Mystery Crossword
Image Credit: California Lottery
53
VALUESCORE
Fair
Mystery Crossword is a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket from the California Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 3.47, 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 $750,000. Most prizes have already been claimed (25% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 53/100 (Fair) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.47
Exp. Value
$0.78
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$750,000
Top Prizes Left
13
Prizes Remaining
25%
ValueScore™
53 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.78→
AVERAGE
Middle-of-the-pack value for a ticket at this price point.
Why
→Most of this game's prizes are gone.
- Weak prize quality: relatively few of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- Frequent winners: roughly a 29% shot at a prize on each ticket (1 in 3.47), ahead of most games.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$750,000
13 of 48 left
launch odds 1 in 1.2M
now ~1 in 1.1M
$10,000
29 of 99 left
launch odds 1 in 588K
now ~1 in 502K
$4,000
43 of 154 left
launch odds 1 in 378K
now ~1 in 338K
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $750,000 | 1 in 1,211,000 | 48 | 13 | 27% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 587,152 | 99 | 29 | 29% |
| $4,000 | 1 in 377,455 | 154 | 43 | 28% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 406,490 | 143 | 51 | 36% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 7,936 | 7,325 | 2,115 | 29% |
| $400 | 1 in 4,756 | 12,222 | 3,020 | 25% |
| $200 | 1 in 531 | 109,433 | 26,649 | 24% |
| $100 | 1 in 50 | 1,173,906 | 281,100 | 24% |
| $60 | 1 in 100 | 583,475 | 141,823 | 24% |
| $40 | 1 in 63 | 929,298 | 225,123 | 24% |
| $20 | 1 in 12 | 4,650,240 | 1,132,174 | 24% |
| $10 | 1 in 6 | 9,300,480 | 2,380,857 | 26% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$447,573,020
Current Prize Pool
$111,043,150
Payout Percentage
24.8%
Total Prizes Remaining
4,192,997
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
58,180,876
Estimated Remaining
14,549,700
% Remaining
25.0%
Prize pool figures use advertised prize values. Tickets printed and remaining are estimated from overall odds and the share of prizes still unclaimed.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
53
VALUESCORE
Fair
53
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 7/20/2026
Game Details
- State
- California
- Game Number
- 1708
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 12/15/2025
- Payout %
- 78.1%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 7/20/2026
Compare
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Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: California Lottery
$10.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.47 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 Mystery Crossword scratch-off a good buy?
Mystery Crossword is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 53/100. It is roughly average compared to other scratch-offs in California. If you are looking for the best value at this price point, check the California rankings page for higher-rated alternatives.
How much does Mystery Crossword cost?
Mystery Crossword costs $10 per ticket in California. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $10 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Mystery Crossword scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Mystery Crossword are 1 in 3.47. This means roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Mystery Crossword?
The top prize for Mystery Crossword is $750,000. As of our latest update, 13 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Mystery Crossword?
Mystery Crossword offers 12 distinct prize levels: $750,000 (48 total), $10,000 (99 total), $4,000 (154 total), $2,000 (143 total), $1,000 (7,325 total), $400 (12,222 total), $200 (109,433 total), $100 (1,173,906 total), $60 (583,475 total), $40 (929,298 total), $20 (4,650,240 total), and $10 (9,300,480 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 Mystery Crossword?
Based on our latest data, 25% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 4,192,997 out of 16,766,823 total). The game is winding down. A significant portion of prizes have already been claimed.
How is Mystery Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Mystery Crossword at 53 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 Mystery Crossword released?
Mystery Crossword was released by the California Lottery on December 15, 2025. It has been on sale for roughly 7 months, so a meaningful portion of prizes has likely been claimed.
How often is Mystery Crossword data updated on ScratchCheck?
Mystery 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.