Colorado voters’ gamble may have quickly paid off after all.

Sports betting got off to a hot start, meaning enough tax revenue has already been collected to start benefiting Colorado’s Water Plan projects. That’s despite projections from Gov. Jared Polis’ administration warning that the wagering would begin slowly and that money wouldn’t flow to water projects until at least the second full year of sports betting.

Colorado had already collected more than $3.4 million in sports betting tax revenue through the end of December, more than enough to cover the roughly $2 million in startup costs that had to be paid off before wagering dollars could start being directed to the water plan projects, including increasing storage capacity.