PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Mere hours after the Oregon Lottery announced they were officially in the sports gambling business, they asked excited users to settle down.
“I think what players were experiencing yesterday (Wednesday) could be likened to being at Best Buy on Black Friday,” Chuck Baumann of the Oregon Lottery told KOIN 6 in and email early Thursday morning.
In a tweet sent out Wednesday evening, the Lottery acknowledged download demand of its new Scoreboard was so high, it was slowing down the registration process.
“Due to the avalanche of registrations from excited sports fans, the registration process is stalling for some users,” they tweeted. “You may want to wait and try again later. Thanks for your patience–we’re on it!”
Wednesday night’s issues were just the latest in a series of hiccups that accompanied the launch of Scoreboard. Lottery officials had hoped to launch the app in time for the start of the NFL season but it was delayed, repeatedly, for testing.
The announcement of the registration process stalling came within a few hours of the app finally going live. Scoreboard, allows users to legally gamble on professional sporting events. It was released and declared ready for play late Wednesday afternoon.
Baumann said a high-level of user-verification could be to blame for some of the Wednesday evening slow down.
“One of the things the Lottery did for the launch was to have the verification levels set at the highest level,” Baumann wrote. “We want to ensure that folks are who they say they are.”
Despite the stalling immediately following the launch, it is obvious that Oregonians are lining up to put their money down.
Lottery officials said in a tweet the app had already accrued more than 7,300 registrations and over $308,000 in total deposits by 4 p.m. Thursday.
The early demand for the app appears to fit the expectations of Oregon Lottery officials. They told KOIN 6 in early September that they expected demand for legal sports gambling to be high.
The Lottery estimates $300 million will be wagered in the first 12 months of legal sports gambling in the state.