Which States Have the Best Scratch-Off Odds in 2026? We Checked the Data

Not all scratch-off tickets are created equal, and not all states are either. The odds printed on the back of your ticket depend entirely on how each state lottery designs its games, and the differences between states can be pretty significant. We pulled the data from our live rankings to show you which states are putting out the best games right now and which ones you might want to skip.

A quick note on methodology: this is based on overall odds to win any prize, pulled from official state lottery sources and updated daily on ScratchCheck's best odds page. We're looking at games currently on sale with top prizes still available.

The States Showing Up at the Top

Iowa keeps placing multiple games near the very top of the national rankings, which is unusual. Most states get one or two games into the top 50. Iowa has several, including Ruby Red Crossword (1 in 2.29), Premiere (1 in 2.39), Payline (1 in 2.40), and Gem 7s (1 in 2.52). That's a consistent pattern across multiple games at multiple price points, not a one-off fluke. If you're in Iowa or passing through, you're playing in one of the better scratch-off environments in the country right now.

Georgia is everywhere in the top 50. Jumbo Jumbo Bucks at $10 comes in at 1 in 2.47. Super-Sized Bucks Power 25x at $25 hits 1 in 2.34. Millionaire Maker at $30 comes in at 1 in 2.53. Georgia has multiple games across multiple price points in the upper tier. The state lottery seems to consistently design games with better overall odds than the national average, and the data backs that up right now.

Arizona is another repeat offender at the top, though mostly at the premium price points. SET FOR LIFE at $50 clocks in at 1 in 2.18, which is exceptional. Million Dollar Crossword at $30 comes in at 1 in 2.30. 500X The Cash at $50 lands at 1 in 2.55. Arizona plays well if you're comfortable spending more per ticket.

Oklahoma deserves a mention. The $5 Million Jackpot game at $100 a ticket has odds of 1 in 2.37 with an 81% payout rate and a ValueScore of 99.7 out of 100. That's about as good as it gets on paper. Holiday Frenzy at just $10 comes in at 1 in 2.44 with 198 top prizes still remaining. Oklahoma is quietly running some of the better games in the country.

Maryland shows up consistently at the premium tier. $5,000,000 LUXE at $50 has odds of 1 in 2.50 with a 78.8% payout rate and a ValueScore of 96.3. Ace of Spades at $30 hits 1 in 2.73 with a 78.9% payout and a ValueScore of 90.8. $5,000 Large at $30 is at 1 in 2.64 with 814 top prizes still unclaimed. Maryland is one of the better states for players who want real remaining prize depth, not just good odds on a game that's almost played out.

California brings Royal Jackpot ($40, 1 in 2.43, 80.8% payout, ValueScore 96.4) and 7's ($30, 1 in 2.71, 79.6% payout, ValueScore 83.6). For a state with tens of millions of players, California's top games hold their own against smaller-state lotteries.

The States That Aren't Showing Up

You'll notice some major states are absent from the top of these rankings. New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania, which run three of the largest lottery programs in the country by volume, don't have games sitting in the top tier right now. That doesn't mean they never do, the rankings change daily as prizes are claimed and new games launch. But for the moment, if you're playing in those states and you care about odds, it's worth checking your state's current game lineup on ScratchCheck and comparing against what's available.

Colorado and Vermont appear in the rankings but mostly on games where top prizes are already gone (remaining top prizes: 0), which means you're looking at a dead game. Vermont's Money Mania ($30, 1 in 2.56) and Fire and Ice ($25, 1 in 2.58) both show zero top prizes remaining. The overall odds still look decent on paper, but nobody's winning the jackpot on those tickets anymore.

What the Price Tiers Tell You

Looking across all 156 games in the current rankings, a pattern holds up: better overall odds tend to cluster at higher price points. The $10 and under games in the top 50 are rare. Most of the best odds are at $20, $25, $30, and $50 tickets.

That's not surprising, but it's worth spelling out. If you're playing $1 and $2 tickets, you're almost certainly playing a game with odds worse than 1 in 4, and probably closer to 1 in 5. If you step up to $20 or $30, a well-designed game can get you down to 1 in 2.50 or better. You're spending more per play, but you're getting significantly more game for that spend.

The exception that keeps showing up is Georgia, which has $10 tickets (Jumbo Jumbo Bucks, 1 in 2.47) competing with the premium-priced games from other states. If you're a budget player who still wants decent odds, Georgia is worth paying attention to.

How Fast Things Change

One thing worth knowing: these rankings are a snapshot. A game can go from top-10 to irrelevant in a few weeks if the remaining top prizes drop to zero. The Connecticut game $4,000,000 Fortune ($50, 1 in 2.38) is a perfect example, it has excellent odds on paper but zero top prizes remaining. Same with Florida's Gold Rush Multiplier ($30, 1 in 2.60), which shows up in the rankings by odds but has no jackpot left to win.

This is why checking remaining prizes matters as much as checking the odds themselves. A game with 1 in 2.50 odds and no top prize is a worse buy than a game with 1 in 3.00 odds and 10 top prizes still out there.

ScratchCheck updates prize counts daily from official state sources, so the best odds page always reflects what's actually available right now, not just what was printed on the ticket six months ago.

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Browse scratch-off odds for your state at ScratchCheck.com