As Coloradans spend millions for chance to win billion, some proceeds help great outdoor projects

No one matched all six numbers in the Mega Millions lottery Tuesday. The jackpot is now up to $1.02 billion and Coloradans are lining up to test their luck. 

More than $1.8 million worth of lottery tickets were purchased in Colorado on Thursday. Wednesday, sales were more than $3 million. 

In the last two weeks, there have been more than 5.2 million plays. 

According to the Colorado Lottery, there's never been winning Mega Millions ticket bought in Colorado. While no one scored the jackpot earlier this week, several winning tickets worth $10,000 each were sold throughout the state. 

Even if your luck doesn't pay off, sales from ticket sales in Colorado benefit out great outdoors. 

"Colorado is unique as we are the only lottery in the world whose proceeds are almost entirely dedicated to funding the outdoors," said Daniel Bewley, Public Outreach Manager for the Colorado Lottery. 

At its core, Bewley says the Colorado Lottery is a conservation organization. The Colorado Lottery has given $3.8 billion back to the outdoors. Lottery dollars support projects large and small in every county in the state. More than a third of sales help fund our parks, trails, pools and open spaces. 

Profits from the sale of lotto tickets are distributed to voter-selected beneficiaries. Then, those funds are used to help preserve and protect our favorite places around Colorado.

"We've done some really amazing things. We've opened two new state parks in the past five years at the Colorado Lottery," said Bewley. 

In the past few years, the Colorado Lottery invested $700,000 into Clement Park in Littleton, bringing an interactive water feature and inclusive playground. It's just one of the many ways lotto sales have created big wins all over the state. 

Find more information on their projects.