P.M. BRIEFING : Oregon’s NFL-Based Lottery Opens

Oregon Lottery retailers began accepting player bets today in Sports Action, the nation’s only lottery-sponsored game based on point spreads of NFL contests.

“The system is up and running,” Lottery director Jim Davey said. “We haven’t had any problems.”

Davey said retailers sold about $1,100 worth of bets statewide in the game’s first three hours of play, which he called “pretty good.”

“I imagine the betting will pick up toward the weekend,” he said.

Sports Action has drawn criticism from NFL officials, who say it will harm the integrity of professional football.