Instant Prize Crossword
Image Credit: California Lottery
90
VALUESCORE
Excellent
Instant Prize Crossword is a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket from the California Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 3.10, meaning roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize. The expected value is $0.78 per $1 spent, which is an above-average return compared to other scratch-offs. The top prize is $2,000,000. Most prizes are still available (95% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 90/100 (Excellent) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.10
Exp. Value
$0.78
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$2,000,000
Top Prizes Left
15
Prizes Remaining
95%
ValueScore™
90 / 100
Excellent
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.78↑
GREAT VALUE
Excellent overall value, ahead of the large majority of games at this price.
Why
↑Fresh prize pool: most of this game's prizes are still on the table.
- Prize quality is high: most of the meaningful top and mid-tier prizes remain in play.
- Wins hit often: about a 32% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 3.10), better than most games.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$2,000,000
15 of 15 left
launch odds 1 in 1.2M
now ~1 in 1.1M
$25,000
32 of 32 left
launch odds 1 in 561K
now ~1 in 532K
$10,000
28 of 30 left
launch odds 1 in 598K
now ~1 in 608K
ScratchCheck estimate. Current odds are derived from the prizes still unclaimed and our estimate of tickets remaining, shown next to the lottery’s printed launch odds. Actual odds vary as tickets are sold and prizes claimed.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000,000 | 1 in 1,197,542 | 15 | 15 | 100% |
| $25,000 | 1 in 561,348 | 32 | 32 | 100% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 598,771 | 30 | 28 | 93% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 122,198 | 147 | 146 | 99% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 4,008 | 4,482 | 4,399 | 98% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 1,497 | 11,997 | 11,619 | 97% |
| $500 | 1 in 573 | 31,374 | 29,758 | 95% |
| $250 | 1 in 401 | 44,845 | 42,532 | 95% |
| $200 | 1 in 184 | 97,426 | 92,324 | 95% |
| $100 | 1 in 40 | 448,992 | 425,197 | 95% |
| $50 | 1 in 21 | 838,194 | 794,192 | 95% |
| $25 | 1 in 9 | 1,916,238 | 1,816,661 | 95% |
| $20 | 1 in 8 | 2,395,084 | 2,271,935 | 95% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$281,795,980
Current Prize Pool
$269,288,325
Payout Percentage
95.6%
Total Prizes Remaining
5,488,838
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
17,945,454
Estimated Remaining
17,015,398
% Remaining
94.8%
Prize pool figures use advertised prize values. Tickets printed is estimated from overall odds. Tickets remaining is estimated from the share of prizes still unclaimed.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
90
VALUESCORE
Excellent
90
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 8/11/2026
Game Details
- State
- California
- Game Number
- 1739
- Ticket Price
- $20
- Start Date
- 7/27/2026
- Payout %
- 78.4%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 8/11/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: California Lottery
$20.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.10 overall odds
✓ Accounts for prizes already claimed
Entertainment only. Outcomes are random and won't match a real session. Current-odds mode scales each tier by remaining prizes and tickets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Instant Prize Crossword scratch-off a good buy?
Yes. Instant Prize Crossword is an excellent buy with a ValueScore of 90/100. It ranks among the top scratch-offs available and scores highly on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health, meaning more prizes are still available relative to how long the game has been on sale.
How much does Instant Prize Crossword cost?
Instant Prize Crossword costs $20 per ticket in California. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $20 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Instant Prize Crossword scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Instant Prize Crossword are 1 in 3.10. This means roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Instant Prize Crossword?
The top prize for Instant Prize Crossword is $2,000,000. As of our latest update, 15 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Instant Prize Crossword?
Instant Prize Crossword offers 13 distinct prize levels: $2,000,000 (15 total), $25,000 (32 total), $10,000 (30 total), $5,000 (147 total), $2,000 (4,482 total), $1,000 (11,997 total), $500 (31,374 total), $250 (44,845 total), $200 (97,426 total), $100 (448,992 total), $50 (838,194 total), $25 (1,916,238 total), and $20 (2,395,084 total). The full prize breakdown with odds and remaining counts is listed in the prize table on this page.
How many prizes are left in Instant Prize Crossword?
Based on our latest data, 95% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 5,488,838 out of 5,788,856 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is Instant Prize Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Instant Prize Crossword at 90 out of 100 using ValueScore™, a composite rating built from four factors: Expected Value, Prize Quality, Win Frequency, and Inventory Health. Scores of 80 or above are Excellent, 60 to 79 Good, 40 to 59 Fair, 20 to 39 Below Average, and below 20 is Poor. The score updates automatically as prizes are claimed and data refreshes.
When was Instant Prize Crossword released?
Instant Prize Crossword was released by the California Lottery on July 27, 2026. This is a newly released game, so the full prize pool is effectively intact.
How often is Instant Prize Crossword data updated on ScratchCheck?
Instant Prize Crossword data comes directly from the official California Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.