A winning $1 scratch-off costs about $4.65 to reach, a $50 winner costs $175
The odds on the back of a scratch-off tell you how often a ticket wins, but not what it costs to get there. Multiply those odds by the ticket price and you get a number the lottery does not print: how much you would spend, on average, before hitting a winning ticket. Figures are from our database as of the second week of September 2026.
| Price | Games | Average odds | Spent per winning ticket | Average payout | Average loss per win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | 266 | 1 in 4.65 | $4.65 | 61.8% | $1.78 |
| $2 | 426 | 1 in 4.36 | $8.72 | 65.5% | $3.01 |
| $3 | 209 | 1 in 3.82 | $11.46 | 65.1% | $4.00 |
| $5 | 730 | 1 in 4.03 | $20.15 | 69.3% | $6.19 |
| $10 | 595 | 1 in 4.07 | $40.70 | 73.1% | $10.95 |
| $20 | 349 | 1 in 3.83 | $76.60 | 75.1% | $19.07 |
| $30 | 146 | 1 in 3.39 | $101.70 | 77.4% | $22.98 |
| $50 | 81 | 1 in 3.50 | $175.00 | 79.6% | $35.70 |
Look at both columns on the right side of the table. A $50 game returns 79.6 cents on the dollar a player spends against just 61.8 cents at $1. That is the case for buying more expensive tickets, and the pattern holds across the country. At the same time, you have to spend a lot more money and lose a lot more money on losses. You reach a winning $1 ticket after spending around $5 on average and a winning $50 ticket after spending $175 on average.
The last column is matters most
Average loss per win takes the money spent to reach a win and subtracts what the tier pays back. At $1 it is $1.78. At $50 it is $35.70, twenty times more.
That is the whole trade. You win more often on more expensive tickets but you also lose a lot more when you lose.
Hit rates are similar at the top
The best hit rate belongs to $30 games at 1 in 3.39, ahead of $50 at 1 in 3.50 and $20 at 1 in 3.83. Further down, $3 games at 3.82 beat both $5 at 4.03 and $10 at 4.07.
Keep in mind that these are based on games from the entire country, certain states may have better odds at various tiers.
How we did this. Overall odds, prices, and payout percentages are from each state lottery's published game data. Spent per winning ticket is the ticket price times the average overall odds for that price. Average loss per win is that figure times one minus the tier's average payout. Averages count active US games, and payout averages count only games with a published or derived payout figure. Figures are from our database as of September 9, 2026, and cover active US scratch-off games.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you spend per winning scratch-off ticket?
It depends almost entirely on price. A $1 game wins on one ticket in 4.65 on average, so a winner costs $4.65 in tickets. A $5 game costs $20.15 per win, a $20 game $76.60, and a $50 game $175. The win itself is bigger at the higher prices, but so is the wait.
Which scratch-off price wins most often?
The $30 tier, at an average of one winning ticket in 3.39. It beats $50 at 3.50 and $20 at 3.83. Hit rate does not rise steadily with price. The $3 tier at 3.82 wins more often than $5 at 4.03 or $10 at 4.07.
How much do you lose per winning ticket on average?
From $1.78 on a $1 game to $35.70 on a $50 game. That is the cost of the tickets bought to reach one win, minus the average share paid back as prizes. A $50 ticket returns more of each dollar, 79.6% against 61.8% at $1, but you spend far more between wins, so the loss per win is twenty times larger.
Jessie Jurado is a news writer who covers new scratch-off launches, state lottery guides, taxes on winnings, news, and much more. She joined ScratchCheck in 2026 and writes the site's state-by-state coverage.
