DENVER, Co. — The Colorado Lottery will begin selling Mega Millions tickets Sun., May 16, giving Colorado residents two more chances every week to score big jackpots.
Colorado will become the 42nd locality nationwide to offer tickets for the popular multi-state jackpot game. The United States' other mega jackpot game, Powerball, is also offered by the Lottery.
"We're thrilled to give our players the opportunity to win another large jackpot," said Colorado Lottery Acting Director Tom Kitts. "We believe Mega Millions will complement our current product line and allow us to raise more money for all of the great projects the Lottery supports."
Mega Millions has a starting jackpot of $12 million and other prizes ranging from $2 to $250,000. To play, consumers choose 5 numbers from 1 to 56 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 46. Players that match the five numbers and the Mega Ball win the jackpot.
Players can opt to spend an extra $1 for a "Megaplier" option, which will multiply their non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3 or 4 times.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 175.7 million. Overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 40.
Mega Millions drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. EST. The drawings will be aired on the Altitude network in Colorado.
The Colorado Lottery began pursuing the idea of selling Mega Millions after the organizations that operate Powerball and Mega Millions formed a partnership allowing cross-selling in October 2009. Both games are now sold by 39 lotteries nationally.
The Colorado Lottery has offered the Powerball Jackpot game since 2001. The game offers a starting jackpot of $20 million. Colorado claimed its first Powerball jackpot winners in October 2007, when SEEP Financial Group won $20 million. Drawings for Powerball are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 195.2 million. In Fiscal Year 2009, Powerball sales were $100.7 million.
Proceeds from the Colorado Lottery's games — Mega Millions, Powerball, Cash 5, Scratch, Lotto and MatchPlay — stay in Colorado to improve the quality of life in the state. The Lottery has returned more than $2.2 billion to the state of Colorado since its creation in 1983. Through Great Outdoors Colorado, the Conservation Trust Fund and Colorado State Parks, the Lottery has provided funding for new trails, open space and wildlife protection.
All the states that offer Megamillions & Powerball have jumped on the "GREED BANDWAGON"....its just waaaaay easier to get people addicted to gambling much like it is with cigarettes/alcohol than it is to create jobs.etc ...... also it gives state governments the opportunity to borrow out of it like what has happened in NC recently...plus with more states in the collective pool means that they can keep a greater share of the cash percentage wise...Dont e-mail those clowns at the powerball headquarters and inquire as to such because they'll flat out deny it with a sarcastic/idiotic rebuttal similar to a style in washington politics we hear on the news everyday....
Megamillions is still stuck on 12 million which is turning into a joke plus the lottos have took on the mantra of spreading disinformation by saying they pay out millions every drawing when in reality the money paid out is put right back into the powerball/megamillions system the next drawing by addicted gamblers who are hooked on trying to win the big one...
Wow, you would think that you didn't play the lottery yourself. Aren't you a daily lottery player, who posts lots and lots of numbers in the Pick 3 forum every day?
I have never heard something sarcastic or idiotic coming from the MUSL folks -- they have been some of the most straight-forward of any of the lottery reps out there.
Mega Millions is not "stuck on 12 million", but it does have a $12 million starting jackpot. In the first rollover it tends to rise to about $19 or $20 million. It also has a very strong cash value. I'm not sure what the complaints are about there. Maybe it's not enough for you, but it seems good to me.
Time to Call 1-800-GAMBLER?
Congratulations to lottery players in Colorado! Now you have a choice ...... choice is awesome!
It is interesting that so many states have joined Mega Millions in the past few months and they have not yet raised the starting jackpot from 12 million. With so many states playing Mega Millions now, the sales should be high enough to justify a higher starting jackpot that 12 million.
A new choice for Colorado!
I found out that the store where I purchase my Mega Millions and Powerball tickets sold a $200,000 winner in the Powerball recently!
I hope that they sell a Jackpot winner soon(to me)!
Woo Hoo -
I am ready to go green ............. with money!
It would be awesome if they increased it to 20 million like powerball.
Colorado will become the 42nd locality . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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It's difficult to keep up with all the changes, but I count 40.
AR AZ CA CT DC DE GA IA ID IL
IN KS KY MD MA MI MN MO MT NC
NE ND NH NJ NM NY OH OK OR PA
RI SC TN TX VT VA WA WI WV CO
How do you figure 42?
Best of Luck!
LottoL
Now Colorado will have opportunity for lottery players to win big. Welcome to the game.
It's about time Colorado!
I agree. I would love $12 million dollars and it would definitely be enough for me!
I'm Glad another State is being given a chance to participate in a High Jackpot Game.
Todd's Right, even though Mega starts out at 12 million, its been my experience that it rises about 1 and a half to two times faster than Powerball, and the Cash value is about 1/3 times as much better than Powerball, and it also has lower odds than Powerball, so no harm no foul.
I think no one makes people play the lottery, especially in terms of volume. People choose play however much they are comfortable with or however much they are willing to risk to lose to win something back in return.
I think this is great news to Colorado residents who up to this upcoming point would have had had to resort to traveling out-out-of-state which can get costly, to buy their Mega Tickets.
May I remind people, that people spend more annually in Entertainment than on anything else there is in this world, especially in a downturned economy, and I suppose just as much as fun, or as an investment, the lottery can be a fun form of investment that is also a form of entertainment.
Here's to more states offering both Games, and for players to be equally lucky at both.
I personally prefer Powerball. The numbers just seem to work better for me on there. Call it what you wish, but it just seems to happen that way, so Players remember to analyze your personal chances and luck and rapport with each game! 
You're missing Maine (started this past Sunday) and South Dakota (starts this coming Sunday). Since S.D. announced their participation before Colorado, and they both start on the same date, I figure that makes S.D. #41 and Colorado #42.
USA Mega (www.usamega.com) has been updated with all of the current information, so if you click "Where to Play" in the Mega Millions section there, you will see all of the jurisdictions, along with their start dates.
Thanks for the update!
LottoL