The Iowa Lottery sells One-Word Crossword at $3 a ticket. Its published overall odds are 1 in 3.82. Dollar for dollar, it pays back around $0.63 per $1, a below-average return for a scratch-off. The top prize is $30,000. Most prizes are still available (92% remaining). Its ValueScore is 57/100 (Fair). Against the rest of the state it is 28th out of 72 Iowa scratch-offs. At its own price point it is the strongest of Iowa's 12 $3 tickets.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.82
Exp. Value
$0.63
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$30,000
Top Prizes Left
12
Prizes Remaining
92%
ValueScore™
57 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.63→
AVERAGE
A typical $3 ticket, ranked #28 of the 72 active games we track in Iowa.
Why
→A leaner 26% chance of winning per ticket (1 in 3.82), below most games.
- Just $0.63 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | 1 in 120,000 | 14 | 12 | 86% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 12,000 | 148 | 138 | 93% |
| $200 | 1 in 2,000 | 855 | 771 | 90% |
| $100 | 1 in 759 | 2,293 | 2,120 | 92% |
| $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
$968,300
Current Prize Pool
$864,200
Payout Percentage
89.2%
Total Prizes Remaining
3,041
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
12,644
Estimated Remaining
11,616
% Remaining
91.9%
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
57
VALUESCORE
Fair
57
out of 100
Expected Value
16/40
Prize Quality
22/25
Win Frequency
4/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 813
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 8/4/2026
- Payout %
- 62.8%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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$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 One-Word Crossword scratch-off a good buy?
One-Word Crossword 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 One-Word Crossword cost?
One-Word Crossword 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 One-Word Crossword scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with One-Word Crossword 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 One-Word Crossword?
The top prize for One-Word Crossword is $30,000. As of our latest update, 12 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for One-Word Crossword?
One-Word Crossword offers 8 distinct prize levels: $30,000 (14 total), $1,000 (148 total), $200 (855 total), $100 (2,293 total), $20, $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 One-Word Crossword?
Based on our latest data, 92% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 3,041 out of 3,310 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is One-Word Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates One-Word Crossword 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 One-Word Crossword released?
One-Word Crossword was released by the Iowa Lottery on August 4, 2026. It has been on sale for about 1 month.
How often is One-Word Crossword data updated on ScratchCheck?
One-Word 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.