Set for Life
Image Credit: California Lottery
80
VALUESCORE
Excellent
Set for Life is a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket from the California Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 3.32, meaning roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize. The expected value is $0.79 per $1 spent, which is an above-average return compared to other scratch-offs. The top prize is $5,000,000. About half the prizes remain (49% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 80/100 (Excellent) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.32
Exp. Value
$0.79
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$200,000 a year for 25 years
Top Prizes Left
6
Prizes Remaining
49%
ValueScore™
80 / 100
Excellent
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.79↑
ABOVE AVERAGE
Strong overall value, among the better games we track right now.
Why
↑Strong expected value of $0.79 per $1: a bigger slice of ticket sales is still sitting in the prize pool than usual.
- Strong prize quality: a healthy share of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- Frequent winners: roughly a 30% shot at a prize on each ticket (1 in 3.32), ahead of most games.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$200,000 a year for 25 years
6 of 6 left
launch odds 1 in 3.0M
now ~1 in 1.5M
$2,500
2,275 of 4,503 left
launch odds 1 in 4,007
now ~1 in 3,910
$500
35,273 of 72,202 left
launch odds 1 in 250
now ~1 in 252
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000,000 ($200,000 a year for 25 years) | 1 in 3,002,785 | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| $2,500 | 1 in 4,001 | 4,503 | 2,275 | 51% |
| $500 | 1 in 250 | 72,202 | 35,273 | 49% |
| $250 | 1 in 355 | 50,691 | 24,808 | 49% |
| $100 | 1 in 89 | 202,623 | 99,178 | 49% |
| $75 | 1 in 60 | 300,398 | 146,514 | 49% |
| $50 | 1 in 30 | 600,501 | 294,178 | 49% |
| $40 | 1 in 15 | 1,201,226 | 590,818 | 49% |
| $30 | 1 in 15 | 1,201,058 | 591,899 | 49% |
| $20 | 1 in 10 | 1,801,671 | 894,264 | 50% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$282,962,650
Current Prize Pool
$154,416,220
Payout Percentage
54.6%
Total Prizes Remaining
2,679,213
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
18,043,798
Estimated Remaining
8,894,987
% Remaining
49.3%
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
80
VALUESCORE
Excellent
80
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 7/20/2026
Game Details
- State
- California
- Game Number
- 1705
- Ticket Price
- $20
- Start Date
- 11/17/2025
- Payout %
- 78.5%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 7/20/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: California Lottery
$20.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.32 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 Set for Life scratch-off a good buy?
Yes. Set for Life is an excellent buy with a ValueScore of 80/100. 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 Set for Life cost?
Set for Life 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 Set for Life scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Set for Life are 1 in 3.32. This means roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Set for Life?
The top prize for Set for Life is $5,000,000. As of our latest update, 6 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Set for Life?
Set for Life offers 10 distinct prize levels: $5,000,000 (6 total), $2,500 (4,503 total), $500 (72,202 total), $250 (50,691 total), $100 (202,623 total), $75 (300,398 total), $50 (600,501 total), $40 (1,201,226 total), $30 (1,201,058 total), and $20 (1,801,671 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 Set for Life?
Based on our latest data, 49% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 2,679,213 out of 5,434,879 total). Roughly half the prizes remain, which is typical for an active game.
How is Set for Life rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Set for Life at 80 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 Set for Life released?
Set for Life was released by the California Lottery on November 17, 2025. It has been on sale for roughly 8 months, so a meaningful portion of prizes has likely been claimed.
How often is Set for Life data updated on ScratchCheck?
Set for Life 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.