The Colorado Lottery sold its first Scratch ticket in January 1983. Lotto began in January 1989, and Cash 5 in September 1996. On August 2, 2001, the Colorado Lottery introduced the mega-jackpot game Powerball. Now, more than 25 years since the Lottery began, more than $2 billion has been returned to the people of Colorado through parks, open space, recreation, wildlife projects and more, not to mention more than $4 billion in the way of prizes. Time flies when you're having fun!
Here are a few memorable milestones from years past:
In January, to celebrate the Lottery’s 25th anniversary, Lottery Director Peggy Gordon presented Governor Bill Ritter with a check for $1.92 billion, which represented the Lottery’s proceeds to the state since its founding in 1983.
In July, the Lottery posted record sales of $505 million, and returned more than $122.3 million to our proceeds recipients.
In October, Colorado had its first ever Powerball jackpot winners. Two families shared a $20 million jackpot.
In August, the Lottery selected Cactus Marketing Communications as its advertising agency of record.
In October, the Lottery launched its first ever $20 Scratch game, “Colorado Millionaire.” Jeff Mitchell of Colorado Springs won the game’s first $1 million prize.
The Lottery broke weekly Scratch records of $7 million for seven weeks in November and December.
GOCO distributed more than $75 million to protect open spaces and river corridors and wildlife habitat, and increase outdoor recreation areas, the largest distribution to date from GOCO.
In February, the Colorado Birding Trail and companion trail launched. Three years in the making, this was a significant achievement for the DOW, and partially funded with GOCO grants.
The Lottery ended fiscal year 2006 by setting an all-time Scratch sales record of $293.8 million.
The Lottery contributed a record $12.5 million to the Public Schools Health and Safety Fund.
In February, the Powerball game saw a record-breaking $365 million Powerball jackpot – won by a group of meat packers from Nebraska.
Downtown Denver opened its first playground, funded, in part, with Lottery dollars.
The Lottery’s website became the 6th most popular Web site in the state, with more than 2.6 million page views every month.
In May, the Lottery launched its biggest Scratch game ever, "$35 Million Cash Spectacular," which offered nine top prizes of $500,000.
Cash 5 had its best sales year since the game launched in 1995, with sales of more than $17.4 million. The game also turned 10 in September.
Powerball generated an all-time high of $119.7 million in sales during fiscal year 2006.
The number of acres protected with the help of GOCO grants passed the 500,000 mark.
The South Park Legacy Project was completed, protecting 14,766 acres, and launched South Park Fly Fishers.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park, funded by GOCO and State Parks’ Lottery funds, opened in El Paso County. It is the only State Park in that county, and the latest State Park to be opened with the help of Lottery funding.
On October 19, the Powerball jackpot achieved a record level of $340 million, marking the first time ever the game's Match 5 BONUS feature was triggered. As a result, the McCarthy family of Durango received a $653,492 bonus for matching 5-of-5 numbers in addition to the usual $200,000 prize.
On September 24, Michael Layman of Thornton was first person to win $1 million playing Colorado Powerball. Layman's ticket had all five of the white ball numbers on a night when the Power Play multiplier was 5. Because he invested the extra dollar in the Power Play feature for that drawing, his $200,000 prize was multiplied 5 times.
The Colorado Lottery set record sales of $417 million, and a Scratch sales record of $282.7 million, surpassing the old record of $260.9 million set in 2004.
The Colorado Lottery underwent a major computer conversion in May. Changes included new state-of-the-art terminals that produce Powerball, Lotto and Cash 5 tickets faster, and ticket checkers so players can scan tickets to see if they are winners.
The Lottery introduced six Scratch advertising campaigns. These campaigns rolled out every other month and focused on Scratch families of games. Tickets at different price points focused on specific themes, such as "Luck" and "Ocean."
A lottery industry first occurred in May, when the Colorado Lottery teamed up with Lucas Films to introduce a Star Wars Scratch game. These tickets featured 12 different scenes from various Star Wars movies.
In August, the Colorado Lottery introduced its first ever second-chance Internet promotion. Players who purchased a $2 Coral Cash ticket entered their non-winning tickets into a drawing through the Lottery's Web site.
The Colorado Lottery ended fiscal year 2004 with more than $260.9 million in Scratch sales, breaking the previous record of $249 million, set in 2001.
The Colorado Lottery introduced new state-of-the-art Scratch ticket vending machines at retail locations across the state. These new machines offered touch-screen technology and the ability to sell up to 20 different games.
To offer more variety to players, the Colorado Lottery increased the number of Scratch games at some retail locations from 12 games to 16 games.
The Colorado Lottery began using a courier service for new ticket delivery.
Department of Revenue Director M. Michael Cooke announced the hiring of new Lottery Director Peggy Gordon.
The Colorado Lottery brought the Powerball drawing to Colorado. The drawing, which is typically conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, was held at the FOX31 Studios in Denver, and broadcast live.
In September the Lottery held a contest inviting the public to design the Lottery's 20th Anniversary Scratch ticket. The winning concept was called 20-Year Adventure, and was introduced shortly after the Lottery's 20th Anniversary on January 24, 2003.
The Colorado Lottery led the nation in Powerball Power Play playership. More than 35 percent of all Powerball tickets sold in the state featured the Power Play option.
In June, the Colorado Lottery announced sales of nearly $408 million. In addition, the Lottery returned more than $110 million to its proceeds recipients, which surpassed the old record by more than $10 million.
The Colorado Lottery and General Motors teamed up for the Scratch game Chevy Road Trip. The $2 game offered players the chance to win one of three Chevy Avalanche trucks. The Lottery supported the game with promotions statewide during the summer.
On August 2, the Colorado Lottery introduced the mega-jackpot game Powerball. The game was introduced at more than 2,500 retailers, and Lottery representatives participated in more than 70 promotions statewide.
On July 16, the Colorado Lottery began selling its first multi-state game when it introduced the Scratch game, Colorado Powerball TV. This game offered players the opportunity to win a $50,000 top prize or a chance to appear on Powerball-The Game Show. Contestants from Colorado had the opportunity to appear on-air, and received a trip for two to Los Angeles, California.
The Colorado Lottery set an all-time record in Scratch sales for fiscal year 2001. Sales totaled more than $249 million. The previous record was $234 million set in fiscal year 1999.
In February, the Lottery added two additional drawings to Cash 5, bringing the total number of drawings to six nights a week. The addition of these drawings helped push Cash 5 sales to nearly $17 million for fiscal year 2001.
In November, the Lottery was honored with a 2000 Diversity Leaders Award from the Minority and Women's Chambers' Coalition. The distinction was presented in recognition of the Lottery's effective integration of diversity into its corporate culture, and for exhibiting inclusive behavior in all program areas.
On November 7, Colorado voters approved Referendum E, allowing the Colorado Lottery to participate in multi-state lottery games. Multi-state games are products offered by more than one state, combining their prize pools to create more attractive jackpot amounts. After extensive research, the Lottery determined Powerball was the best alternative for the Colorado Lottery, players and proceeds recipients.
In September, the Lottery received two prestigious public relations awards for its corporate responsibility campaign focusing on playing responsibly. The awards were presented at the annual Gold Pick Awards ceremony in Denver, sponsored by the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
In June, the Rocky Mountain Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association was the first-prize winner in the Colorado Lottery's Everybody Wins Charity Drawing, receiving $10,000. More than one million entries were submitted for the drawing. A large portion of the RMCFS winnings went to fund chronic fatigue syndrome research and treatments. The Lottery's Charity Drawing received international recognition by winning Best Community Outreach Program at the 2000 International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) conference.
At the end of the fiscal year (June 2000), the Lottery exceeded the GOCO cap on proceeds by $1.3 million. This marked the first time Lottery revenue spilled over into the General Fund.
In January, Sharon Rupinen of Denver won the second largest jackpot in the history of the Colorado Lotto game. Rupinen was the sole winner of the $21 million jackpot.
In January, the Lottery reached a historic milestone, returning more than $1 billion in proceeds to the people of Colorado since the Lottery's inception in 1983. In conjunction with parks and recreation agencies statewide, Lottery staff celebrated this achievement with a "Thanks a Billion" promotion.
In August, the Lottery introduced Scratch Bingo. Scratch Bingo was introduced as a result of an amendment to Lottery statutes, which previously prohibited such a game.
In December, the Lottery completed its bond obligations to the Capital Construction proceeds fund. As a result, starting in fiscal year 1999, 40 percent of Lottery revenue was dedicated to the Conservation Trust Fund, 10 percent to the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, and up to 50 percent to the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund.
In September, the Colorado Lottery was the first in the industry to introduce Player Express Terminals. Player Express Terminals were placed at checkout lanes in multi-register retailers, and offered consumers the convenience of one-stop shopping.
On April 17, Governor Roy Romer signed Senate Bill 3, extending the life of the Lottery ten more years, or until 2009. Results from a five-month audit of the Lottery led to the extension. In the report to the State Auditor, the Legislative Audit Committee wrote, "nothing came to our attention which indicated the Lottery should not be continued."
In September, the Department of Revenue announced the first step in an effort to address problem gambling in Colorado. Independent contractor Gemini Research of Pennsylvania presented the results of a study at a press conference at the state capitol. The report indicated that less than one percent of Colorado's adult population has a problem with gambling, and approximately 250 individuals per year seek treatment for problem gambling. The Lottery, in conjunction with the state racing and gaming divisions, committed to addressing problem gaming in Colorado through a "play responsibly" campaign, and the funding of a toll-free referral number for those who would like help.
On May 31, 19 year-old Kevin Sutton of Longmont became the Lottery's youngest Lotto jackpot winner. Sutton, who was the sole winner of the $3 million dollar jackpot, was watching the live Lotto drawing on TV with several family members when he realized he had matched all six numbers. "His hand was shaking so bad, he could hardly sign the back of the ticket!" his sister told Lottery personnel.
On September 16, the Lottery launched Cash 5, the Lottery's first new On-line game since Keno was introduced in 1991. Cash 5 sales kicked off with events in Pueblo, Denver, Grand Junction and Durango.
In June, the Lottery introduced the first merchandise giveaway game since 1987 with $1 Trucks and Bucks. This game awarded ten top-prize winners with a brand new 1996 Ford Ranger. This was the first game in the history of the Colorado Lottery that offered a truck as the top prize.
On April 18, the Lottery launched Spin and Win, a Scratch game that reintroduced the popular grand prize wheel that was retired in 1989 when Lotto started.
The Lottery launched Lotto Bonus Month on May 1, which awarded an additional $100,000 to each Lotto jackpot winner in the month of May. A total of nine prizes worth $100,000 each were added to nine drawings. The additional prize money came from an unclaimed jackpot worth $1.5 million, which expired on December 1, 1994.
On August 20, Adena Sod of Golden became the Lottery's first-ever Cash Value Option Lotto winner. Sod claimed a lump sum of $5.2 million (before taxes), an amount that equaled 40 percent of the estimated annuitized jackpot of $13 million.
The Lottery launched the Cash Value Option on July 10, giving Lotto players the option of taking their jackpot prize in a 25-year progressive annuity, or in a lump sum equal to 40 percent of the estimated annuitized jackpot.
May 2, the Lottery launched Instant MONOPOLY®, the first time the Lottery produced a Scratch game in cooperation with a major national corporate partner. The game kicked off with a three-week promotion, in which six players competed for $10,000 in cash by playing a marathon MONOPOLY® game on the largest game board in the United States.
On April 1, the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust fund began receiving a share of Lottery funds.
The Lottery celebrated its tenth anniversary on January 24, and unveiled its first-ever $2 game: Big 10 Cash.
November 3, voters approved Amendment 8, which mandated that a portion of Lottery proceeds go to the newly created Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Trust Fund. GOCO monies are earmarked for wildlife, open space, parks and recreation.
On June 4, a $3.25 million unclaimed jackpot from the December 7, 1991 Lotto drawing expired. It was the second Lotto jackpot to go unclaimed.
The Lottery awarded the largest Lotto jackpot in Colorado history on March 25. Kim Walker of Boulder won $27 million. She also became the Colorado Lottery's 100th Lotto millionaire.
The Lottery launched a new On-line validation system for Scratch games that allowed players to redeem winning tickets up to $599 at any participating Lottery retailer.
On September 18, the Lottery held its 200th Lotto drawing.
April 13, the Lottery returned $3.5 million into the prize fund from the unclaimed jackpot of September 15, 1990. This marked the first Lotto jackpot ever to go unclaimed.
On February 13, the one billionth Lottery ticket was sold.
The Lottery began a second weekly Lotto drawing on July 18. Drawings began to be held every Wednesday and Saturday.
On May 10, the Lottery conducted the last televised drawing of the Grand Prize Wheel Spin.
Albert Tecci and Cheryl Penney, both of Denver, won the first Lotto jackpot of $7,090,700 on April 22.
On January 24, the Lottery's sixth anniversary, the new Lotto game launched during a five-city celebration in Pueblo, Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction. First day sales totaled $218,119. First week total sales (five days) reached $913,390.
On August 10, the Lottery retired the old SuperInstant Grand Prize wheel and introduced a new wheel with bigger prizes and a $1 million jackpot.
On April 29, the Colorado General Assembly passed a bill authorizing the funding of a Lotto game.
On August 29, the Lottery commemorated its fifth funds distribution with a celebration at Water World, hosted by the Hyland Hills Metropolitan Parks and Recreation District.
September 1, the Lottery commemorated its third funds distribution with a celebration at the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs, held in conjunction with the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic in Memorial Park.
The Lottery began its first SuperInstant game on October 1 with weekly grand prize wheel drawings.
On September 1, celebrations were held in Pueblo, Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Grand Junction to honor the Lottery's first distribution of funds to Colorado residents. Nearly 50,000 people attended the five celebrations. The Lottery distributed $41.7 million to the three designated funds. Capital Construction received $20.8 million, the Conservation Trust Fund received $16.7 million and the State Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (State Parks) received $4.2 million.
On April 23, the Lottery held its first grand prize drawing. Carolynn Andersen from Cedaredge became the Lottery's first millionaire.
The Colorado Lottery began on January 24 with gala kick-off celebrations in Pueblo, Denver, Fort Collins and Grand Junction. Lottery sales exceeded expectations. Income was projected to be $60 million, but by June 30, sales had already reached $137 million.
The General Assembly passed Senate Bill 119 implementing a state lottery on July 1 with a distribution formula of 40 percent of the net proceeds to the Conservation Trust Fund for local parks, recreation and open space projects, 10 percent of the net proceeds for state parks and outdoor recreation programs, and 50 percent for state Capital Construction projects.
The General Assembly defeated the two lottery implementation bills, House Bill 1404 on May 8 and House Bill 14l6 on March 27, in the House Judiciary Committee. The General Assembly formed an interim committee to further study the state lottery. The interim lottery committee supported an implementation bill.
Voters approved House Concurrent Resolution 1007, authorizing the General Assembly to establish a lottery. Proceeds were earmarked for parks, recreation and other uses deemed necessary by the legislature.
General Assembly passed a House Concurrent Resolution placing on the November 1980 general election ballot a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the General Assembly to establish a state-supervised lottery with proceeds, after deduction of expenses and prizes (unless otherwise provided by statute), to be allocated for parks, recreation and open space projects.
The General Assembly passed House Bill 1196, which appropriated $50,000 to fund start-up costs for the sweepstakes. The Colorado Supreme Court rules that the sweepstakes, authorized by House Bill 1080, violated Article XVIII, 2 of the Colorado Constitution prohibiting lotteries.
The General Assembly passed House Bill 1596, which transferred responsibility for the implementation and administration of the state sweepstakes from the Colorado Racing Commission to the Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Voters approved the sweepstakes statute at the November general election.
The General Assembly defeated House Bill 1045, authorizing a state lottery, upon voter approval at the 1976 general election. Net proceeds, after deduction of expenses, would have gone to a Conservation Trust Fund for distribution to local governments for parks, recreation and open space projects.
The General Assembly passed House Bill 1080, establishing a state sweepstakes, subject to voter approval at the 1976 general election, with 100 percent of the proceeds, after expenses and prizes, to be allocated to the Conservation Trust Fund for local parks, recreation and open space projects.
