Shifting Odds Amid Betting – Oregon’s Lottery Gambling App Draws Attention

An online user showed a video of shifting odds while in the process of betting with Oregon’s Lottery gambling app “Scoreboard”. According to Oregon Lottery this was caused because the bet which was placed was above the limit for the event.

A Peculiar Video Reveals Shifting Odds on the Oregon Lottery’s Scoreboard App

The sports gambling app by SBTech, “Scoreboard,” used by the Oregon Lottery has made headlines for the wrong reason. A punter posted a video on Twitter while trying to place a bet. The consumer was placing a bet on a NASCAR race when something unexpected happened and the odds shifted.

 The initial odds were set at -110, but once the wager was set, the bettor saw that the odds had shifted to -150. The player videotaped the accident, testing from the perspective of a person who hasn’t placed a bet yet. The odds displayed as -110 for consumers who hadn’t wagered, but still as -150 for him. Although similar stories of the lines shifting suddenly have been heard before, this case is different. The difference is that the odds only shifted when the punter tried placing a bet of $550.

The Lottery’s reaction didn’t take long. An official reply by the Oregon’s Lottery stated: “This bet required manual approval, and during the time it took for the approval to come through, the lines had changed. We reached out to the customer and this has been resolved to his satisfaction.” This however raised further questions as, according to the bettor, he was never contacted by the lottery.

The Oregon Lottery’s Response

A spokesperson for the Oregon Lottery, Matthew Shelby, commented on the subject by saying that in order to respond quickly, the lottery got the information wrong. He reconfirmed that the lottery wasn’t able to reach to the player, but they had made several attempts and left voice messages. Shelby further outlined that the line didn’t just shift. According to him, the traders have manually reviewed the over-the-max bet and offered to accept it at different odds which were -150. He also pointed out that due to customer service reasons, the lottery were even willing to accept even the original odds of -110. Further to Shelby’s announcement, he pointed out that the lottery would have to work on both responsiveness along with total accuracy.

The Oregon lottery spokesperson also pointed out that improvements are currently underway. Furthermore, Shelby stressed that the Oregon Lottery offers the same odds for all players who wish to bet within the set limits of the event. He continued by saying that wagers above the limit may be accepted, refused or accepted by offering different odds. Shelby pointed that: “It’s all about our risk tolerance.”

Sports betting is a business no different than any other. The legal sports betting in Oregon has a purpose to raise revenue for the state’s budget. With that being said it’s important to mention that the Oregon Lottery is not restricted by law to accept all wagers. In other words, the lottery can choose to take a bet and shift the odds or refuse to take the bet at all.