The Oregon Senate is considering legislation that would map out Oregon Lottery terminals in relation to each location’s socioeconomic status. The bill, recently approved 55-3 in the House, was sponsored by state Rep. Kathleen Taylor, who said, “This is a simple task. And it will give the legislature a better understanding of where we are, and in what kind of neighborhoods we’re placing the terminals.”
The reports were suggested in response to critics who said the lottery targets problem gamblers. The bill would require a report from the lottery by October 1 every other year, using federal census tract data to provide details on “poverty status, race or ethnicity, eligibility for income support and unemployment.”
Attorney Michael Mills, who works with the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association and advises on lottery contracts, said the reports would cost too much to produce and also could be the basis for pulling terminals from some of the 2,500 retailers that currently them.
