PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon Lottery games in Portland and on the coast went dark after damage caused by wildfires.
Matt Shelby, an Oregon Lottery spokesperson, said 95 retailers in the Portland area and 25 on the northern Oregon coast lost connection to lottery games when fires damaged the Century Link fiberoptic cables the businesses rely upon.
The businesses include restaurants, bars, delis and convenience stores.
The games have been offline since Saturday, but Shelby said connection would be restored by Tuesday afternoon for coastal retailers. He did not have an estimate for reconnection in Portland.
Jon Batcheller, who owns Mock Crest Tavern and Greeley Avenue Bar and Grill in North Portland, said all video and traditional lottery games have been down at both of his businesses, and the problem has cost his bars hundreds of dollars a day in revenue. He estimated the loss to the state is tens of thousands of dollars a day.
Shelby said he didn’t have an exact number on state losses, but he said the number of businesses affected were a small percentage of the total Oregon Lottery retailers - around 4,000 statewide.
Batcheller said the impact from lost lottery sales is compounded by the current strains on bars and restaurants from the coronavirus pandemic.
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