You can cash a Colorado scratch ticket worth under $600 at any authorized Lottery retailer during that store’s normal business hours. Prizes of $600 or more have to go through one of the Colorado Lottery’s four claims centers, which are open Monday through Friday, generally 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., with some midday closures depending on the location.
Retailer Hours for Prizes Under $600
More than 3,000 retail locations across Colorado sell and redeem Lottery tickets, including supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores, and gas stations.1Colorado Lottery. Retailer Information There’s no dedicated lottery counter with its own schedule. If the store is open and the terminal is running, you can cash a winning ticket.
What a retailer must pay depends on the amount. Under Colorado Lottery rules, a retailer is required to validate and pay any prize of $150 or less. For prizes between $150 and $599, the retailer may pay but isn’t obligated to.2Colorado Lottery. Rule 3 – General Rules and Regulations A store might turn down a payout in that higher range if the register is low on cash or the terminal is down. If that happens, try another retailer or go to a claims center, which can pay any amount.
Claims Center Hours for Prizes of $600 or More
Prizes of $600 and up cannot be cashed at a retailer. The Colorado Lottery runs four claims centers, each open Monday through Friday and closed on weekends and state holidays.3Colorado Lottery. Contact Us Hours vary by location, and two of the four close for a lunch break.
- Denver — Denver Regional Service Center, Auraria Campus, 1351 5th Street, Suite 100. Monday 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Free parking on the third floor of the attached garage.
- Pueblo (Headquarters) — 225 N Main Street. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- Fort Collins — 3030 S College Avenue, Suite 100. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- Grand Junction — 222 S 6th Street, Room 112. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
If you’re working from older information, note that the former Lakewood claims center has permanently closed. The replacement for the Denver metro area is the Auraria Campus location listed above.3Colorado Lottery. Contact Us
How Long You Have to Cash a Scratch Ticket
You have 180 days from the date a scratch game officially ends to claim a prize. Miss that window and the winnings are forfeited, with the money reverting to the Lottery fund.4Justia. Colorado Code 24-35-212 – Prizes The clock doesn’t start when you buy or scratch the ticket. It starts when the Lottery announces the game has ended, which can be months or years after your purchase.
A scratch ticket sitting in a drawer past the game’s end date won’t be honored. You can check whether a game is still active, or when it ended, on the Colorado Lottery website.
What to Bring When You Cash a Ticket
Sign the back of the ticket first. An unsigned scratch ticket is a bearer instrument, meaning whoever holds it can claim it. Once your signature is on it, only you can collect. That matters even more if a ticket is ever reported lost or stolen; the Lottery Director can withhold payment pending investigation, and tickets found to be stolen won’t be paid out at all.2Colorado Lottery. Rule 3 – General Rules and Regulations
For prizes under $600, a signed ticket is all you need at any retailer. For prizes of $600 or more, bring a valid government-issued photo ID — driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID — and your Social Security number, which the Lottery is required to verify before releasing payment.4Justia. Colorado Code 24-35-212 – Prizes
You must be at least 18 to redeem a lottery ticket in Colorado.5Colorado Lottery. Rule 1 – General Rules, Regulations and Definitions If a minor received a winning ticket as a gift, an adult has to claim it.
If You Can’t Make It to a Claims Center
For prizes of $600 or more, you can start the claim online instead of visiting in person. You upload images of the front and back of your signed, fully scratched ticket through the Lottery’s website — for scratch tickets, that means scratching the entire game board plus the 22-digit validation number on the front. Once the Lottery verifies the ticket, you’ll receive an email with instructions to finish the claim electronically.6Colorado Lottery. Claiming Prizes
Winnings between $600 and $100,000 are eligible for direct deposit when you claim in person, though direct deposit isn’t currently offered for online claims. Prizes of $100,000 or more are paid by check. Processing takes about four to six business days.6Colorado Lottery. Claiming Prizes You can also mail your signed ticket and a completed Prize Claim Form to the Pueblo headquarters, but a mailed claim takes one to two weeks.