Cash Payout is one of the Iowa Lottery's $5 scratch-off games. Published overall odds: 1 in 3.60. Its current expected value works out to $0.64 on the dollar, a below-average return. The top prize is $50,000. By our count most prizes are still available, with 68% of all prizes unclaimed. On ScratchCheck's 0-100 ValueScore it earns a 57 (Fair). Today it stands at 26th out of 72 Iowa scratch-offs; among $5 tickets it is 5th among the 17 $5 games Iowa sells.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.60
Exp. Value
$0.64
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$50,000
Top Prizes Left
6
Prizes Remaining
68%
ValueScore™
57 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.64→
AVERAGE
A typical $5 ticket, ranked #26 of the 72 active games we track in Iowa.
Why
→About a 28% chance of a prize on each ticket (1 in 3.60), in line with most games.
- Just $0.64 of every $1 comes back on average, trailing most games.
- The larger prizes are well stocked, with plenty of top and mid-tier winners still out there.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 1 in 150,000 | 8 | 6 | 75% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 15,000 | 84 | 54 | 64% |
| $500 | 1 in 3,000 | 407 | 267 | 66% |
| $100 | 1 in 436 | 2,810 | 1,856 | 66% |
| $50 | 1 in 120 | 10,246 | 6,978 | 68% |
| $25 | 1 in 60 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 15 | - | Not reported | - |
| $5 | 1 in 5 | - | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$1,480,800
Current Prize Pool
$1,022,000
Payout Percentage
69.0%
Total Prizes Remaining
9,161
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
48,798
Estimated Remaining
32,980
% Remaining
67.6%
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
57
VALUESCORE
Fair
57
out of 100
Expected Value
20/40
Prize Quality
16/25
Win Frequency
9/20
Inventory Health
12/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 785
- Ticket Price
- $5
- Start Date
- 4/7/2026
- Payout %
- 64.3%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: Iowa Lottery
$5.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.60 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 Cash Payout scratch-off a good buy?
Cash Payout is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 57/100. It is roughly average compared to other scratch-offs in Iowa. If you are looking for the best value at this price point, check the Iowa rankings page for higher-rated alternatives.
How much does Cash Payout cost?
Cash Payout costs $5 per ticket in Iowa. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $5 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Cash Payout scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Cash Payout are 1 in 3.60. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Cash Payout?
The top prize for Cash Payout is $50,000. As of our latest update, 6 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Cash Payout?
Cash Payout offers 8 distinct prize levels: $50,000 (8 total), $1,000 (84 total), $500 (407 total), $100 (2,810 total), $50 (10,246 total), $25, $10, and $5. The full prize breakdown with odds and remaining counts is listed in the prize table on this page.
How many prizes are left in Cash Payout?
Based on our latest data, 68% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 9,161 out of 13,555 total). Roughly half the prizes remain, which is typical for an active game.
How is Cash Payout rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Cash Payout at 57 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 Cash Payout released?
Cash Payout was released by the Iowa Lottery on April 7, 2026. It has been on sale for about 5 months.
How often is Cash Payout data updated on ScratchCheck?
Cash Payout 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.