Mystery Crossword
Image Credit: California Lottery
50
VALUESCORE
Fair
At $10 a ticket, Mystery Crossword comes from the California Lottery. Overall odds sit at 1 in 3.47; on average one ticket in 3 pays out something. Dollar for dollar, it pays back around $0.78 per $1, an above-average return for a scratch-off. The top prize is $750,000. By our count most prizes have already been claimed, with 12% of all prizes unclaimed. Weighing expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health, ScratchCheck scores it 50/100 (Fair). Against the rest of the state it is 26th out of 52 California scratch-offs. At its own price point it is 5th of the 9 active $10 games in California.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.47
Exp. Value
$0.78
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$750,000
Top Prizes Left
7
Prizes Remaining
12%
ValueScore™
50 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.78→
AVERAGE
Middle of the pack: #26 of the 52 active games we track in California.
Why
→Most of the larger top and mid-tier prizes have already been won.
- Late in this game's life: the remaining prize pool is small.
- About a 29% chance of a prize on each ticket (1 in 3.47), in line with most games.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$750,000
7 of 48 left
launch odds 1 in 1.2M
now ~1 in 1.0M
$10,000
15 of 99 left
launch odds 1 in 588K
now ~1 in 478K
$4,000
25 of 154 left
launch odds 1 in 378K
now ~1 in 287K
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 | 7 | 15% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 587,152 | 99 | 15 | 15% |
| $4,000 | 1 in 377,455 | 154 | 25 | 16% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 406,490 | 143 | 26 | 18% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 7,936 | 7,325 | 1,152 | 16% |
| $400 | 1 in 4,756 | 12,222 | 1,469 | 12% |
| $200 | 1 in 531 | 109,433 | 12,833 | 12% |
| $100 | 1 in 50 | 1,173,906 | 130,430 | 11% |
| $60 | 1 in 100 | 583,475 | 66,964 | 11% |
| $40 | 1 in 63 | 929,298 | 106,618 | 11% |
| $20 | 1 in 12 | 4,650,240 | 538,304 | 12% |
| $10 | 1 in 6 | 9,300,480 | 1,209,243 | 13% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$447,573,020
Current Prize Pool
$54,042,270
Payout Percentage
12.1%
Total Prizes Remaining
2,067,086
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
58,180,876
Estimated Remaining
7,172,788
% Remaining
12.3%
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
50
VALUESCORE
Fair
50
out of 100
Expected Value
30/40
Prize Quality
4/25
Win Frequency
12/20
Inventory Health
4/15
Updated: 8/27/2026
Game Details
- State
- California
- Game Number
- 1708
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 12/15/2025
- Payout %
- 78.1%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 8/27/2026
Compare
Compare this game with another →Official Source
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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 50/100. 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, 7 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, 12% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 2,067,086 out of 16,766,823 total). The vast majority of prizes have been claimed. This game is close to being retired.
How is Mystery Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Mystery Crossword at 50 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 9 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.