Ranked 27th of 77 Tickets in Iowa
Mega BucksIowa Scratch-Off Odds & Prizes Remaining
Image Credit: Iowa Lottery
60
VALUESCORE
Good
At a glance
The Iowa Lottery sells Mega Bucks as a $5 ticket. It pays back about $0.64 per $1 on average, in line with Iowa's other $5 games. At a ValueScore of 60/100 (Good), it is 5th of Iowa's 18 $5 tickets, in the top third.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.67
Exp. Value
$0.64
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$50,000
Top Prizes Left
4
Prizes Remaining
75%
ValueScore™
60 / 100
Good
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.64→
AVERAGE
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either; it is 5th of Iowa's 18 $5 tickets, in the top third.
Why
→At 1 in 3.67, winning tickets turn up less often than usual.
- The return of $0.64 per dollar runs below what similar tickets pay.
- Prize quality is high: most of the meaningful top and mid-tier prizes remain in play.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 1 in 200,000 | 6 | 4 | 67% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 8,000 | 158 | 120 | 76% |
| $250 | 1 in 1,000 | 1,265 | 957 | 76% |
| $100 | 1 in 545 | 2,308 | 1,726 | 75% |
| $50 | 1 in 400 | 3,178 | 2,363 | 74% |
| $30 | 1 in 60 | - | Not reported | - |
| $20 | 1 in 60 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 20 | - | 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
$1,163,950
Current Prize Pool
$850,000
Payout Percentage
73.0%
Total Prizes Remaining
5,170
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
25,378
Estimated Remaining
18,974
% Remaining
74.8%
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
Since July 12, when our records for it began, 2 $50,000 top prizes have been reported claimed, leaving 4. The most recent was on September 6.
63
6
5
4
July 12October 19
- September 6, 20261 claimed · 4 left
- July 14, 20261 claimed · 5 left
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
60
VALUESCORE
Good
60
out of 100
Expected Value
19/40
Prize Quality
19/25
Win Frequency
7/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 10/19/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 796
- Ticket Price
- $5
- Start Date
- 7/7/2026
- Payout %
- 63.7%
- 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
$5.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.67 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 Mega Bucks scratch-off a good buy?
It is a solid pick. Mega Bucks scores 60/100 (Good) and is 5th of the 18 active $5 games in Iowa. It pays back about $0.64 for every $1 spent.
What are the odds of winning the Mega Bucks scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Mega Bucks are 1 in 3.67. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Mega Bucks?
The top prize for Mega Bucks is $50,000. As of our latest update, 4 top prizes remain unclaimed.
How many prizes are left in Mega Bucks?
Based on our latest data, 75% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 5,170 out of 6,915 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
Every $5 ticket in Iowa
All 18 ranked →| Game | ValueScore | Odds | Payout | Top prize · left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green 7s | 69 | 1 in 3.70 | 64.1% | $50K · 6 |
| Fab 5s | 68 | 1 in 3.46 | 64.3% | $50K · 4 |
| Holiday LUCK X20 | 66 | 1 in 3.82 | 64.0% | $50K · 9 |
| 20X The Cash | 65 | 1 in 3.83 | 64.2% | $50K · 10 |
| Mega Bucks (this game) | 60 | 1 in 3.67 | 63.7% | $50K · 4 |
| Cash Payout | 58 | 1 in 3.60 | 64.3% | $50K · 6 |
| Ending Soon!IOWA™ BLACKOUT | 56 | 1 in 3.40 | 63.5% | $50K · 3 |
| MONOPOLY DOUBLER (Game #781) | 53 | 1 in 3.72 | 64.1% | $50K · 4 |
| Lucky Clover Crossword | 53 | 1 in 3.83 | 64.1% | $50K · 6 |
| Bonus Cash Doubler | 49 | 1 in 3.74 | 64.0% | $50K · 4 |