$250,000 Crossword 2026 is one of the Illinois Lottery's $10 scratch-off games. About 1 ticket in every 4 wins something, per the published overall odds of 1 in 3.69. The expected value is $0.75 per $1 spent, which is an above-average return compared to other scratch-offs. The top prize is $250,000. Prize inventory sits at 85%: most prizes are still available. Weighing expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health, ScratchCheck scores it 74/100 (Good). Today it stands at 6th of 55 active Illinois games; among $10 tickets it is 2nd among the 13 $10 games Illinois sells.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.69
Exp. Value
$0.75
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$250,000
Top Prizes Left
15
Prizes Remaining
85%
ValueScore™
74 / 100
Good
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.75↑
ABOVE AVERAGE
It is 2nd of the 13 active $10 games in Illinois, with better-than-average value overall.
Why
↑Fresh prize pool: most of this game's prizes are still on the table.
- The larger prizes are well stocked, with plenty of top and mid-tier winners still out there.
- Wins hit often: about a 27% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 3.69), better than most games.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$250,000
15 of 20 left
launch odds 1 in 959K
now ~1 in 1.1M
$25,000
42 of 48 left
launch odds 1 in 399K
now ~1 in 388K
$1,000
1,488 of 1,680 left
launch odds 1 in 11K
now ~1 in 11K
ScratchCheck estimate. Current odds are derived from the prizes still unclaimed and our estimate of tickets remaining, shown next to the lottery’s printed launch odds. Actual odds vary as tickets are sold and prizes claimed.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | 20 | 15 | 75% |
| $25,000 | 48 | 42 | 88% |
| $1,000 | 1,680 | 1,488 | 89% |
| $500 | 8,153 | 6,924 | 85% |
| $200 | 9,639 | 8,166 | 85% |
| $150 | 14,422 | 12,215 | 85% |
| $100 | 239,641 | 203,318 | 85% |
| $60 | 23,987 | 20,313 | 85% |
| $50 | 512,671 | 434,841 | 85% |
| $40 | 119,813 | 101,589 | 85% |
| $30 | 351,707 | 298,080 | 85% |
| $20 | 2,156,928 | 1,829,578 | 85% |
| $10 | 1,757,651 | 1,495,297 | 85% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$143,143,270
Current Prize Pool
$121,058,570
Payout Percentage
84.6%
Total Prizes Remaining
4,411,866
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
19,174,568
Estimated Remaining
16,279,785
% Remaining
84.9%
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
74
VALUESCORE
Good
74
out of 100
Expected Value
25/40
Prize Quality
20/25
Win Frequency
13/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 8/27/2026
Game Details
- State
- Illinois
- Game Number
- 7664
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 7/7/2026
- Payout %
- 74.7%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 8/27/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: Illinois Lottery
$10.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.69 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 $250,000 Crossword 2026 scratch-off a good buy?
$250,000 Crossword 2026 is a solid choice. Its ValueScore of 74/100 is above average, indicating good expected value and a healthy prize pool. It performs better than most $10 tickets in Illinois.
How much does $250,000 Crossword 2026 cost?
$250,000 Crossword 2026 costs $10 per ticket in Illinois. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $10 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the $250,000 Crossword 2026 scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with $250,000 Crossword 2026 are 1 in 3.69. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for $250,000 Crossword 2026?
The top prize for $250,000 Crossword 2026 is $250,000. As of our latest update, 15 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for $250,000 Crossword 2026?
$250,000 Crossword 2026 offers 13 distinct prize levels: $250,000 (20 total), $25,000 (48 total), $1,000 (1,680 total), $500 (8,153 total), $200 (9,639 total), $150 (14,422 total), $100 (239,641 total), $60 (23,987 total), $50 (512,671 total), $40 (119,813 total), $30 (351,707 total), $20 (2,156,928 total), and $10 (1,757,651 total). The full prize breakdown with odds and remaining counts is listed in the prize table on this page.
How many prizes are left in $250,000 Crossword 2026?
Based on our latest data, 85% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 4,411,866 out of 5,196,360 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is $250,000 Crossword 2026 rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates $250,000 Crossword 2026 at 74 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 $250,000 Crossword 2026 released?
$250,000 Crossword 2026 was released by the Illinois Lottery on July 7, 2026. It has been on sale for about 2 months.
How often is $250,000 Crossword 2026 data updated on ScratchCheck?
$250,000 Crossword 2026 data comes directly from the official Illinois Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.