As the new director of Oregon Lottery, I want to take a moment to introduce myself further. You may have first heard from me at the end of 2023, when I shared a year-end recap thanking retailers for a successful year. I was born and raised in Polk County, Oregon where I still reside. I spent over 20 years working in local, state, and federal law enforcement roles prior to joining the Oregon Lottery security team in 2019. While at the Oregon Lottery, I have served in several roles, including cybercrimes manager, assistant director for security, and interim director prior to being appointed by Governor Kotek and confirmed by the Senate as director in September of 2023.

Throughout my career I have learned the value of transparency, open communication, and collaboration. I plan to live those values as leader of the Oregon Lottery, while remaining committed to our mission and upholding our key values of fairness, integrity, security, and honesty.

I’m writing to share some important news. Based on my recommendation, the Oregon Lottery Commission today approved a two-year extension of the current retail contract. There are no changes to the contract – only the date will be extended from June 29, 2025 to June 29, 2027. Below are the reasons a contract extension was needed at this time:

• In 2023, Oregon Lottery learned the internet system providing communications between Lottery and our retail locations was deemed obsolete, and the provider would be deactivating the hardware at the end of the year. We raced into negotiations to ensure no service interruptions and have contracted to build out a new network for our retailers. Over the next two years, Lottery will partner with our provider to update the system, which includes new equipment in over 3,500 retail locations across the state. This upgraded service will provide faster service, more stability, and redundancy throughout the network. During this two-year period, Lottery will carry any increase in retail line charges. After that time, the increase in retail line charges will be reflected in the 2027 contract.
• This year, we also kicked off a full system upgrade to an outdated internal retailer and contract management system. Not only will the new system provide many internal benefits, it will also feature a retailer portal to allow current and new retailers the ability to securely interact and exchange documents with Lottery in a digital fashion.
• As the new director, I want to better understand the needs and wants of all retailers. This extension will allow for more time to listen and engage so we can appropriately address these topics in the 2027 contract.

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the retail contract process. Retailers will receive an email of the contract extension in July 2024, with the expectation to return the signed document by October 1, 2024.

Your Lottery account manager is available to assist with questions as we move forward. Questions and concerns can also be sent to the retail contracts department at LotteryRetailContracts@lottery.oregon.gov

Thank you for your continued partnership with Oregon Lottery.

Best regards,

Mike Wells

Director, Oregon Lottery