The Iowa Lottery sells Lucky Stars at $3 a ticket. Its published overall odds are 1 in 3.80. Dollar for dollar, it pays back around $0.62 per $1, a below-average return for a scratch-off. The top prize is $30,000. Prize inventory sits at 39%: about half the prizes remain. Its ValueScore is 35/100 (Below Avg). Against the rest of the state it is 62nd out of 72 Iowa scratch-offs. At its own price point it is 10th of the 12 active $3 games in Iowa.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.80
Exp. Value
$0.62
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$30,000
Top Prizes Left
2
Prizes Remaining
39%
ValueScore™
35 / 100
Below Avg
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.62↓
BELOW AVERAGE
Weak value right now at #62 of the 72 active games we track in Iowa. Check the higher-ranked games in Iowa first.
Why
↓Wins are infrequent: about a 26% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 3.80), lower than most games.
- Most of the larger top and mid-tier prizes have already been won.
- Softer expected value here: only $0.62 of each $1 comes back as prizes.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | 1 in 125,614 | 7 | 2 | 29% |
| $200 | 1 in 2,633 | 334 | 125 | 37% |
| $100 | 1 in 1,200 | 733 | 290 | 40% |
| $50 | 1 in 477 | 1,842 | 719 | 39% |
| $20 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $15 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 50 | - | Not reported | - |
| $5 | 1 in 14 | - | Not reported | - |
| $3 | 1 in 7 | - | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
35
VALUESCORE
Below Avg
35
out of 100
Expected Value
14/40
Prize Quality
8/25
Win Frequency
5/20
Inventory Health
8/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 729
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 4/1/2025
- Payout %
- 61.8%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: Iowa Lottery
$3.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.80 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 Lucky Stars scratch-off a good buy?
Lucky Stars scores 35/100 on ValueScore, which is below average. The expected value, prize pool, or inventory health is weaker than most other tickets at this price. There are likely better options in Iowa at the $3 price point.
How much does Lucky Stars cost?
Lucky Stars costs $3 per ticket in Iowa. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $3 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Lucky Stars scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Lucky Stars are 1 in 3.80. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Lucky Stars?
The top prize for Lucky Stars is $30,000. As of our latest update, 2 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Lucky Stars?
Lucky Stars offers 9 distinct prize levels: $30,000 (7 total), $200 (334 total), $100 (733 total), $50 (1,842 total), $20, $15, $10, $5, and $3. The full prize breakdown with odds and remaining counts is listed in the prize table on this page.
How many prizes are left in Lucky Stars?
Based on our latest data, 39% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 1,136 out of 2,916 total). The game is winding down. A significant portion of prizes have already been claimed.
How is Lucky Stars rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Lucky Stars at 35 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 Lucky Stars released?
Lucky Stars was released by the Iowa Lottery on April 1, 2025. It has been on sale for over a year, so checking the remaining prize counts is important before buying.
How often is Lucky Stars data updated on ScratchCheck?
Lucky Stars 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.