Best Scratch-Off Tickets in Iowa Right Now

The best scratch-off in Iowa right now is the $300,000 JACKPOT, a $30 game with a 96.5 ValueScore, exceptional 2.29 overall odds, a 75% payout rate, and 5 of its $300,000 top prizes still unclaimed. What stands out about Iowa as a whole is the odds: several of the state's best games win some prize on roughly 1 in 2.8 to 1 in 2.9 tickets, which is better than most states offer, and many of them still have a healthy number of top prizes on the board. Iowa publishes official odds and payout figures, so the numbers below come from the lottery, not estimates. You can browse the full ranked lineup on the Iowa state page or sort by ValueScore.

Before the rankings, the honest baseline: scratch-offs are negative expected value. A 75% payout rate means a game returns about 75 cents per dollar across its full print run, so the house keeps roughly a quarter. Good odds and live top prizes make a ticket less bad, not good. The point of this list is to help you spend smarter, not to suggest anyone is going to come out ahead.

The Top Pick: $300,000 JACKPOT

$300,000 JACKPOT tops the state with a 96.5 ValueScore, and the underlying numbers earn it. Its 2.29 overall odds are the best in the Iowa lineup, meaning you win something on close to 1 in 2 tickets. Pair that with a 75% payout rate and 5 of its $300,000 top prizes still available, and at $30 it is the most efficient ticket the state currently sells.

The Best $10 Games

Iowa's strength is in its $10 tier, where you get strong odds without the $30 commitment. $100,000 Riches scores 88 with 2.84 overall odds, a 73.8% payout, and 7 of its $100,000 top prizes left. The Price Is Right is right behind at 87.8, with 2.87 odds, a 74.2% payout, and 9 top prizes of $100,000 remaining. MONOPOLY DOUBLER (Game #782) rounds out the group at 83.8 with 2.86 odds and 6 top prizes left.

All three win on roughly 1 in 2.85 tickets, which is excellent for a $10 game, and all three still have multiple top prizes in play. Between them, The Price Is Right edges ahead on the combination of a slightly higher payout and the most top prizes remaining, but any of the three is a reasonable $10 choice.

Higher-Priced Games With Deep Prize Pools

200X THE WIN at $20 scores 85.2 with 2.89 odds, a 74.4% payout, and 9 of its $250,000 top prizes left. Its $20 stablemate MONOPOLY DOUBLER matches it closely at 83.5, 2.9 odds, 74.4% payout, and 9 top prizes of $250,000 remaining. If you want the best raw odds in the state regardless of ValueScore, Gem 7s ($20, 79.4 ValueScore) posts a remarkable 2.52 overall odds with 10 of its $150,000 top prizes left, which is the deepest live top-prize pool among the premium games.

An Outlier Worth Understanding

$100,000 Mega Crossword ($10, 80.2 ValueScore) shows 36 top prizes of $100,000 remaining, far more than any other game on the list. That sounds like an advantage, and the deep pool is genuinely good news for top-prize availability. But note its 3.29 overall odds are weaker than the 2.86 you get from the other $10 games, and its 72.7% payout is a touch lower too. More top prizes left often just means the game is earlier in its print run, not that any single ticket is more likely to hit. You can watch how these counts move on the top prizes remaining page.

Where Payout Rate Surprises

One game bucks the usual ranking. MONEY ($10) carries the highest payout rate in the lineup at 81.6%, yet it ranks 12th on ValueScore because only 2 of its top prizes remain. This is a useful illustration: payout rate is measured across the entire print run, so a game can pay back well on average while its best prizes are nearly exhausted. ValueScore blends payout with odds and remaining prizes precisely so you do not get misled by one strong number in isolation. You can compare these factors directly using the prize payout and overall odds views.

The Summary

If budget allows, $300,000 JACKPOT is Iowa's clear best value: state-leading odds, a solid payout, and 5 jackpots still live. For a $10 entry point, The Price Is Right and $100,000 Riches give you near 1 in 2.85 odds and plenty of top prizes remaining. If you simply want the most generous payout per dollar, MONEY at 81.6% is appealing, just know its top prizes are running low. Whatever you pick, remember that even Iowa's best ticket returns about 75 cents on the dollar, so set a fixed budget and treat it as entertainment with a known cost.