Christmas comes early for Pueblo woman after hitting $5.2 million Colorado Lottery jackpot
A Pueblo retiree who played the Colorado Lottery for years and never won more than $50 prior to two weeks ago stopped into the Loaf N Jug at 3980 Ivywood Lane on Nov. 29 to pick up a soda.
While in the South Side store, she grabbed a $3 Colorado Lotto+ ticket as she’d done many times before. But the woman, whom the Colorado Lottery identified Tuesday as Pueblo resident Pamela D., likely never imagined how that small piece of paper displaying six two-digit numbers would ultimately change her life.
Pamela’s ticket was a winner, and a big one at that. She’s the state of Colorado’s newest multimillionaire after hitting the Colorado Lotto+ jackpot and winning more than $5.2 million.
According to a Tuesday news release, Pamela told lottery officials she’s played the Colorado Lottery “from day one” and after purchasing her ticket at the Loaf N Jug, put it on her fridge and waited.
It was her son who eventually checked the ticket and realized all six numbers matched, which allowed him to deliver the life-changing news to his mom that she’d won over $5 million in the contest, or $5,214,531 to be exact.
Pamela’s odds of winning such a jackpot, according to the state lottery, were one in more than 3.8 million. Her lucky numbers were 10-24-27-35-37-38.
According to the state lottery’s news release, Pamela spends much of her time in retirement volunteering to give back to the Pueblo community.
“Although still grappling with the shock of her newfound fortune, Pamela has chosen to channel her energy into giving back to the community that holds a special place in her heart,” the lottery’s release stated. “She’s not sure exactly what she will do with her winnings but is determined to ‘improve our magnificent Pueblo!’”
Pamela could have opted to take a lump sum of approximately $2.6 million, or the entire jackpot in increments over the next 25 years. She opted for the latter and her first payment should be approximately $130,000, about 2.5% of the jackpot. Her annuity payments in subsequent years will increase by 3.7% until the entire jackpot is distributed.
In the state of Colorado, lottery officials are only required to release a winner’s first name and last initial, which is why Pueblo’s big winner is only being identified as Pamela D. Winners having their photos taken is optional.
Pamela isn’t the only winner in Pueblo following her jackpot, as Colorado Lottery retailers who sell winning tickets can earn bonuses between $200 and $50,000 for selling jackpot game top prizes.
As a result, the South Side Loaf N Jug collected a bonus of $10,000.
Colorado Lotto+ is an in-state game in which tickets start at $2 and players pick six out of 40 numbers either by selecting them themselves or opting for a “Quick Pick.” The jackpot starts at $1 million and grows, with drawings held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings.
Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo woman wins Colorado Lottery jackpot of more than $5.2 million
