Colorado Lottery officials will let ethnic-themed scratch ticket games run their course despite complaints that they target illegal immigrants.
Speaking at the lottery commission’s monthly meeting this past week in Pueblo, Lottery director Peggy Gordon said the agency has received complaints about scratch cards sporting Spanish names and themes.
She declined to comment on specific details of the complaints, but said this is the first time she could remember receiving negative comments about an ethnic theme.
“We speak English in America. We write English in America. We read English in America. This is Mexican. This is un-American,” one of the complaints quoted in the Pueblo Chieftain read.
The Colorado Lottery has previously printed Spanish-themed games – Hot Peppers, Mariachi Money and Green Chile Fever – without complaint, Gordon said. But this is the first time the lottery has printed a game with bilingual directions.
Mucho Dinero, which is in Spanish and English, and two other ethnic-themed scratch games had been planned for release in April in celebration of the Cinco de Mayo holiday, she said.
There is no requirement for a lottery winner to be a U.S. citizen, said Diane Reimer, spokesperson for Colorado Department of Revenue.
A winner has to show a Social Security card to be taxed on their winnings. If the person doesn’t have a number, the tax is simply set at a higher rate, Reimer said.
Gordon said the Colorado player base mirrors the state’s population, and she estimated 15 percent to 20 percent of lottery players are Hispanic.
“It’s part of our demographic,” Gordon said. “We like to produce a variety of games for our players. Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes it’s not.”
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at jbentley@denverpost.com.
