Frequently Asked Questions

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1:175,223,510. The odds of winning any prize are 1:32.

Find out more.

The games are very similar with top prizes available for players who match all numbers drawn. Mega Millions jackpots start at $12 million; Powerball $40 million. Jackpot odds for Mega Millions are 1 in 176 million with overall odds of 1:40; Powerball jackpot odds are 1 in 176 million and overall odds are 1:32. Mega Millions tickets cost $1 per line of play and Powerball tickets are $2. Both games offer an optional multiplier feature: Megaplier for Mega Millions and Power Play for Powerball. Mega Millions drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday evenings; Powerball drawings are held on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.

Each Bonus Millionaire Raffle ticket costs $20.

Powerball tickets are available for sale at 4:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.  Sales are suspended at each evening at 11:59 p.m for system balancing.

On Wednesday and Saturday drawing nights, sales are suspended at 7:30 p.m. and resume at 4:30 a.m. after system balancing has concluded.

Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington D.C. and the US Virgin Islands.

Power Play is an exciting way to pump up your Powerball winnings.  For an additional $1 per line of play, Power Play multiply your winnings!  

And if you win the Match 5 prize of $1.000,000, and you also purchased a Power Play, your winnings will automatically be multiplied and you could win a cool $2 million without hitting the jackpot*!

Don’t forget to ask the clerk for Powerball with Power Play!

*  Powerball may reduce prize levels for Powerball and/or Power Play, including the Match 5+0 prize, if the number of winners claiming prizes exceeds the available draw sales and prize reserves. 

We do not offer an online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased.

No. You can match the numbers drawn in any order.

Advance Play allows you to purchase up to 13 weeks of tickets at one time (26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and 91 draws for Cash 5). Check the Advance Play box on your play slip, and then tell your retailer how many draws you'd like to play. The same numbers will be used for all of the drawings you request. You can check your ticket after all your drawings have been conducted and collect your winnings at once, or collect them as you go along. If you choose to collect your winnings after each drawing you win, be sure you get a replacement ticket. Advance Play is available at Lottery retail locations throughout Colorado. 

In Colorado, about 80 percent of purchases are Quick Picks.

Current winning numbers and access to past winning numbers can be found on the home page of our website, You can have winning numbers sent direct to your cell phone or email address when you sign up to be a member of  MyLottery.  Lottery results are also publicized by most television stations and daily newspapers. Lottery retailers can print winning numbers reports for current and past drawing dates. 

Powerball winning numbers

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The Powerball jackpot starts at $40 million, and increases until it is hit when a winner matches all 6 numbers (5 numbers plus the Powerball).

The Colorado Lottery began ticket sales for Powerball on August 2, 2001, with the first drawing taking place on August 4, 2001.  Powerball tickets can be purchased at all Colorado Lottery retailers.

When the Powerball jackpot reaches the largest previous Powerball jackpot amount, the amount of the jackpot prize will increase by no more than $25 million per draw. Any jackpot prize money collected in excess of the increased jackpot amount will be placed into a Bonus Prize pool and will accumulate until there is a jackpot winner. At that time, the money in the Bonus Prize pool will be divided equally among all winners of the Match 5 prize. If there are no Match 5 winners, the Bonus Prize will be divided equally among all winners of the Match 4 + Powerball ($10,000) prize. The Bonus Prize will be paid in one lump cash sum.

The Bonus Prize is in addition to any Power Play prize that is won. The Bonus Prize is not multiplied by the Power Play number.

No. You must either ask a retailer for a list of the winning Bonus Drawing numbers, or check our website for a list of Bonus Drawing winning numbers.

A fixed percentage of every Mega Millions and Powerball ticket sold goes into its CASH jackpot. The cash jackpot is all the money that the lottery has on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. If a player chooses the cash option, then the Lottery will pay the entire cash amount to the winner (less income tax withholding amounts required by federal and state laws).

The Lottery also offers an ANNUITY jackpot option that can help reduce taxes and offers the winner a 100% guranteed income stream over time. The two games offer different types of annual income streams, giving the players more options. If a winner elects the annuity option, then the Lottery will invest the entire cash amount before taxes are deducted. The difference between the CASH jackpot and the ANNUITY jackpot is the interest earnings that build over time. The Powerball annuity jackpot earns more interest for two reasons.

1. The Powerball Annuity Jackpot invests more money for a longer period of time. The Powerball annuity is paid out in graduated amounts (rising by 4% per year to keep up with inflation) over 29 years (30 payments). The annual payments grow larger to keep pace with the winner's expected cost of living. The Mega Millions annuity is paid out over 25 years (26 payments) with equal payments each year. In both cases, the first payment is an immediate cash payment.

2. The Powerball Annuity Jackpot is invested in a wider variety of securities than the Mega Millions Jackpot, allowing more interest to be earned. All of the securities used to support both games' jackpots offer significant levels of U.S. Governmental backing. It is important to understand that the Lottery is invested in these securities; not the winner. The winner has a contract with the states to pay the annual prize payment, no matter what happens to the securities.

Since the two games' jackpots are invested differently, if the CASH jackpots are the same, the Powerball jackpot will pay a larger ANNUITY over time than Mega Millions. If the ANNUITY value of the jackpots is the same, then Megal Millions' CASH jackpot will be larger than Powerball's CASH jackpot. The CASH jackpot amounts present the true present-day values of the jackpots. A winner who wishes to take the CASH jackpot should compare only the CASH jackpot amounts. The ANNUITY jackpot amounts will be important for those winners who plan to select a long-term, fully guaranteed income stream.

No. When we advertise a prize of $100 million paid over 29 years (30 payments), we actually have less than $50 million in cash. When someone wins the jackpot and wants cash, we give them all of the cash in the jackpot prize pool. If the winner wants the annuity, we invest the $50 million in cash to fund the annuity payments. The winner gets the cash plus the interest earned. When you see an estimated jackpot annuity prize, we are estimating both sales and what the market's prices on certain securities will be. The annuity jackpot amount and the cash jackpot amount that we announce are always estimates until sales are final and, for the annuity jackpot, until we take bids on the purchase of securities.

Federal and State Income tax apply to whatever income you actually receive in a given tax year, whether it is wages or lottery prizes. If you take the cash amount (say $50 million), then you pay income tax on $50 million. If you take the annuity (say $100 million), then you pay income tax on the money you actually receive each year. Just like your wages, a withholding amount is required to be taken out immediately. The lottery will send you a W2-G form and you figure your actual tax at tax time.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1:175,711,536. The odds of winning any prize are 1:40. 

Find out more.

Mega Millions tickets are available for sale at 4:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Sales are suspended each evening at 11:59 p.m. for system balancing. Sales are suspended on Tuesday and Friday drawing nights at 7:30 p.m. and resume the next morning at 4:30 a.m.

Mega Millions is played in 42 states and Washington D.C.

We began selling Mega Millions tickets on May 16, 2010. The first drawing was held on May 18, 2010. Mega Millions tickets can be purchased at all Colorado Lottery Jackpot game retailers.

Megaplier is an exciting way to increase your Mega Millions winnings. For an additional $1 per line of play, you can multiply your non-jackpot winnings by 2, 3 or 4 times! The Megaplier number is chosen from a wheel spin with 2s, 3s and 4s. Any non-jackpot prize won on a Mega Millions play will be multiplied by the Megaplier number drawn if you purchased the Megaplier feature. For example, if you win the Match 4 price of $10,000 and the Megaplier is 3, you would win $30,000 instead of $10,000.

And if you win the Match 5 prize of $250,000, and you also purchased Megaplier, your winnings could be multiplied by 4 and you could win a nice $1 million without hitting the jackpot*!

* Mega Millions may reduce prize levels for Mega MIllions and/or Megaplier, including the Match 5+0 prize, if the number of winners claiming prizes exceeds the available draw sales and prize reserves.

We do not offer online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased.

Advance Play allows you to purchase up to 13 weeks of tickets at one time (26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and 91 draws for Cash 5). Check the Advance Play box on your play slip, and then tell your retailer how many draws you'd like to play. The same numbers will be used for all of the drawings you request. You can check your ticket after all your drawings have been conducted and collect your winnings at once, or collect them as you go along. If you choose to collect your winnings after each drawing you win, be sure you get a replacement ticket. Advance Play is available at Lottery retail locations througout Colorado.

In Colorado, about 80 percent of purchases are Quick Picks for Jackpot games.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday evenings at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Drawings are held at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Mega Millions jackpot starts at $12 million, and increases until it is hit when a winner matches all 6 numbers (5 numbers plus the Mega Ball).

If you are a Mega Millions jackpot winner, you will have the choice of a Cash Option or an Annuity. The Annuity option provides annual payments over a 26-year period.

The advertised Mega Millions jackpot is the estimated value of the annuity based on estimated sales. The cash value is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool, or approximately 50 percent of the annuitized value.

Players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to collect prize winnings.

If a winner dies before receiving all 26 annual payments, Mega Millions will continue to pay the annual payments, as scheduled, to the winner's designated beneficiary or to the winner's estate.

The Colorado Lottery is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. Protect yourself by signing the back of your tickets. Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Unless signed, anyone in possession of the ticket can file a claim.

The games are very similar with top prizes available for players who match all numbers drawn. Mega Millions jackpots start at $12 million; Powerball $20 million. Jackpot odds for Mega Millions are 1 in 176 million with overall odds of 1:40; Powerball jackpot odds are 1 in 196 million and overall odds are 1:36. Tickets cost $1 per line of play for both games and each game has an optional multiplier feature: Megaplier for Mega Millions and Power Play for Powerball. Mega Millions drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday evenings; Powerball drawings are held on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.

Current winning numbers and access to past winning numbers can be found on the home page of our website. You can have winning numbers sent direct to your cell phone or email address if you sign up to be a MyLottery member. Lottery results are also publicized by most television stations and daily newspapers. Lottery retailers can print winning numbers reports for current and past drawing dates.

Mega Millions winning numbers

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A fixed percentage of every Mega Millions and Powerball ticket sold goes into its CASH jackpot. The cash jackpot is all the money that the lottery has on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. If a player chooses the cash option, then the Lottery will pay entire cash amount to the winner (less income tax withholding amounts required by federal and state laws).

The Lottery also offers an ANNUITY jackpot option that can help reduce taxes and offers the winner a 100% guaranteed income stream over time. The two games offer different types of annual income streams, giving the players more options. If a winner elects the annuity option, then the Lottery will invest the entire cash amount before taxes are deducted. The difference between the CASH jackpot and the ANNUITY jackpot is the interest earnings that build over time. The Powerball annuity jackpot earns more interest for two reasons.

1. The Powerball Annuity Jackpot invests more money for a longer period of time. The Powerball annuity is paid out in graduated amounts (rising by 4% per year to keep up with inflation) over 29 years (30 payments). The smallest payment is the first payment and the largest payment is the last payment. The Mega Millions annuity is paid out over 25 years (26 payments) and each payment is the same amount. In both cases, the first payment is an immediate cash payment.  
2. The Powerball Annuity Jackpot is invested in a wider variety of securities than the Mega Millions Jackpot, allowing more interest to be earned. All of the securities used to support both games' jackpots offer some level of U.S. Government backing. It is important to note that the Lottery is invested in these securities, not the winner. The winner has a contract with the states to pay the annual prize payment, no matter what happens to the securities.

Since the two games' jackpots are invested differently, if the CASH jackpots are the same, the Powerball jackpot will pay a larger ANNUITY over time than Mega Millions. If the ANNUITY value of the jackpots is the same, then Mega Millions' CASH jackpot will be larger than Powerball's CASH jackpot.

The CASH jackpot amounts present the true present-day values of the prizes. A winner who wishes to take the CASH jackpot should compare only the CASH jackpot amounts. The ANNUITY jackpot amounts will be important for those winners who plan to select a long-term, fully guaranteed income stream.

The odds of winning the Lotto jackpot are 1:5,245,786. The odds of winning any prize are 1:35.

Find out more.

Current winning numbers and access to past winning numbers can be found on the home page of our website. You can have winning numbers sent directly to your cell phone or email address when you sign up to be a MyLottery member. Lottery results are also publicized by most television stations and daily newspapers. Lottery retailers can print winning numbers reports for current and past drawing dates.

Lotto winning numbers

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Lotto tickets are available for purchase at 4:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. They are suspended at 11:59 p.m. for system balancing. On Wednesday and Saturday drawing nights, sales are suspended at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased on Wednesday and Saturday drawing nights after the game balances and drawing has been certified until 11:59 p.m.  

We do not offer an online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased. 

Advance Play allows you to purchase up to 13 weeks of tickets at one time (26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and 91 draws for Cash 5). Check the Advance Play box on your play slip, and then tell your retailer how many draws you'd like to play. The same numbers will be used for all of the drawings you request. You can check your ticket after all of your drawings have been conducted and collect your winnings at once, or collect them as you go along. If you choose to collect your winnings after each drawing you win, be sure you get a replacement ticket. Advance Play is available at Lottery retail locations throughout Colorado.

Lotto winning numbers are picked by a stand-alone computer (a computer that is not connected to any network) that is locked in a secure room in a building located some distance away from the Lottery offices. The numbers are drawn using a random number generator based on quantum vision technology. Quantum vision technology basically means the computers use decaying radiation as part of the random generation process instead of a computer chip. For each Lotto drawing, two “test” drawings are held to ensure everything is in working order. After the two test drawings, the real drawing is held and the numbers entered into the Lottery’s system, which runs the numbers selected by the computer against all of the tickets purchased to determine if there is a winner. In order to ensure the integrity of each drawing, an employee of an independent certified public accounting firm (auditor), and a member of the Lottery’s security team are present for the entire process. In addition, an independent company, Gaming Laboratories (GLI), performs audits and test drawings to ensure everything is working properly and the games are fair.

You are welcome to witness a drawing to see how it is done. If you would like to set up a time to witness a drawing, or would like more detailed information about random number generation or quantum vision technology, please contact Mari Boyd at 719-546-5318.

Click here for Lotto payout information.

The Lotto jackpot usually starts at $1 million and increases until it is hit when a winner matches all 6 numbers drawn.

Players want a growing jackpot and Lotto jackpots increase according to ticket sales. Lotto games are traditionally driven by jackpot size and not the size of the smaller prizes. For more mid-range prizes, try playing Cash 5.

$2 - you get 3 lines of play for $2. Each ticket represents one 'play'. Each line is an opportunity to win the jackpot, and numbers matched on all lines can be added up to win a prize.

The overall odds of winning any prize are 1:6. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1:2,760,681.

Drawings for MatchPlay are held twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays at approximately 7:40 p.m. Drawings are conducted in Pueblo.

The jackpot starts at $100,000 and increases by at least $10,000 until the jackpot is hit. The jackpot is won by matching six (6) numbers straight across one line. The jackpot cannot be claimed as an annuity. It must be claimed as a lump sum.

Follow these tips:

1. Write the winning numbers drawn on the top of your MatchPlay ticket or tickets.
2. Look across each line and circle the numbers on your ticket that match the drawn numbers.

There are two ways you can win:

1) Line Play: Look across each line and count the numbers that match the numbers drawn. If you match at least three numbers across any line, you win. You can win on any one, or all three of the lines.

2) Combined Play:

Add up ALL of the numbers from all three lines that match the numbers drawn. If you match at least five numbers from among all of the lines, you win a prize.  Add the prizes you won for matching across each line (Line Play) to the amount you won for matching numbers from all three lines (Combined Play) to determine your final, total prize.

The ONLY way to win the jackpot is to match 6 numbers across one of the lines.

You can find winning numbers on our website, or you can have numbers sent directly to your cell phone or email address by siging up to be a MyLottery member. Numbers are also available in local newspapers or by asking any Lottery retailer for a winning numbers report.

MatchPlay winning numbers

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We do not offer an online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased.

Once tickets are printed they cannot be cancelled.

In Line Play, for example, if you have the number "16" on line ‘A’ and line ‘C', it counts as one match for Line ‘A’ and one match for Line ‘C’; it will also count as two matches for Combined Play.

If two or more people win the MatchPlay jackpot, the jackpot amount will be divided equally among all winning players.

Each Millioniare Raffle ticket costs $20.

You can purchase Millionaire Raffle tickets at any retailer that sells Lottery's Jackpot games: Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto, MatchPlay and Cash 5.

Only 280,000 Millionaire Raffle tickets will be for sale. Once they are all sold, the game will be over and the drawing will be conducted. Millionaire Raffle tickets print from the same Lottery terminal that prints our Jackpot games tickets. You can purchase as many Millionaire Raffle tickets that you'd like from any retailer, until the last ticket is sold.

No. The Lottery terminal will generate a sequentially numbered ticket based on the last ticket sold for that game. The first ticket sold will be numbered 000001 and the last ticket sold will be numbered 280000. Since tickets are sold throughout the state of Colorado, it is very unlikely that if you purchase five tickets at one time at one location that they would all be in sequential order.

You have 180 days from the drawing date to claim your Millionaire Raffle prize. This applies to all of the Colorado Lottery's Jackpot games.

Sales for Millionaire Raffle begin on September 19, 2010.

No. Each Millionaire Raffle ticket will have one set of 6-digit numbers between 000001 and 280000. You can, however, purchase up to five tickets at one time with each ticket printing separately.

There are two $1 million Raffle Millionaire top prizes to be awarded. The other prizes are: $100,000; $10,000 and $1,000. A total of 509 prizes will be awarded.

When we get close to selling the last Millionaire Raffle ticket, the draw date will be determined and posted on the Colorado Lottery's website. The Millionaire Raffle drawing date will also be shared with Lottery retailers.

To view the winning numbers, select the link below.

Millionaire Raffle numbers

Sales for $20 Bonus Millionaire Raffle begin on April 15, 2011 and will end on June 30, 2011 unless all 280,000 tickets are sold out prior to this date.

Each Bonus Millionaire Raffle ticket costs $20.

You can purchase $20 Bonus Millionaire Raffle tickets at any retailer that sells Lottery Jackpot games: Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto, MatchPlay and Cash 5. Bonus Millionaire Raffle tickets print from the same Lottery terminal that prints our Jackpot game tickets.

Only 280,000 Bonus Millionaire Raffle tickets will be for sale. Once they are all sold, the game will be over. You can purchase as many Bonus Milllionaire Raffle tickets as you'd like from any retailer, until the last ticket is sold.

No. The Lottery terminal will generate a sequentially numbered ticket based on the last ticket sold for that game. The first ticket sold will be numbered 000001 and the last ticket sold will be numbered 280000. Since tickets are sold throughout the state of Colorado, it is very unlikely that if you purchase five tickets at one time at one location that they would all be in sequential order.

No. Each Bonus Millionaire Raffle ticket will have one set of 6-digit numbers between 000001 and 280000, and each ticket will print individually.  There is not a limit to the amount of tickets you can purchase.

The drawing for the Bonus Millionaire Raffle will be held on July 1, 2011. If all the tickets are sold before June 30, 2011, the drawing may be held on an earlier date.

There are two $1 million Bonus Millionaire Raffle top prizes to be awarded. The other prizes are $100,000, $50,000, $10,000, $2,000, $1,000 and $500. A total of 653 prizes (including the 40 Bonus Drawing prizes) will be awarded.

Bonus Millionaire Raffle winning numbers will be posted here on the Colorado Lottery's website. You can also ask any Raffle retailer for the Bonus Millionaire Raffle winning numbers.

The Lottery will hold four bonus drawings between April 15th and June 12th, and will award $2,000 each to a total of 40 winners.

Winning numbers for the Bonus Drawings will be posted here, on our website, as long as there are outstanding prizes to be claimed and the claim period has not expired. Winning numbers for the Bonus Drawings will also be available at any Colorado Lottery jackpot games retailer on the day following the drawing date.

Yes. Any ticket that is entered into or wins a Bonus Drawing will still be an eligible entry into the Bonus Millionaire Raffle drawing for the other 613 prizes on July 1, 2011.

The odds of winning one of the $2,000 prizes in any of the Bonus Drawings depends on the number of eligible tickets purchased during the drawing period. Example: number of tickets purchased between April 15th and April 30th for the drawing on May 1st is 31,000 tickets. The odds to win one of the 10 $2,000 prizes would then be 31000 divided by 10, which is 1 in 3100.

All winning Bonus Drawing tickets must be taken to a Lottery's Claims Office to be redeemed.

Contact Us

Current winning numbers and access to past winning numbers can be found on the home page of our website. Have winning numbers sent direct to your cell phone or email address by signing up to be a MyLottery member. Lottery results are also publicized by most television stations and daily newspapers. Lottery retailers can print winning numbers reports for current and past drawing dates. 

Cash 5 winning numbers

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Cash 5 tickets can be purchased at 4:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at 8 a.m. on Sundays. Ticket sales are suspended at 7:30 p.m. for draw break.  Sales resume until 11:59 p.m. after system balancing.

We do not offer an online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased.

Advance Play allows you to purchase up to 13 weeks of tickets at one time (26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto and MatchPlay, and 91 draws for Cash 5). Check the Advance Play box on your play slip, and then tell your retailer how many draws you'd like to play. The same numbers will be used for all of the drawings you request. You can check your ticket after all your drawings have been conducted and collect your winnings at once, or collect them as you go along. If you choose to collect your winnings after each drawing you win, be sure you get a replacement ticket. Advance Play is available at Lottery retail locations throughout Colorado.

Cash 5 winning numbers are picked by a stand-alone computer (a computer that is not connected to any network) that is locked in a secure room in a building located some distance away from the Lottery offices. The numbers are drawn using a random number generator based on quantum vision technology. Quantum vision technology basically means the computers use decaying radiation as part of the random generation process instead of a computer chip. For each Cash 5 drawing, two “test” drawings are held to ensure everything is in working order. After the two test drawings, the real drawing is held and the numbers entered into the Lottery’s system, which runs the numbers selected by the computer against all of the tickets purchased to determine if there is a winner. In order to ensure the integrity of each drawing, an independent certified public accountant (auditor), citizen witness and a member of the Lottery’s security team are present for the entire process. In addition, an independent company, Gaming Laboratories (GLI), performs audits and test drawings to ensure everything is working properly and the games are fair.

You are welcome to witness a drawing to see how it is done. If you would like to set up a time to witness a drawing, or would like more detailed information about random number generation or quantum vision technology, please contact Mari Boyd at 719-546-5318.

Players have 180 days after a game has ended to claim a Scratch prize. Select any game listed in the Scratch section of our website and it will tell you if a game end date has been established. Games remain posted 60 days after the 180 days has expired. After that they will be removed from our website.

You can find this information on the our website in the Scratch game section, or you can ask any Colorado Lottery retailer for a Scratch Game Top Prizes Remaining report, which is available off of their terminal.

Winners info.

For more info.

The odds of winning Scratch games vary. If the odds of winning in a game is 1 in 4, this doesn't necessarily mean that if four tickets are purchased, one would be a winner. Odds are based on the total number of tickets available for sale in a game, not on an individual purchase.

Our Scratch tickets are produced and distributed in a completely random, double-blind system. First, prizes are scattered randomly throughout the entire run of the ticket. No one at the Lottery, or the printer, knows where the winning tickets are placed - that is generated through a random number generation system. Next, the tickets are shipped to our warehouses for distribution. Tickets are randomly pulled from the entire ticket run and shipped to random retailers. There is no rhyme or reason to the ticket distribution. So, randomly placed prizes are randomly distributed to random retailers. We have no way of knowing where the winning tickets are shipped or where they will show up. The reason it seems as though some locations have more winners is simply a matter of sales - if more tickets are purchased in the Denver Metro Area, it would follow that a commensurate number of winners would be located in the Denver Metro Area - and those retailers who sell a lot of tickets will have a greater likelihood of getting a pack with a winner in it just because they sell that many more tickets and have to replace them with new packs of tickets.

We’re sorry to hear that didn’t have better luck with your ticket purchases. Please keep in mind that odds listed on our tickets apply to the entire universe of tickets, not individual purchases. The odds also include break-even prizes. Your non-winning tickets may be eligible for one of our second-chance drawings, which provides another opportunity to win.

For more info.

No. Ticket printing costs prevent the Lottery from making sample or void tickets available to players.

Select the following for information about how to get the clues to the Word of the Day contest, and on how to enter,

Word-of-the-Day

Colorado Lottery proceeds are distributed according to the will of the voters through a 1992 amendment to the state constitution. That amendment provided a formula to phase out Lottery funding of the State Capital Construction Fund and to introduce a new proceeds recipient, the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO).

For more info.

Start with the public agency that will be receiving the Lottery funds. This will typically be a local parks and recreation service provider, such as your city or town, your county, and/or your park and recreation district.

Local governments are listed in the blue pages of your telephone directory.

Below is a link to the state Web site, where you can find all job openings, including any available at the Lottery, as well as the application form. If there are job openings at the Lottery, the positions are listed under the Department of Revenue.

www.gssa.state.co.us/announce/Job+Announcements.nsf/$about?OpenAbout

Log onto MyLottery using your current user ID and password.  This can be done from the MyLottery link on the very top of our website. After you log in you can access a link called "Unsubscribe" that can be found in the left navigation of the page.  That will take you to a personalized page that tells you what you are currently receiving and that will allow you to unsubscribe.

Go to the MyLottery homepage by following this link:

MyLottery

At the bottom of the Log In box, you’ll see a link titled “Forgot Password.” Just click on that link and provide your email address, and your password will be sent to you.

When you receive your next text message, respond by texting "stop", and that will take your phone off the mailing list.  Or log into your MyLottery account and update your profile to remove the option to receive messages to your phone.

Check your spam filters to ensure that emails from the Lottery aren’t being blocked from reaching you. Add MyLottery [Mylottery@coloradolottery.com] to your "Safe Senders" list and to your address book. We tend to have problems with Comcast and AOL in particular. You should also scan your junk folders to see if Lottery emails might be ending up there. Finally, you can contact your Internet Service Provider and have our email address added to your safe list.

We do send out an email with the numbers drawn after every draw for Powerball, Lotto and Cash 5 - but only to persons who have signed up to receive them. If you stopped receiving them, it is likely because your Internet provider has blocked us. When we are aware of an ISP blocking us, we try to work with them to whitelist us. But the ISP will respond to you better than to us. Comcast.net, Juno.com, and Yahoo.com seem to have occasional problems since they replace servers and forget to whitelist us on that server. If the message to you happens to go to that server, then it fails.

If you are not getting our email and try to sign up again, you will either succeed in signing up again or you will be told that you are already signed up. If you can sign up again, that means that our system has dropped you from the list because your ISP has rejected our email. We don't want to keep sending email to an address that rejects us or we will be treated as a spammer. If you are told that you are already signed up, then our emails are probably getting moved to a "junk mail" or "spam" folder by your email program. Check there and mark it as "not junk". If you want to whitelist us in your program (or with your ISP) you may need to know that our emails come from "mylottery@coloradolottery.com"

We do not send out spam. You must sign up to receive our emails. Every email contains a link that allows you to unsubscribe.

Although the Colorado Lottery has the initial winning number information within minutes of each drawing, we do not post the information until it has gone through a verification process.  Only then is the information posted.

The Lottery offers players a number of ways to claim prizes.  You can mail the signed ticket to the Lottery's Pueblo Headquarters with a Lottery claim form, or in person at any one of the Lottery's four claims centers. Winning Powerball jackpots must be claimed at either the Lottery's Pueblo headquarters or Denver claims center. Lotto jackpots may be claimed at any of the Lottery's four offices.

Claim form

We do not offer an online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased.

Losing a Lottery ticket is like losing cash. Protect yourself by signing the back of your ticket and filling in your address. Unless signed, anyone who has the ticket can file a claim.The Colorado Lottery is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets.

Yes.  You do not have to be a citizen of the United States to purchase Colorado Lottery tickets. The only difference is you will be taxed at a higher rate than citizens. Non-citizens are taxed at 34% (30% Federal; 4% State).

We suspect that you tried to cash your ticket during one of our draw breaks. We suspend the selling and cashing of jackpot tickets on the nights of our drawings in order to rebalance our system.

For Powerball, tickets cannot be sold or validated on Wednesdays and Saturdays, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting until early the following morning.

For Lotto, tickets cannot be sold or validated Wednesdays and Saturdays, beginning at 7:30 p.m. until the drawing is closed – usually between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

For Cash 5, tickets cannot be sold or validated Monday through Sunday, beginning at 7:30 p.m. until the drawing is closed – usually about 8:30 p.m.

We suggest cashing your ticket outside of these time periods to avoid any problems. If you did have problems cashing a ticket and it wasn’t during a draw break, let us know, and we’ll investigate the problem.

No. It is a common scam. In Colorado, people who have won $599 or more must come to a Lottery office to claim their prize. 

Here are three things that you should do upon receipt of these kinds of emails:

1 - Do not reply to these emails

2 - Delete them without opening them and

3 - Add the address to your junk mail listing

Remember, it's a good rule of thumb to keep your bank account information and your mother's maiden name secure.  And you should never send money to these people.

SCAMS

Payments of the remainder of the prize goes to the estate of the deceased winner.

Current tax withholding for U.S. citizens for prizes over $5,000 is 25% Federal and 4% State, for a total of 29%.

Mega Jackpot Games

• The winning numbers for Powerball are generated using ball drop machines at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  One machine holds the 59 white balls and another holds the 39 red ones.  The balls are released and air makes them circulate in the machine until they are drawn into the winning numbers shoot.
• The winning numbers for Mega Millions are also generated using ball drop machines at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.  One machine holds the 56 white balls and another holds the 46 yellow ones.  The balls are released and air makes them circulate in the machine until they are drawn into the winning numbers shoot.

In-State Jackpot Games

• The winning numbers for Lotto, MatchPlay and Cash 5 are generated from Automated Drawing Machines (ADM) in Pueblo, Colorado.  The ADM machines are stand alone PCs that do not connect to any other computer system including the Internet.  This PCs use a Random Number Generator (RNG) to select the winning numbers.  This RNG uses a software program that limits the range of numbers available (1-42 for Lotto, 1-38 for MatchPlay and 1-32 for Cash 5) and also eliminates the possibility of duplicate numbers being drawn in a single drawing (i.e. Cash 5 winning numbers cannot include two “22”s in the set of 5 drawn numbers). 

Both the ADM and the ball drop machines are inspected by third-parties and certified by auditors prior to use.

We do not offer an online or mail-in subscription service. We offer Advance Play through our retailers where you can play up to 26 draws for Powerball, Mega Millions, MatchPlay and Lotto, and up to 91 draws for Cash 5 (13 weeks). Check the Advance Play box on the edge of your play slip. The retailer will ask you how many draws you'd like to play, and charge you accordingly. The same numbers will be played for all drawings purchased.

Colorado Lottery tickets can only legally be purchased at a Colorado Lottery sales terminal within the borders of Colorado. You can purchase Powerball tickets in any other lottery jurisdiction that sells the Powerball game. In general, a lottery can legally sell tickets on the Internet, but only to persons within its own state. No one can sell lottery tickets by mail or over the Internet across state lines or the U.S. national border.

Any Internet lottery site that purports to sell Powerball tickets, or “shares” of Powerball tickets to purchasers or to run a “service” for you, is operating illegally. They are not authorized by the Multi-State Lottery Association or by any U.S. lottery. There are legal Internet sales of lottery tickets in some states or countries, but only within the borders of that state/country or by agreement between nations. The United States has no agreements with any other nation to allow lottery tickets sales across the national border.

The laws of Colorado prohibit the purchase of another state’s lottery ticket across state lines. Federal laws also make out-of-state lottery plays across a state line illegal. But note that you can legally travel to another state, buy a ticket, and bring it back to your home state. Most countries prohibit the purchase of lottery tickets across their border.

To claim a prize for $600 or more from out of state, complete our claim form and the back of your winning ticket including your signature and mail to Colorado Lottery, Claims, P.O. BOX 7, Pueblo, CO  81002-0007. To claim a prize less than $600, just mail in your completed and signed ticket.  It usually takes three business days from receipt to process claims filed by mail. Please allow at least two weeks for postal delivery. To check the status of your claim, call 1-800-999-2959 and ask for the Claims department.

Claim Form

According to the Colorado statute, tickets must be sold on a cash-only basis. The Lottery has interpreted "cash-only" to include checks, money orders and debit cards. Each individual Lottery retailer may have a different policy regarding accepting checks and debit cards for purchase. It is up to the retailer to determine which method of payment they will accept.

Tickets can be purchased as gifts for people under 18 years-old, but not by minors themselves. Anyone under the age of 18 must have received the ticket as a gift to claim the prize.

Colorado Lottery tickets (Powerball, Lotto, Cash 5 and all Scratch games) can be redeemed up to 180 days after the drawing date for jackpot games or the announced end of game for each Scratch game. Game end dates for Scratch games are available by selecting each game in the Scratch section.

Scratch games

The Lottery has two types of second-chance drawings...Top Prize second-chance drawings, which are held after the end of the game has been set by the Director. The prize for Top Prize second-chance drawings is equal to the top instant prize amount for the game. We also have Promotional second-chance drawings, which can be held at any time after the game is launched. Some Promotional second-chance drawings happen as early as 10 weeks after the game launches. The prize for Promotional second-chance drawings is usually for an amount less than the top prize, and can include cash, merchandise or experiential prizes. Just because we have held a Promotional second-chance drawing does not necessairly mean the game has ended. Sometimes, we continue to sell games after the drawing because there are many instant prizes remaining.

For more info.

The number entered may not be valid because: 1) Not enough digits were entered: all games have 22-digits. 2) The number entered is incorrect. Ensure that all latex is removed from your ticket and that all 22-digits are clearly visible before re-entering the ticket number. 3) The number entered is for a game that is not-eligible for a second-chance drawing. 4) The second-chance drawing for this game has been closed.

We offer a variety of second-chance drawings, mostly for our Scratch games. Our drawings require Internet registration.

More info.

The Internet drawings are held in our main office in Pueblo. Present at each drawing are conducted by a Lottery Security Investigator, an independent auditor, a citizen witness, and our drawing manager. Each entry is assigned a unique number when it is entered into the database on our host site. The day of the drawing, the entries are downloaded from our host site to 2 CDs (1 primary and 1 backup).  The citizen witness uses a random number generator that has the total number of entries as its parameters to select the drawing winner and minimum of 10 alternates.  The winning entry number and alternates are entered into a program that extracts the winner’s information from the host site and also the primary CD to ensure the information matches.

All of our drawings are public events.  The only thing we ask is if someone plans to attend they let us know in advance to allow our front desk and drawing manager to be expecting them.

If you can't find the 22-digit code you need to enter a second-chance drawing, please scratch all of the latex off the front of your ticket. The 22-digit code “floats” in the play area between the top of the ticket and the bottom of the ticket, but should be revealed once you have scratched the whole ticket. If you scratch the whole ticket and still don’t find a number, you can bring your ticket to our office, or contact our drawing manager.

Our drawing manager’s first point of contact with winners is typically by phone. She will also try sending an email if she is unable to reach someone by phone. Finally, she will send a certified letter through the mail to notify an individual whose name has been drawn as a winner. We make every effort to contact the person whose name was drawn and we have 15 working days to make contact before moving on to alternates. Winners, once contacted, have 15 working days to claim a second-chance drawing prize.

If you’re interested in a recent drawing and don’t see the winner posted, that usually means that we’re still in the process of contacting that individual or that individual has not yet claimed his or her prize. We will not post the winner’s name until the prize has been claimed. We appreciate your patience through that process.

Winners