Oregon.

The last Oregon horse racing betting facility with HHRs was Portland Meadows, which offered them from 2015 until it closed in 2019.

State law permits authorized facilities to install HHRs, but questions regarding the law’s constitutionality have resulted in the ORC pausing all HHR-related approvals in recent years.

TMB Racing, which operates Grants Pass Downs, sought ORC approval in 2021 to install 225 HHRs at The Flying Lark, a 37,000-square-foot entertainment and dining venue completed in 2022.

Despite overseeing HHRs for four years at Portland Meadows, the ORC did not issue a timely decision to TMB Racing. Instead, the ORC petitioned the Attorney General’s Office for a legal opinion on HHRs at pari-mutuel wagering facilities.

After a nearly year-long delay, the ORC received an unfavorable opinion from the Attorney General and denied TMB Racing’s request.

Construction on The Flying Lark was nearly complete by then, so TMB Racing finished the job and listed the property for sale.

Online Historical Horse Racing Machines in Oregon

Online historical horse racing games came to Oregon briefly when the Oregon Racing Commission issued a five-year license to Luckii.com in 2019.

Imagery from the dormant Luckii website depicts a “slot-like experience” that was available to customers anywhere in Oregon.

Luckii.com launched in December 2020 but closed in 2021 after the Oregon legislature passed SB 165, which prohibited online historical horse racing.

Oregon Racing Commission Audit

The ORC’s approval of slot-like games at Luckii.com surprised lawmakers and other stakeholders, leading to sharp backlash and a formal request for a thorough audit of the Oregon Racing Commission.

The Secretary of State commenced the audit after receiving the request and following multiple ORC mishaps, including:

• Its delayed and controversial decision on HHRs at Grants Pass Downs
• Its surprise approval of online HHRs at Luckii.com
• ORC Director Connie Winn declining to answer a lawmaker’s questions at a subcommittee hearing

After completing the audit, the Secretary of State published a 46-page report summarizing its findings. The audit identified numerous concerns regarding the Oregon Racing Commission and highlighted four critical issues:

• Ambiguous and outdated state laws need refinement to keep up with changing technology to avoid conflicts with the Oregon Constitution
• ORC Commission positions that remained vacant for nearly three years
• Limited oversight over how the ORC allocates and uses funding
• Missing documentation regarding past oversight activities

Oregon Horse Racing Betting Law

Oregon legalized horse racing betting and established the Oregon Racing Commission in 1933.

The legislature approved off-track betting in 1987, online horse racing betting in 1997, and historical horse racing machines (HHRs) in 2013.

Lawmakers approved SB 77 in 2019 to permit race tracks to offer virtual racing-style games based on historic horse race results.

However, lawmakers became dismayed when the Oregon Racing Commission cited the law as justification for granting Luckii.com a license to offer slot-style HHRs online.

The legislature reversed course with additional legislation in 2021 prohibiting online HHRs.

Readers can see Oregon’s horse racing betting laws and regulations in full below.

• Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 462
• Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 462

Oregon ADW Licenses

Contrary to its lowly status in live horse racing, Oregon plays an outsized and instrumental role in the national advance deposit wagering market.

Oregon is one of just two states (the other being North Dakota) where operators can apply for multi-jurisdictional licenses, and it remains the most popular licensing destination.

Nearly all prominent horse racing betting sites hold Oregon ADW licenses and process wagers through facilities hosted in-state. Today, Oregon handles (and taxes) more than $6.5 billion in horse racing wagers annually.

Oregon’s current status as the premier licensing jurisdiction for advance deposit wagering operators is due to several factors.

First, Oregon established the nation’s first multi-jurisdictional licensing hub when it legalized online horse racing betting. That first-mover advantage continues to benefit Oregon to this day.

One of the law’s defining characteristics is that it considers all wagers placed through licensed ADWs as having been made in Oregon. As a result, online racebooks licensed in Oregon may serve customers in any other state where advance deposit wagering is permitted.

Second, Oregon horse racing betting licenses streamline the approval process in other states that require licensing. Whether an operator has an Oregon ADW license is a consideration factor in some states, especially those that lack the resources and experience to vet applicants as thoroughly as Oregon does.

Additionally, reasonable tax rates and a light regulatory touch further cement Oregon as an attractive destination for operators that wish to offer advance deposit wagering in multiple states.

Oregon Online Horse Racing Betting Taxes

Oregon treats horse racing betting winnings as taxable income, and licensed operators are subject to federal tax reporting and withholding rules.

Note: BettingUSA recommends readers with questions to seek advice from qualified tax professionals.

Licensed ADWs in Oregon are subject to state taxes on their gross wagering receipts and can choose from two tax formulas:

• 0.125% on gross wagering receipts for the first $60 million, then 0.25% on the rest
• 0.25% on all gross wagering receipts except in one state if ADWs are legal in that state and its tax rate is less than 0.25%. In that state only, the operator pays the lower tax rate.

Regardless of which formula operators choose, their obligations to the state never exceed the maximum payment amount set by the Oregon Racing Commission each year.

In other words, Oregon horse racing betting sites will never have to pay more than the following amounts in any given year, no matter how much revenue they generate.

The payment cap increases by 2.5% annually, but the ORC retains the right to change the maximum payment rule.

• 2024: $797,647.00
• 2025: $817,588.18
• 2026: $838,027.88
• 2027: $858,978.58
• 2028: $880,453.04
• 2029: $902,464.37
• 2030: $925,025.97

Oregon Horse Racing Betting FAQ