PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Forty years ago, the Oregon Lottery began selling its first game. It was a scratch-it called “Pot of Gold” that debuted on April 25, 1985.
A few months later, Oregon Megabucks started as the first computer-operated lottery game in the state. And three years after that, in 1988, Oregon was one of seven states to launch Lotto America, which is now known as Powerball.
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Fast forward to 1992: Oregon saw the introduction of video poker slot machines in bars and taverns. Then in 2006, Oregon Lottery sales topped $1 billion for the first time.
Today, 40 years and many games later, the lottery is a major source of revenue for the state, having provided more than $16 billion for education, economic development, and other projects…