$100,000 Mega Crossword is one of the Iowa Lottery's $10 scratch-off games. Published overall odds: 1 in 3.29. Its current expected value works out to $0.73 on the dollar, an average return. The top prize is $100,000. 73% of the total prize pool is still unclaimed, so most prizes are still available. On ScratchCheck's 0-100 ValueScore it earns a 81 (Excellent). Today it stands at 10th of 72 active Iowa games; among $10 tickets it is 7th of the 16 active $10 games in Iowa.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.29
Exp. Value
$0.73
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$100,000
Top Prizes Left
34
Prizes Remaining
73%
ValueScore™
81 / 100
Excellent
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.73↑
GREAT VALUE
Ahead of roughly 88% of Iowa's 72 active games, with strong marks across the board.
Why
↑Fresh prize pool: most of this game's prizes are still on the table.
- Strong prize quality: a healthy share of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- You get back about $0.73 per $1 on average, which is normal for this price.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | 1 in 120,126 | 45 | 34 | 76% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 60,063 | 90 | 66 | 73% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 12,013 | 450 | 339 | 75% |
| $500 | 1 in 4,226 | 1,279 | 937 | 73% |
| $200 | 1 in 1,605 | 3,367 | 2,478 | 74% |
| $100 | 1 in 357 | 15,143 | 11,051 | 73% |
| $50 | 1 in 30 | 180,189 | 131,219 | 73% |
| $30 | 1 in 30 | - | Not reported | - |
| $20 | 1 in 15 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 6 | - | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$17,686,650
Current Prize Pool
$13,029,150
Payout Percentage
73.7%
Total Prizes Remaining
146,124
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
659,852
Estimated Remaining
480,748
% Remaining
72.9%
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
81
VALUESCORE
Excellent
81
out of 100
Expected Value
30/40
Prize Quality
22/25
Win Frequency
13/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 770
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 12/12/2025
- Payout %
- 72.7%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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$10.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.29 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 $100,000 Mega Crossword scratch-off a good buy?
Yes. $100,000 Mega Crossword is an excellent buy with a ValueScore of 81/100. 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 $100,000 Mega Crossword cost?
$100,000 Mega Crossword costs $10 per ticket in Iowa. 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 $100,000 Mega Crossword scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with $100,000 Mega Crossword are 1 in 3.29. This means roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for $100,000 Mega Crossword?
The top prize for $100,000 Mega Crossword is $100,000. As of our latest update, 34 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for $100,000 Mega Crossword?
$100,000 Mega Crossword offers 10 distinct prize levels: $100,000 (45 total), $10,000 (90 total), $1,000 (450 total), $500 (1,279 total), $200 (3,367 total), $100 (15,143 total), $50 (180,189 total), $30, $20, and $10. The full prize breakdown with odds and remaining counts is listed in the prize table on this page.
How many prizes are left in $100,000 Mega Crossword?
Based on our latest data, 73% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 146,124 out of 200,563 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is $100,000 Mega Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates $100,000 Mega Crossword at 81 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 $100,000 Mega Crossword released?
$100,000 Mega Crossword was released by the Iowa Lottery on December 12, 2025. It has been on sale for roughly 9 months, so a meaningful portion of prizes has likely been claimed.
How often is $100,000 Mega Crossword data updated on ScratchCheck?
$100,000 Mega Crossword data comes directly from the official Iowa Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.