The Iowa Lottery sells Retro Bolts at $3 a ticket. Its published overall odds are 1 in 3.67. 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. About half the prizes remain (50% remaining). Its ValueScore is 47/100 (Fair). Against the rest of the state it is 41st out of 72 Iowa scratch-offs. At its own price point it is 4th of the 12 active $3 games in Iowa.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.67
Exp. Value
$0.62
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$30,000
Top Prizes Left
5
Prizes Remaining
50%
ValueScore™
47 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.62→
AVERAGE
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either; it is 4th of the 12 active $3 games in Iowa.
Why
→Expected value of $0.62 per $1 is below average. Less comes back per dollar than most games.
- Prizes hit less often here, roughly 27% per ticket (1 in 3.67).
- 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 120,500 | 7 | 5 | 71% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 62,750 | 14 | 5 | 36% |
| $500 | 1 in 4,774 | 184 | 96 | 52% |
| $100 | 1 in 1,566 | 561 | 282 | 50% |
| $50 | 1 in 606 | 1,449 | 730 | 50% |
| $20 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $15 | 1 in 50 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $5 | 1 in 33 | - | Not reported | - |
| $3 | 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
$444,550
Current Prize Pool
$267,700
Payout Percentage
60.2%
Total Prizes Remaining
1,118
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
8,129
Estimated Remaining
4,103
% Remaining
50.5%
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
47
VALUESCORE
Fair
47
out of 100
Expected Value
13/40
Prize Quality
15/25
Win Frequency
7/20
Inventory Health
12/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 750
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 9/3/2025
- Payout %
- 62.2%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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$3.00 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 Retro Bolts scratch-off a good buy?
Retro Bolts is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 47/100. 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 Retro Bolts cost?
Retro Bolts 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 Retro Bolts scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Retro Bolts 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 Retro Bolts?
The top prize for Retro Bolts is $30,000. As of our latest update, 5 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Retro Bolts?
Retro Bolts offers 10 distinct prize levels: $30,000 (7 total), $1,000 (14 total), $500 (184 total), $100 (561 total), $50 (1,449 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 Retro Bolts?
Based on our latest data, 50% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 1,118 out of 2,215 total). Roughly half the prizes remain, which is typical for an active game.
How is Retro Bolts rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Retro Bolts at 47 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 Retro Bolts released?
Retro Bolts was released by the Iowa Lottery on September 3, 2025. It has been on sale for over a year, so checking the remaining prize counts is important before buying.
How often is Retro Bolts data updated on ScratchCheck?
Retro Bolts 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.