Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. Their independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has committed more than $1.1 billion in lottery proceeds to more than 5,000 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support.
Extending Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) will be decided at the state capital – but you can help! Colorado Senators recently passed Senate Bill 18-066, which extends the operation of the State Lottery Division for an additional 25 years. It still must be passed by the Assembly and signed into law by the Governor.
Keep It Colorado is a coalition working to get the Colorado Lottery reauthorized by the Legislature in 2018 and allow GOCO to continue its tradition of preserving Colorado’s amazing outdoors.  Proceeds from Colorado’s Lottery support outdoor recreation and land conservation in all 64 counties in the state.
By signing up, you are joining the Trails and Open Space Coalition and scores of other Conservation groups committed to supporting a sustainable source of funding to protect Colorado’s outdoors and the quality of life that makes this state unique.
For more information, please read the Keep It Colorado FAQ’s:

  1. How did the Colorado Lottery come to be?  Colorado voters approved the creation of a state lottery in 1980. The Lottery Division of the Colorado Dept. of Revenue administers the program. It is an enterprise fund that receives no tax dollars.
  2. Why does the Colorado Lottery need to be reauthorized?  The Lottery Division is set to expire in 2024 unless extended by the General Assembly. Since Lottery dollars are used in Colorado for a variety of important purposes requiring long-term planning, it’s essential for Lottery to be reauthorized soon.
  3. What happens if the Lottery Division is not reauthorized? There will be no entity to administer the Lottery or manage sales of Lottery tickets.
  4. When will the General Assembly consider reauthorizing Lottery?  During its 2018 session.
  5. Will Colorado citizens vote on this issue?  No, it is the prerogative of the Colorado General Assembly.
  6. Where does Lottery money go?  In fiscal year 2016 (FY16), 69.5% of revenue went to prizes and retailers that sell tickets. 6.4% covered administrative costs, and 24.1% was distributed to proceeds beneficiaries.
  7. Who are Lottery’s proceeds beneficiaries?  Each year, the Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) receives 40% of proceeds; Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) receives 10% for state parks; and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) receives up to 50% (and that amount of funding is capped). Most years, the GOCO cap is met, and surplus funds go to the Colorado Department of Education’s school capital construction fund Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST).
  8. How much money did the beneficiaries receive last year?  In FY16, GOCO received $63.7 million; CTF received $56.9 million; CPW directly received $14.3 million (and it also receives half of GOCO’s funds); and BEST received $8 million.
  9. What do the beneficiaries do with the money?  Visit KeepItCO.org/proceeds-partners to learn more about the organizations listed above.
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