Oregon Counties May See Changes in State Funding from Lottery Revenue
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
EASTERN OREGON – Regardless of one’s individual preferences or prejudices on gambling, the Oregon Lottery plays a role in providing funds for various projects. Two house bills entering work sessions this evening may change and even increase the funding Oregon Counties Receive from lottery revenue. These bills are 2261 and the similar 2510.
In brief, 2261 changes the process with which counties receive funding from the Oregon Lottery from a fixed amount to a percentage based on actual lottery revenue. According to the state legislature, Oregon counties are provided 2.5 percent of net proceeds of the Oregon Lottery which is distributed evenly between all 36. However, this was changed in practice to a fixed amount for the 2017-2019 biennium, based on the predicted revenue, and has not been changed back.
2261 would reinstate that funding from the Oregon Lottery is distributed to counties based on 2.5 percent of both the predicted and actual revenue, with additional compensation or payment requests issued based on differences between the two amounts. According to Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage, this would effectively be the equivalent of the counties going from just 1 percent of the lottery revenue to three. Beverage emphasized that the lottery funds have been used for several major acquisitions for Union County in the past, including the Baum Industrial Park and the Buffalo Peak Golf Course.
2510, which we have covered before, would lift the lottery funding cap provided to county fairs. Currently, one percent of the net proceeds generated by the Oregon lottery are specifically provided to the state funding account for county fairs, but this funding is, in practice, capped at $1.53 million dollars. 2510 would lift the cap and theoretically allow for additional funding for the county fairs.
