Home > State > Executive > Oregon State Lottery
Oregon State Lottery > Web site
The State Lottery Building in Salem houses the central offices of the Oregon State Lottery. (Oregon State Archives Photo)
Present Duties
The Oregon State Lottery was created through the initiative process in November, 1984, when voters amended the
Oregon Constitution to require the establishment and operation of a state lottery. The lottery’s purpose is to provide additional revenue for public purposes without the imposition of additional or increased taxes. The lottery is entirely self-financed through its sales and does not receive any general fund or other tax dollars. The lottery’s duty is to develop, produce and market its games, to pay its winners and operating expenses, and to turn the remaining net profits over to the state.
The lottery is operated under the direction of a five-member citizen commission. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. One commissioner must be a certified public accountant and one must have at least five years experience in law enforcement.
Initially, lottery profits were to be used exclusively for economic development and job creation. In May, 1995, voters enabled lottery profits to be used to help finance public education and, in November, 1998, voters approved another initiative directing 15 percent of lottery net proceeds to go to parks, salmon habitat restoration and watershed enhancement programs. The Legislature is responsible for allocating lottery funds for economic development, public education, parks, and salmon restoration programs. Since 1985, lottery players have won almost $20 billion in prizes and over $7 billion in lottery earnings have gone back to public education, economic development, parks, salmon habitat restoration and watershed enhancement programs.
Contact Information
Mailing Address: PO Box 12649, Salem 97309
Telephone: 503-540-1000; TTY: 503-540-1068
Fax: 503-540-1168
General E-mail: lottery.webcenter@state.or.us
Contact: Larry Niswender, Acting Director
Administrative Rules Coordinator E-mail: Mark Hohlt
Records Officer E-mail: Gina Taylor
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov
Location Map: by Yahoo! Maps
Legal and Legislative Information
Statutory Authority: ORS Chapter 461
Audit Reports - select agency from menu
Records, Publications and General Information
Agency History (pdf) - a detailed history of the agency
Records Retention Schedule (pdf) - a list of the public records kept at the agency
State Library Publications - a link to the Oregon State Library Catalog