OREGON LOTTERY GOING ONLINE

Saturday October 8, 2011 : ORcade will allow punters to register their losing "Scratch-its" lottery tickets for a second chance
 
The Oregon Lottery is in the final working stages on a new website that offers a chance to win cash prizes through the Internet — a first for the state and part of a growing national trend toward more online gambling.
 
Branded ORcade, the site will allow people to register their losing "Scratch-its" lottery tickets for a second chance at winning money, along with non-gambling puzzle games styled after the popular "Bejeweled", and a chance to earn points toward more prizes, including seaside vacations.
 
The launch is supported by an animated video that asks: "Can you say cash prizes? That's right, cash prizes."
 
Local media report that Oregon's state government he state is paying GTech $150,000 to develop and test The ORcade, which will cost about $30,000 a month to operate and update, according to information supplied by Mary Loftin, lottery communications director.
 
The project was supposed to go live in late summer but has been beset by delays, and is now scheduled to be up and running later this month or November 2011.