In Colorado, the lottery is legal for anyone over the age of 18. The state is home to numerous draws including multi-state jackpot games, state lotteries, and scratch card games. Here you will find out everything you need to know about the Colorado Lottery.
Jackpot Games
Colorado is home to jackpot draws in the form of both state lotteries and multi-state draws including the well-known Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky for Life, which are popular throughout the majority of the US. These lotteries all offer payouts of hundreds of millions of dollars. You can find details of each legal jackpot game below.
Multi-State Lottery Draws
Powerball
- Cost per Ticket: $2
- Number Selection: Choose 5 from 69 numbers and 1 from 26 for the Powerball
- Draw Days: Wednesday and Saturdays at 9pm
- Game Odds: 1:292,201,338 for the jackpot, 1:25 for any prize
- Jackpot Size: Determined by sales and increases until all 6 numbers are hit
- Winnings Boost: Power Play gives players the chance to increase their winnings by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times for $1 extra
- Location of Draw: Florida Lottery in Tallahassee, Florida
- Number of States: Played in 44 states
- First Sales in Colorado: 2nd August 2001
Mega Millions
- Cost per Ticket: $2
- Number Selection: Choose 5 from 70 numbers and 1 from 25 for the Mega Ball
- Draw Days: Tuesdays and Fridays at 9pm
- Game Odds: 1:302,575,350 for the jackpot, 1:24 for any prize
- Jackpot Size: Determined by sales and increases until all 6 numbers are hit
- Winnings Boost: Megaplier gives players the chance to increase their winnings by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times for $1 extra
- Location of Draw: WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia
- Number of States: Played in 44 states
- First Sales in Colorado: 18th May 2010
Lucky For Life
- Cost per Ticket: $2
- Number Selection: Choose 5 from 40 numbers and 1 from 18 for the Lucky Ball
- Draw Days: Mondays and Thursdays at 8.38pm
- Game Odds: 1:30,821,472 for jackpot, 1:8 for any prize
- Jackpot Size: Top prize always $1000 every day for life
- Winnings Boost: No boost
- Location of Draw: The Connecticut Lottery
- Number of States: Played in 26 states
- First Sales in Colorado: 17th July 2016
Colorado Lottery Draws
Colorado Lotto+
- Cost per Ticket: $2
- Number Selection: Choose 6 from 40 numbers
- Draw Days: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7.35pm
- Game Odds: 1:3,838,380 for the jackpot, 1:30 for any prize
- Jackpot Size: Starts at $1 million and increases weekly until all 6 numbers are hit. The second draw has a jackpot of $250,000
- Location of Draw: Pueblo, Colorado
Cash 5
- Cost per Ticket: $1
- Number Selection: Choose 5 from 32 numbers
- Draw Days: Seven days per week at 7.35pm
- Game Odds: 1:201,376 for the jackpot, 1:6 for any prize
- Jackpot Size: $20,000
- Location of Draw: Pueblo, Colorado
Pick 3
- Cost per Ticket: $0.50, $1, $2 or $5 depending on wager
- Number Selection: Choose 3 from 9 numbers, duplicates allowed. Players can place bets on the exact order of the numbers, any order, a front pair, or a back pair
- Draw Days: Sunday 1.35pm and 7.35pm
- Game Odds: 1:201,376 for the top prize, 1:6 for any prize
- Jackpot Size: Payouts are determined on the value of the bet placed
- Location of Draw: Pueblo, Colorado
Scratch Cards
You can legally buy scratch card games in Colorado, with the top prize of the most expensive cards set at £3 million. Currently, there are 73 different scratch cards available to buy, details of which can be found on the Colorado Lottery website.
The cost of scratch cards ranges from $1 up to $50 for a single card. At the minute there are two $50 cards, nine $20 cards, fifteen $10 cards, eighteen $5 cards, eleven $3 cards, nine $2 cards, and nine $1 cards. Generally, the less the scratch card costs the lower the value of the top prize, though there is still a considerable variation in the top prize funds as each has different odds and a different spread of prizes.
For each game, there are only a certain number of each prize available. Therefore, when buying a scratch card it is worth considering how many of the top prizes have already been claimed. You can check this on the Colorado Lottery site. The site is also useful for checking the deadline for collecting winnings.
Buying Lottery Tickets and Scratch Cards
Unfortunately, although the Colorado Lottery has both a website and a mobile app, lottery tickets and scratch cards cannot be purchased online. The website and app are solely for information purposes and gives users a handy place to look at winning numbers and jackpot figures, find out which scratch card prizes are still available, and take a look at previous winners.
To legally buy any lottery ticket or scratch card, you must do so from a licensed retailer.
Colorado Lottery App
Although tickets and scratch cards cannot be bought online or via a mobile app, the Colorado Lottery App is excellent for having all lottery information at your fingertips. The app is downloadable from both the App Store and Google Play and is compatible with Android and Apple devices.
If you are looking for a licensed lottery ticket retailer, the map feature of the app makes this straightforward. Using geolocation technology, the lottery retailers closest to you will be displayed so you know exactly where to head to buy your ticket. The app is also handy for checking whether your ticket is a winner, alongside getting updates on jackpot draws and scratch games. You also have the option to turn on notifications of new game releases, big jackpot prizes, and promotions.
The bonus draw feature of the app is also a great way of potentially winning extra cash. All purchased jackpot and scratch tickets have a scannable barcode or a 22-digit number which can be input into the app. If the ticket is eligible, you will be entered into bonus draws for a second chance of winning. While bonus draws from scratch cards can be entered from the website, jackpot bonus draws can only be entered from the app. This is a great addition to the app; who doesn’t want another chance to take home some winnings!