What Does 10X Mean on a Scratch-Off? Multipliers Explained
A 10X symbol multiplies the prize attached to it by ten. So you reveal 10X next to a $50 win and the ticket pays $500. The same applies to 2X, 5X, 20X and every other multiplier printed on scratch-offs.
How the multiplier gets applied
Games handle this two ways. Some print a single multiplier spot that applies to everything you win on that ticket. Others attach a multiplier to each individual play, so one prize might be tripled while the prize beside it pays face value. The how-to-play text on the ticket says which version you are holding, and the two are easy to mix up.
What the number in a game name means
When a game is called 10X The Cash or 20X or 100Xtra, that number is the largest multiplier the game contains. Georgia's 100Xtra can multiply a prize by 100. Most tickets that reveal a multiplier at all land on the smaller ones, because the 100X symbol is printed on very few tickets to begin with.
The multiplier is already priced in
How often each multiplier appears is built into the game's odds, its payout percentage, and the size of its top prize. Adding a 10X spot does not raise what the lottery pays out over the life of the game. It changes how that same money is distributed and gives you more to look at while you scratch.
Two games, same 500X, different value
Texas currently sells two $50 games that both top out at 500X. 500X Loteria Spectacular rates 76.6 on our ValueScore™, with a 78% payout percentage and overall odds of 1 in 3.21. 500X rates 61.0, on a nearly identical 78.1% payout but odds of 1 in 3.36 and a weaker prize structure underneath.
Fifteen points of value separate two tickets that advertise the same headline multiplier at the same price. If you are choosing between multiplier games, the payout percentage and how many top prizes remain will tell you far more than the number on the front.
For the game in your hand, the how-to-play text on the ticket is the authority on how its multiplier works. Rules vary between games that look similar from the outside.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 10X mean on a scratch-off?
It means multiply by ten. If you reveal a 10X multiplier symbol, the prize attached to it is paid ten times over, so a $20 prize becomes $200. Exactly how it applies depends on the game’s rules printed on the ticket.
Does the number in the game name guarantee that multiplier?
No. A name like 20X or 100X tells you the largest multiplier the game can hit, not one you are promised. Most plays reveal smaller multipliers or none at all, and the top multiplier is rare by design.
Are multiplier scratch-offs better value?
Not automatically. The multiplier is already priced into the game’s odds and payout percentage. A multiplier game can be a great buy or a poor one, so judge it by its payout percentage and prizes remaining, the same as any other game.
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.
