Mystery Crossword (Game #1659)
Image Credit: California Lottery
45
VALUESCORE
Fair
Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) 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 (3% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 45/100 (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
1
Prizes Remaining
3%
ValueScore™
45 / 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
- Weak prize quality: relatively few of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- Wins hit often: about a 29% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 3.47), better than most games.
- Expected value of $0.78 per $1 is above average. More of each dollar comes back as prizes than most games.
Simulate This Game
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.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$567,761,240
Current Prize Pool
$15,062,350
Payout Percentage
2.7%
Total Prizes Remaining
696,558
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
73,841,336
Estimated Remaining
2,417,056
% Remaining
3.3%
Prize pool figures use advertised prize values. Tickets printed and remaining are estimated from overall odds and the share of prizes still unclaimed.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $750,000 | 1 in 1,229,591 | 60 | 1 | 2% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 576,371 | 128 | 3 | 2% |
| $4,000 | 1 in 392,423 | 188 | 8 | 4% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 396,642 | 186 | 4 | 2% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 7,959 | 9,269 | 272 | 3% |
| $400 | 1 in 4,769 | 15,471 | 370 | 2% |
| $200 | 1 in 530 | 139,093 | 3,438 | 2% |
| $100 | 1 in 49 | 1,497,166 | 33,389 | 2% |
| $60 | 1 in 100 | 739,650 | 18,075 | 2% |
| $40 | 1 in 63 | 1,172,605 | 27,372 | 2% |
| $20 | 1 in 12 | 5,902,036 | 148,021 | 3% |
| $10 | 1 in 6 | 11,804,072 | 465,605 | 4% |
ValueScore™ Breakdown
45
VALUESCORE
Fair
45
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 6/27/2026
Game Details
- State
- California
- Game Number
- 1659
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 1/20/2025
- Payout %
- 78.4%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 6/27/2026
Compare
Compare this game with another →Official Source
View on California Lottery ↗Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) scratch-off a good buy?
Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 45/100. 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 (Game #1659) cost?
Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) 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 (Game #1659) scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) 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 (Game #1659)?
The top prize for Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) is $750,000. As of our latest update, 1 top prize remains unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Mystery Crossword (Game #1659)?
Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) offers 12 distinct prize levels: $750,000 (60 total), $10,000 (128 total), $4,000 (188 total), $2,000 (186 total), $1,000 (9,269 total), $400 (15,471 total), $200 (139,093 total), $100 (1,497,166 total), $60 (739,650 total), $40 (1,172,605 total), $20 (5,902,036 total), and $10 (11,804,072 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 (Game #1659)?
Based on our latest data, 3% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 696,558 out of 21,279,924 total). The vast majority of prizes have been claimed. This game is close to being retired.
How is Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) at 45 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 (Game #1659) released?
Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) was released by the California Lottery on January 20, 2025. It has been on sale for over a year, so checking the remaining prize counts is important before buying.
How often is Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) data updated on ScratchCheck?
Mystery Crossword (Game #1659) data is collected directly from official California Lottery publications by ScratchCheck's automated pipeline. Prize counts and odds typically refresh daily or whenever the lottery publishes new data.