Unlock It costs $3 per ticket from the Iowa Lottery. The published overall odds are 1 in 3.51. Right now the math works out to $0.55 back per $1 spent, a below-average figure for this kind of game. The top prize is $3,000. 87% of the total prize pool is still unclaimed, so most prizes are still available. It scores 36/100 (Below Avg) on ScratchCheck's ValueScore. That makes it #60 of the 72 active games we track in Iowa, and 8th out of 12 $3 tickets in Iowa.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.51
Exp. Value
$0.55
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$3,000
Top Prizes Left
-
Prizes Remaining
87%
ValueScore™
36 / 100
Below Avg
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.55↓
BELOW AVERAGE
Weak value right now at #60 of the 72 active games we track in Iowa. Check the higher-ranked games in Iowa first.
Why
↓Softer expected value here: only $0.55 of each $1 comes back as prizes.
- Weak prize quality: relatively few of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- Average win frequency: about a 28% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 3.51).
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 | 1 in 120,000 | - | Not reported | - |
| $500 | 1 in 12,000 | 172 | 148 | 86% |
| $100 | 1 in 2,400 | 907 | 789 | 87% |
| $50 | 1 in 800 | 2,658 | 2,320 | 87% |
| $30 | 1 in 300 | - | Not reported | - |
| $20 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $15 | 1 in 100 | - | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 50 | - | Not reported | - |
| $5 | 1 in 20 | - | Not reported | - |
| $3 | 1 in 5 | - | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
36
VALUESCORE
Below Avg
36
out of 100
Expected Value
1/40
Prize Quality
9/25
Win Frequency
12/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Iowa
- Game Number
- 793
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 6/2/2026
- Payout %
- 54.7%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: Iowa Lottery
$3.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.51 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 Unlock It scratch-off a good buy?
Unlock It scores 36/100 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 Unlock It cost?
Unlock It 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 Unlock It scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Unlock It are 1 in 3.51. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Unlock It?
The top prize for Unlock It is $3,000. Real-time top prize availability data is not published for Iowa games.
What are the prizes for Unlock It?
Unlock It offers 10 distinct prize levels: $3,000, $500 (172 total), $100 (907 total), $50 (2,658 total), $30, $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 Unlock It?
Based on our latest data, 87% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 3,257 out of 3,737 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is Unlock It rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Unlock It at 36 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 Unlock It released?
Unlock It was released by the Iowa Lottery on June 2, 2026. It has been on sale for about 3 months.
How often is Unlock It data updated on ScratchCheck?
Unlock It 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.