Best Scratch-Off Odds by State in 2026
You cannot rank states by scratch-off odds, and any chart that claims to is measuring the wrong thing. Overall odds, the figure printed on the back of every ticket, is the chance to win any prize on a specific game. It is set per game, not per state, so the same state will have games at 1 in 2.3 and games at 1 in 8 on the shelf at the same time. What we can do honestly is show where the strongest overall-odds games are available right now, and explain what a low number does and does not buy you.
What Overall Odds Actually Measures
Overall odds answers one narrow question: across every prize tier, down to a free ticket or a return of your purchase price, how often does a ticket win something? A game listed at 1 in 2.5 means roughly two in five tickets pay out at least a small prize. That is not the same as a good shot at the top prize, and it is not the same as good value. A game can post excellent overall odds precisely because it floods the pool with $5 and $10 winners while keeping the big prizes scarce. You win something more often and still hand back most of your money over time.
This is why we lean on ValueScore rather than raw printed odds. ValueScore folds in the payout rate, the quality and size of the prizes still on offer, and the price tier, then compresses all of it into one 0 to 100 number. Overall odds is a single ingredient. ValueScore is closer to the finished dish. When you see a game with low odds but a middling ValueScore, that gap is usually telling you the low odds come from small wins, not generous ones.
Where the Strongest Overall-Odds Games Are Right Now
The table below lists, for each state we track, the single game on sale with the best overall odds, along with its price and ValueScore. Read it as a snapshot of the best-odds game in that market, not a ranking of the states themselves.
| State | Best-Odds Game | Price | Overall Odds | ValueScore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | HIT $5,000 | $30 | 1 in 2.23 | 61.4 |
| Iowa | $300,000 Jackpot | $30 | 1 in 2.29 | 96.3 |
| Arizona | Million Dollar Crossword | $30 | 1 in 2.30 | 95.8 |
| Georgia | Super-Sized Bucks Power 25X | $25 | 1 in 2.34 | 64.2 |
| California | Royal Jackpot | $40 | 1 in 2.43 | 88 |
| Colorado | $3,000,000 Millionaire Maker | $50 | 1 in 2.56 | 58.6 |
| Tennessee | Mega Play Jumbo Bucks Crossword | $20 | 1 in 2.57 | 52.7 |
| Florida | Gold Rush Multiplier | $30 | 1 in 2.60 | 62.6 |
| Missouri | 300X | $30 | 1 in 2.64 | 41.3 |
| Pennsylvania | $500 Blowout | $20 | 1 in 2.72 | 88.6 |
| Ohio | Millionaire Blowout | $50 | 1 in 2.73 | 98.7 |
| Massachusetts | $15,000,000 Colossal Millions | $30 | 1 in 2.78 | 79.9 |
| Washington | Max-A-Million | $30 | 1 in 2.86 | 65.8 |
| Virginia | $100,000 A Year | $20 | 1 in 2.91 | 62.3 |
| North Carolina | 200X The Cash | $30 | 1 in 2.93 | 78.7 |
| Illinois | $1,000,000 Crossword 50X | $25 | 1 in 2.97 | 68.3 |
| South Carolina | Magnificent Jumbo Bucks | $20 | 1 in 3.09 | 68.1 |
| Michigan | $300,000,000 Extraordinaire | $50 | 1 in 3.10 | 76.3 |
| Texas | 500X Loteria Spectacular | $50 | 1 in 3.21 | 78.5 |
| New Jersey | Crossword Xtreme | $30 | 1 in 3.40 | 62.9 |
| New York | $300,000,000 Cash Payout | $20 | 1 in 3.55 | 61.3 |
Each linked state name leads to its full game list, and each state also has a dedicated overall-odds ranking, for example Arizona's overall-odds page, where you can see every game sorted by this measure rather than just the leader.
The Standouts, and the Catch
A handful of games sit near or below 1 in 2.5, which is genuinely strong. Arizona's Million Dollar Crossword at 1 in 2.30, Iowa's $300,000 Jackpot at 1 in 2.29, and Kentucky's HIT $5,000 at 1 in 2.23 all win something on close to half their tickets. California's Royal Jackpot pairs 1 in 2.43 odds with a $40 price and a high ValueScore, which is the combination you want to see together.
The catch is in the prize structure. Better odds to win something almost always means more small wins, not a better shot at the headline number. Kentucky's HIT $5,000 has a $5,000 top prize and the cleanest overall odds in the table, but its name tells the story. The pool is built from frequent low-dollar hits, so you win often and you win small. Compare that to California's Royal Jackpot or Iowa's $300,000 Jackpot, where a strong ValueScore signals the payout is spread more usefully across larger tiers. Low odds with a high ValueScore is the real signal. Low odds with a thin ValueScore means you are buying frequency, not value.
Read the Data Quality Too
Two of these leaders carry footnotes worth respecting. Florida's Gold Rush Multiplier and Washington's Max-A-Million both show zero top prizes remaining. The odds figure stays accurate for the smaller tiers, but neither is a top-prize play anymore, so treat them as small-win games only. Colorado, Kentucky, and Missouri publish limited payout data, so for those states we lean on overall odds, prizes remaining, and ValueScore rather than payout rate. New Jersey's odds are estimated rather than official, which is another reason to weight ValueScore over the raw number there.
Read the Game, Not the State
There is no best state, only the best game on the shelf in front of you, and overall odds is just one line of that game's story. Use the odds figure to understand how often a ticket pays anything, then check the ValueScore to see whether those wins are worth having. If a game shows low odds and a high ValueScore, like Arizona's or California's leaders, that is the strongest value on the shelf in that market. Reading those two numbers together, instead of chasing the odds line alone, is the cheapest edge a player has.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which state has the best scratch-off odds?
No state has 'the best odds.' Overall odds are set per game, not per state, so the same state sells games with very different odds at once. The strongest individual games we currently track include Kentucky's HIT $5,000 (1 in 2.23), Iowa's $300,000 Jackpot (1 in 2.29), and Arizona's Million Dollar Crossword (1 in 2.30).
Do better overall odds mean a better chance at the top prize?
No. Overall odds measure the chance of winning any prize, down to the smallest tier. Low odds usually come from many small wins, not a better shot at the jackpot. That is why ValueScore, which weighs payout and prize quality, is a better single number to judge a game by.
What does a top prize 'remaining: 0' note mean?
It means every top prize for that game has already been claimed. The overall odds still hold for the smaller prize tiers, but you should not buy that game expecting a shot at the headline jackpot. Florida's Gold Rush Multiplier and Washington's Max-A-Million both fall into this group right now.
Phil Nageotte got interested with lottery math after realizing most players have no idea what the odds on the back of a ticket actually mean in practice. Phil covers the numbers side of scratch-offs. He holds the unofficial record among his friend group for most lottery tickets purchased purely for research purposes. He would like to clarify that he is not addicted to scratch-offs. He is addicted to data.
