Maryland launched 4 new scratch-offs in August 2026
The Maryland Lottery released four new scratch-offs on sale August 21, 2026, priced from $1 to $10. Two of them landed on the same day at the same price and split neatly along a line we see in the data all the time.
$100,000 Crossword ($10)
$100,000 Crossword is the pick of the launch. It rates 85.1, sixth among the 96 active Maryland games we score, with a 74.5% payout percentage, overall odds of 1 in 3.05, and nine $100,000 top prizes unclaimed. It takes a full 25 of 25 on prize quality and 16.8 of 20 on win frequency.
High Voltage ($10)
High Voltage rates 83.6 with a 75.1% payout percentage, odds of 1 in 3.29, and eight $100,000 top prizes left. On paper it is nearly the same ticket as the crossword: same price, same top prize, launched the same morning.
The Price is Right ($5)
The Price is Right rates 69.1 with a 72% payout percentage, odds of 1 in 3.56, and six $50,000 top prizes unclaimed. It is a licensed game, and licensed games carry a reputation for skimming the prize pool to cover the licensing fee. The number says otherwise. A 72% payout is comfortably above the 69.3% national average for $5 tickets, and when we compared all 65 licensed games in the country against everything else at matched prices, the gap disappeared. Whatever the Maryland Lottery is paying to use the show's name, the players are not funding it out of the prize table.
Loose Change ($1)
Loose Change rates 44.4, the weakest of the group. It returns 59.9% of sales with odds of 1 in 4.51 and a $1,000 top prize, of which 24 remain. Its expected-value component scores 2.5 out of 50.
None of that makes it unusual. Dollar tickets across the country average 61.9% payout, so this one sits marginally below a low bar. The gap to the $10 games on the same rack is close to fifteen points of payout.
The rest of the Maryland rack
Maryland runs 96 scored games and averages 71.8% payout, ninth in the country. The state's best ticket is the $30 $5,000 Large at 91.9, so neither new $10 game troubles the top of the list, though sixth out of 96 on day one is a strong start for the crossword.
Maryland's lottery and casinos sent $1.64 billion to state programs last year, with close to $700 million of that going to schools. Current scores for every Maryland game are on our Maryland ValueScore™ rankings, and the full board is on the Maryland state page.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What new scratch-offs did Maryland launch in August 2026?
Four went on sale August 21, 2026: $100,000 Crossword and High Voltage at $10, The Price is Right at $5, and Loose Change at $1. $100,000 Crossword rates 85.1 on our ValueScore™, High Voltage 83.6, The Price is Right 69.1, and Loose Change 44.4.
Which new Maryland scratch-off is the best?
$100,000 Crossword, at 85.1 on our ValueScore™. That puts it sixth among the 96 active Maryland games we score. It returns 74.5% of sales as prizes, its overall odds are 1 in 3.05, and nine of its $100,000 top prizes are unclaimed.
Is the $10 crossword better than the $10 High Voltage ticket?
They trade off. $100,000 Crossword wins more often, at 1 in 3.05 against 1 in 3.29, while High Voltage returns slightly more money, at 75.1% against 74.5%. Both cost $10 and both top out at $100,000. Which is better depends on whether you want more frequent wins or a marginally better return.
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.
