Table tennis powers Oregon online sports betting to 10.7% increase in April
DraftKings, the sole online sports betting provider in Oregon, generated revenue of US$10.6 million in April, up 10.7% year-over-year.
Handle increased 10.3%, reaching US$86.6 million. DraftKings held at 12.3%.
High-margin parlay bets represented US$28.8 million in handle and US$6.8 million in winnings. Parlays held at 23.5% and were 33.2% of money wagered. Single-event bets won US$3.9 million off handle of US$57.8 million, as they held at 6.7%.
Table tennis wagers rocketed 125.4% upward to represent 19% of bets placed. That put them close behind baseball, at 22%. Baseball wagers were down 4.4%. Basketball bets had the largest share of handle, 37%.
US$31.6 million was bet on basketball, US$18.7 million on baseball and US$16.7 million on table tennis. US$4.3 million was won on basketball, US$2.4 million from baseball and $800,000 from ping-pong.
Despite the NHL being in season, ice hockey represented just US$3.6 million in wagers. Soccer generated US$6.3 million in bets and held at a monthly high of 18.7%. Professional tennis saw US$3.9 million in wagers. All other sports combined for US$5.7 million in betting.
Hockey bets won $400,000 for DraftKings, while soccer garnered $1.2 million. US$1.1 million was won on miscellaneous sports.
David McKee is an award-winning journalist who has three decades of experience covering the gaming industry.
Dig Deeper
Related stories
The Backstory
Why table tennis is suddenly moving the market
Oregon’s April sports betting uptick did not come from the usual suspects. While basketball still led handle and baseball held steady near the top, the breakout was table tennis, which rocketed to nearly one fifth of all wagers on the state’s DraftKings-run book. That demand helped push April revenue higher year over year and reinforced a broader industry pattern: niche sports with dense schedules and quick results can punch above their weight in digital wagering ecosystems where live markets and parlays dominate.
Two dynamics appear to be at work. First, the sport’s high-frequency match cycle supplies a constant stream of betting opportunities that pair well with same-game and multi-leg formats. Second, the regulated ecosystem is preparing to formalize more data and integrity infrastructure around the sport, which can widen the funnel for casual and committed bettors alike. Both forces are visible in recent developments beyond Oregon’s monthly figures.
Integrity scaffolding meets a fast-growing niche
Major League Table Tennis, a U.S. professional circuit, moved to legitimize and expand wagering on its matches through a pair of partnerships that aim squarely at integrity and pricing. The league said it is working with IC360 on real-time monitoring, prohibited-participant controls and rules education, while Alt Sports Data is tasked with official data and market-making to support operators. The framework, announced for the current season, could open regulated betting by early 2026. The league framed the move as a way to “bring more fans into our sport while ensuring the highest standards of integrity,” signaling a maturing data supply chain and compliance posture that sportsbooks look for before broadening markets. Read more about the league’s plan to introduce legal betting with IC360 and Alt Sports Data in Major League Table Tennis partners with IC360, Alt Sports Data.
For Oregon, where DraftKings is the sole online operator under an Oregon Lottery arrangement, the emergence of a structured, league-backed data pipeline could translate into more granular markets, deeper in-play options and tighter pricing. If table tennis continues to command a double-digit share of handle, those enhancements can compound engagement and yield, particularly through high-hold bet types. That would help explain why a sport once considered peripheral is now a meaningful driver in the state’s monthly sportsbook ledger.
Novelty props signal a broader engagement play
The state has leaned into event-driven engagement to widen its audience, a strategy on display around the NFL championship. Ahead of last season’s Super Bowl, the Oregon Lottery promoted a slate of Taylor Swift-themed props on DraftKings with names like Shake It Off and Wildest Dreams tied to on-field outcomes. The aim, officials said, was to meet the surge of casual interest that converges on the league’s title game and channel it into approachable, entertainment-centric markets. Details on that campaign can be found in Oregon Lottery offers Taylor Swift-themed sports bets ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
While novelty props are a small share of annual handle, they illustrate how the state and its operator try to seed new behaviors. Bettors who arrive for a one-off cultural moment often sample other markets with faster cycles and perceived edge potential. Table tennis, with frequent starts and live swings, fits that bill. As parlays and micro-markets become more sophisticated and personalized, those initial touchpoints can have outsized downstream effects on volume and hold.
Retail competition adds texture to a one-operator state
Oregon’s digital market remains a single-operator model, but the on-the-ground picture is evolving. Caesars Entertainment this year began taking sports bets in the state through a partnership with the Coquille Indian Tribe in Coos Bay, installing self-service kiosks and positioning the venue as a hub for in-person wagering. Notably, Caesars said the retail book can offer certain college markets not available statewide on mobile, a differentiation that can pull in regional fans and visitors. The launch marked Caesars’ first sports betting operation in Oregon and underscores how tribal partnerships can introduce product variety in otherwise concentrated markets. For more, see Oregon: Caesars Entertainment accepts bets through partnership with Coquille Indian Tribe.
The retail push matters for table tennis and other emerging categories because kiosks and on-site experiences often serve as discovery channels. Operators can highlight live boards, cross-promote niche matches during lulls in major sports and educate customers on new bet types. In a state where one app captures most online action, incremental retail competition can still influence mix and frequency.
Policy shifts tighten the regulatory perimeter
Oregon is also adjusting the edges of what can be wagered and how. Gov. Tina Kotek signed a law that will ban online wagers on greyhound racing by July 1, 2027, closing a market Oregon once dominated as one of only two states that permitted such betting. The measure ends simulcasting and online pari-mutuel action tied to out-of-state tracks, a move cheered by animal welfare advocates and aligned with a national retreat from dog racing over the past decade. The details are in Oregon bans online greyhound racing betting.
The ban is a reminder that even as states cultivate high-growth verticals within sports wagering, policymakers are narrowing or eliminating others on ethical or consumer grounds. That recalibration can redirect discretionary spend toward approved markets, including niche sports that pass regulatory muster and can demonstrate integrity controls. If Oregon bettors who previously wagered on greyhounds seek alternatives, sports with frequent events and robust data—table tennis among them—stand to benefit.
National enforcement climate raises the bar
Beyond Oregon, regulators are exerting more pressure on gray and illegal operators, with potential spillover effects on legal channels. In Iowa, a bill backed by the state’s Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing would give the Racing and Gaming Commission cease-and-desist authority against unlicensed gambling sites, including sweepstakes-style platforms and offshore sportsbooks. The proposal reflects a wider crackdown that has produced waves of warnings and orders in multiple states. The measure, now headed for legislative review, targets consumer risks such as delayed or denied withdrawals and spoofed brands. More on the plan is in Iowa regulators to get new cease-and-desist powers in illegal gambling crackdown.
As enforcement tightens, legal operators could see a marginal lift from customers moving into regulated books that offer clearer recourse and verified payouts. Coupled with league-led integrity initiatives, that migration supports deeper market menus and higher confidence among both bettors and regulators. For a sport like table tennis, which is staking a larger claim in Oregon’s betting mix, the convergence of integrity infrastructure, product innovation and a stricter enforcement environment forms a tailwind.
The stakes are straightforward. Oregon’s sportsbook is showing how a nimble niche can influence monthly revenue, especially when paired with high-hold bets and event-driven promotions. Retail expansions and policy shifts are reshaping what’s available and where, while regulators nationally are pruning the unlicensed fringe. If those trends persist, table tennis’ April surge looks less like a blip and more like an early read on where incremental growth will come from in a maturing market.
