Oregon Risks Suit by Adding NBA to Lottery

SALEM, Ore. —  The Oregon Lottery Commission, unswayed by the threat of an NBA lawsuit, voted unanimously Monday to add professional basketball to its Sports Action betting game.

NBA commissioner David Stern quickly reacted, repeating a vow to sue the state over its actions.

“Because we believe that the decision of the lottery commission poses a serious threat to the well-being of the NBA,” Stern said, “it is an improper invasion of our rights and violates the law. We have been left with no choice but to seek to protect our interest through the courts, and we anticipate commencing litigation in the very near future.”

Stern contends including the NBA would make fans more concerned with point spreads than the game itself.

But lottery commissioner Michael Schwartz said such contentions were not well-founded.

He said the NBA has done nothing to stop large-scale sports gambling in Nevada.

Lottery commissioner Delbert Hayes said that body received a mandate from the legislature to generate money for college athletic programs with new lottery games with sports themes.

Hayes said it would “split hairs” to differentiate the planned NBA betting game from Sports Action betting on National Football League games.

Oregon is the only state operating a lottery-sponsored betting game based on the outcome of professional sports.

The Portland Trail Blazers will not be included in the new game.

Lottery director Jim Davey said the Blazers were being left out as a courtesy.

The NBA Sports Action game is expected to begin in early January, after the NFL regular season ends. The lottery game probably will include 16 basketball games a week, Davey said.

The Oregon game, the first of its kind in the country, allows people to wager at least $1 on three to 14 NFL games. To win, a person must pick all games correctly against point spreads set by a Las Vegas oddsmaker.

Since the game began in early September, sales have totaled $5 million.