Ranked 28th of 77 Tickets in Iowa
Crossword GoldIowa Scratch-Off Odds & Prizes Remaining
Image Credit: Iowa Lottery
59
VALUESCORE
Fair
At a glance
The Iowa Lottery sells Crossword Gold as a $3 ticket. At a ValueScore of 59/100 (Fair), it is the best $3 game on sale in Iowa. At 1 in 3.82, its overall odds are the longest of Iowa's 13 $3 games. It went on sale on October 6, 2026, so 96% of its prizes are still unclaimed.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.82
Exp. Value
$0.63
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$30,000
Top Prizes Left
9
Prizes Remaining
96%
ValueScore™
59 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.63→
AVERAGE
At 28th out of 77 Iowa scratch-offs, it neither stands out nor falls behind.
Why
→Prizes hit less often here, roughly 26% per ticket (1 in 3.82).
- At $0.63 returned per $1, this game pays back less than most scratch-offs.
- Strong prize quality: a healthy share of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | 1 in 120,000 | 9 | 9 | 100% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 12,000 | 95 | 95 | 100% |
| $200 | 1 in 2,000 | 547 | 526 | 96% |
| $100 | 1 in 759 | 1,446 | 1,377 | 95% |
| $20 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 33 | - | Not reported | - |
| $5 | 1 in 13 | - | Not reported | - |
| $3 | 1 in 7 | - | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$619,000
Current Prize Pool
$607,900
Payout Percentage
98.2%
Total Prizes Remaining
2,007
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
8,011
Estimated Remaining
7,667
% Remaining
95.7%
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.
Prize History
Top prizes left
All 9 $30,000 top prizes left at launch on October 7 are still unclaimed.
98
9
October 7October 19
From ScratchCheck's daily record of the lottery's published prize counts. Dates are when a claim first appeared in those counts, and small prizes are often cashed days after purchase, so claims trail actual sales.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
59
VALUESCORE
Fair
59
out of 100
Expected Value
15/40
Prize Quality
25/25
Win Frequency
4/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 10/19/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 808
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 10/6/2026
- Payout %
- 62.8%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 10/19/2026
Compare
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Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: Iowa Lottery
$3.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.82 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 Crossword Gold scratch-off a good buy?
It is about average. Crossword Gold scores 59/100 (Fair) and is the strongest of Iowa's 13 $3 tickets. It pays back about $0.63 for every $1 spent.
What are the odds of winning the Crossword Gold scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Crossword Gold are 1 in 3.82. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Crossword Gold?
The top prize for Crossword Gold is $30,000. As of our latest update, 9 top prizes remain unclaimed.
How many prizes are left in Crossword Gold?
Based on our latest data, 96% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 2,007 out of 2,097 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
When was Crossword Gold released?
Crossword Gold was released by the Iowa Lottery on October 6, 2026. It is newly released, so the prize pool is essentially intact.
Every $3 ticket in Iowa
All 13 ranked →| Game | ValueScore | Odds | Payout | Top prize · left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossword Gold (this game) | 59 | 1 in 3.82 | 62.8% | $30K · 9 |
| One-Word Crossword | 56 | 1 in 3.82 | 62.8% | $30K · 11 |
| Ending Soon!Bullseye Cash | 55 | 1 in 3.11 | 62.7% | $30K · 3 |
| Pirate's Treasure | 49 | 1 in 3.51 | 62.1% | $30K · 5 |
| Ending Soon!Retro Bolts | 47 | 1 in 3.67 | 62.2% | $30K · 5 |
| UNO™ | 43 | 1 in 3.79 | 62.3% | $30K · 6 |
| Ending Soon!Full of 300s | 41 | 1 in 3.57 | 61.9% | $300 · 26 |
| $30,000 Crossword | 40 | 1 in 3.52 | 62.8% | $30K · 43 |
| Ending Soon!Word Games | 35 | 1 in 3.81 | 62.2% | $30K · 3 |
| Ending Soon!Red Hot 7s | 35 | 1 in 3.51 | 61.8% | $30K · 1 |