Oregon Lottery proposing regulating couriers, banning cross-border sales
The Oregon Lottery has proposed regulating retailers who work with a lotto courier to sell tickets, as well as banning out-of-state sales.
In a revised proposal submitted on July 14, the Lottery suggested that it should adopt and amend rules to address “significant legal and integrity concerns associated with courier sales,” which it said have been raised by industry stakeholders, media outlets and domestic and international lottery organizations.
The Lottery noted that it is aware of “a handful” of courier services operating in Oregon as well as seven retailers who work with couriers and six retailers who work with a courier that facilitates out-of-state and international ticket sales. However, it does not know the extent of the couriers’ ticket sales and also acknowledged that it may well not know the true number of courier services or courier-partnered retailers operating in the state.
As in many states, lottery couriers such as Jackpocket, Lotto.com and TheLotter operate in Oregon in something of a grey area, with no formal regulatory oversight. The lottery stressed that such absence of clear rules presents “substantial risks” to its own constitutional obligation to uphold fairness, integrity, security and honesty.
The Lottery proposes two things: banning sales of lottery tickets to customers outside of Oregon’s borders and imposing new requirements on retailers that contract with a courier service. Those requirements would include retailers and couriers to undertake reporting, such as keeping records of ticket purchases and storing tickets securely for couriers. “The Lottery did cede that “Reputable courier services may already meet the requirements because they are required in other lottery jurisdictions in which the couriers operate,” the lottery noted.
The matter will be discussed at a hearing on Aug. 20.
Pressure, pushing down on me
The Oregon Lottery’s proposal readily acknowledged that its desire to regulate couriers and ban out-of-state sales has been influenced by developments in other states.
“Recent developments have promoted [sic] the Lottery to reevaluate its approach to courier services,” the lottery wrote. “Since April 2024, concerns about couriers have escalated through media reports, foreign regulators and state legislatures … Direct communications to the Oregon Lottery from both international and U.S. lotteries as well as national gaming bodies have further intensified the pressure and made it clear that Oregon needs clear regulatory guidance for Lottery retailers who work with couriers.”
The Oregon Lottery specifically cited California, Texas and Indiana as states that have called for enforcement or bans of couriers.
This April, the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) unanimously voted to ban couriers in the wake of fraud allegations related to ticket sales. Leading lottery couriers accused the TLC of abruptly changing its stance “in response to political pressure,” and Lotto.com took the issue to court.
Lotto.com CEO Thomas Metzger told SBC Americas recently that his company never enters a state without explicit written permission. That was echoed by Mike Silveira, chief of staff at Jackpot.com, which does not list Oregon as one of its available states.
That Texan pressure, which centered on the fallout of a group of investors winning $95 million by buying more than 99% of all available number combinations, ultimately ended in a bill being passed this year that shut down the TLC and transferred authority for regulating lottery games to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
California’s Attorney General issued an opinion in 2022 that couriers should be prohibited under law, and Indiana’s governor signed a ban this spring. Elsewhere, Arizona’s lottery passed a motion in April to bring couriers under regulatory oversight and other states such as Connecticut have debated prohibiting the companies.
Still, only a few states have explicitly addressed lottery couriers. Arizona joined the likes of New Jersey and New York in embracing regulation under stringent rules.
https://sbcamericas.com/2025/07/21/oregon-lottery-regulating-couriers/