One in nine scratch-offs has a top prize below $1,000
Not every scratch-off is chasing a life-changing prize. Of 2,852 state lottery games on sale in our data as of this writing, 307, about 11%, have a top prize under $1,000. Most are cheap tickets, but a few cost $20 or more.
| Price | Games under $1,000 | All games | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | 83 | 266 | 31% |
| $2 | 42 | 431 | 10% |
| $3 | 4 | 212 | 2% |
| $5 | 63 | 739 | 9% |
| $10 | 81 | 596 | 14% |
| $20 | 28 | 354 | 8% |
| $25 and $30 | 6 | 164 | 4% |
At $1, nearly a third of games cap out below $1,000, some as low as $20 or $25 in New Mexico and New Hampshire. At $50 and $100, none do. Georgia has the most of these games, 37 of its 199, followed by New Mexico and Vermont with 19 each and New Hampshire with 18.
A small top prize doesn't mean a worse deal on paper. At $1, games that top out under $1,000 return 61.8% of sales on average, against 61.6% for the rest. At $10 it's 73.2% against 73.1%, and at $20, 75.0% against 75.2%. The money is just spread differently.
Where they differ is how often they win. Most of the $10 and $20 games in this group are built like "$100 or $200" tickets, paying only a few large multiples of the price and nothing small. Fewer wins fit in the budget, so the average overall odds at $10 are about 1 in 6.95, against 1 in 3.57 for other $10 games, and at $20 about 1 in 8.10 against 1 in 3.46. New York sells two $30 versions that pay $100, $200, or $500, with overall odds of 1 in 6.25. Minnesota's new $13,000,000 Holiday Blowout is the same idea at $10, with odds of 1 in 9.92.
On the $1 games, the odds are no worse than other $1 tickets, roughly 1 in 4.6. These are simply cheap tickets with a small ceiling. Many players won't mind, since a large share of wins on any ticket are small anyway.
How we did this. We used each active state lottery scratch-off in our database on October 12, 2026, 2,852 games with a known top prize, taking the highest cash prize tier and skipping free tickets. Payout is total prizes as a share of sales. Averages compare games at the same ticket price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many scratch-offs have a top prize under $1,000?
307 of the 2,852 state lottery scratch-offs on sale in our data as of October 12, 2026, about 11%. Nearly a third of $1 tickets cap out below $1,000, and Georgia sells the most such games, 37.
Do scratch-offs with small top prizes pay back less?
No. At the same price they return almost exactly the same share of sales. At $5, games topping out under $1,000 average 69.4% against 69.2% for the rest, and at $20 it is 75.0% against 75.2%.
Why are the odds so bad on $50 or $100 style scratch-offs?
They skip small prizes. A $10 game that pays only $50 or $100 has to give out fewer wins to stay in budget, so its overall odds average about 1 in 6.95, against 1 in 3.57 for other $10 games.
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.
