New games and summer-long contests for Colorado players

By Kate Northrop

The Colorado Lottery is celebrating the state's 150th birthday with a summer-long party that includes at least two new games, Colorado-themed promotions, events, and contests.

In addition to the United States turning 250 this year, Colorado is celebrating its 150th birthday, which means new themed surprises for Colorado lottery players.

On August 1, 2026, Colorado will officially turn 150. It first joined the Union as the 38th state in 1876.

The Lottery released an appropriately named scratch-off game to mark the occasion, a $5 instant ticket called "150th Birthday!" Rather than offer a few or several six-figure prizes, this ticket offers 480 top prizes of $150 at odds of approximately 1 in 3,000 to win. There are 444 of those top prizes remaining.

There are also 4,680 second-tier prizes of $100 and 14,400 third-tier prizes of $50, with overall odds of winning any prize in the game 1 in 3.53.

Not available yet but coming later this year is the $2 "Colorado Ca$h Crop" scratch-off game, which will nod to the state's most well-known and beloved crops: Pueblo chiles, Olathe sweet corn, Rocky Ford melons, Palisade peaches, and San Luis Valley potatoes. The game is set to launch Sept. 14.

"We are excited to celebrate the birthday of the best state in the nation with these two new games that offer more chances to win, more prizes, and some added birthday fun," Lottery Senior Director Tom Seaver said in a press release. "For over 40 years of our great state's 150 years, the Colorado Lottery has been celebrating its players with new, exciting games that drive the revenue that makes our state one of the most beautiful and most popular places to visit in the country. Happy Birthday, Colorado!"

Other games to look out for include a $3 instant ticket called "Winning Country," which also calls back to Colorado-themed imagery in its design. The game offers three top prizes of $30,000 — none of which have been claimed yet — as well as 15 second-tier prizes of $1,000 and 56 third-tier prizes of $500. The overall odds are 1 in 3.57.

The last scratch-off game of note is a $10 instant ticket called "Colorado Gold Rush," which still has both top prizes of $250,000 available, eight total second-tier prizes of $10,000, and 44 total third-tier prizes of $1,000. The overall odds are 1 in 3.52.

From July 4 through Sept. 7, players can enter non-winning $5 "150th Birthday!" tickets into a second-chance drawing for a chance to win Colorado and outdoor-themed prizes, the Lottery said. There will be 150 winners selected at random, with each winner receiving a digital prize catalog containing 25 prizes to pick from.

Colorado residents can also take advantage of sky-high entertainment this summer. The Colorado Lottery has sponsored tons of drone shows that are scheduled to take place across the state, with shows going on up until the very last day of 2026. Dates and locations are available on the History Colorado website.