Scratch-offs with fewer prize levels tend to have worse odds of winning
Flip a scratch-off over or open its page on a lottery site and you'll find a prize table, usually with 10 or 11 rows. Across 2,388 state lottery games with complete prize tables in our data, the median number of prize levels is 10 at $1, $10, and $20, 11 at $2, $5, and $30, 12 at $3, and nine at $50.
States vary more than prices do. Rhode Island lists a median of 31 levels, because it publishes many prize combinations as separate rows. Oklahoma (14) and Illinois (13) also run long, while Delaware (7), Indiana, West Virginia, and South Dakota (8 each) keep their tables short.
| Prize levels | Games | Payout vs. same price and state | Overall odds vs. same price and state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 6 | 131 | -0.04 points | about 2.2 numbers worse |
| 7 to 8 | 305 | -0.15 points | the same |
| 9 to 11 | 1,136 | 0.00 points | slightly better |
| 12 to 14 | 561 | +0.09 points | slightly better |
| 15 or more | 194 | -0.03 points | slightly better |
A longer table doesn't mean more money back. Measured against games at the same price in the same state, payout stays within about 0.15 points whatever the number of levels. A lottery can spread the same prize budget across five rows or fifteen.
What changes is how often a ticket wins. Games with three to six levels have overall odds about 2.2 numbers worse than their neighbors, so 1 in 5.7 where a similar game would be 1 in 3.5. Many of them are built around a few fixed amounts, such as $50 or $100, with no small prizes to fill in the gaps. For players who like frequent small wins, a short prize table is the warning sign. For anyone chasing a decent single prize, it can be the point. Why overall odds and payout often disagree is in our look at what overall odds do and do not predict.
How we did this. We counted the prize levels with at least one prize for each active state lottery scratch-off in our database on October 12, 2026, keeping 2,388 games with complete tables and at least three levels in 37 lotteries. Missouri and Iowa were excluded because their published tables are partial. Comparisons use the average for each state and price among groups of three or more games.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many prize levels does a scratch-off have?
Usually 10 or 11. Across 2,388 games with complete prize tables in our data as of October 12, 2026, the median ranges from nine at $50 to 12 at $3. Rhode Island lists far more, a median of 31.
Do scratch-offs with more prize levels pay more?
No. Compared with games at the same price in the same state, games with 12 to 14 levels pay about 0.1 points more and games with seven or eight about 0.15 points less, both too small to matter.
Why do some scratch-offs have very few prize levels?
Some pay only a few fixed amounts, like $50 or $100. Those games skip small prizes, so they win less often. Games with three to six levels have overall odds about 2.2 numbers worse than their neighbors.
Phil Nageotte is a writer covering scratch-off odds, expected value, prize data, and more. He joined ScratchCheck in 2026 after years of tracking lottery payouts in spreadsheets of his own.
