$250,000 Crossword 2026 is a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket from the Illinois Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 3.69, meaning roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize. 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. Most prizes are still available (99% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 79/100 (Good) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.69
Exp. Value
$0.75
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$250,000
Top Prizes Left
20
Prizes Remaining
99%
ValueScore™
79 / 100
Good
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.75↑
ABOVE AVERAGE
Strong overall value, among the better games we track right now.
Why
- Healthy inventory: a large share of this game's prizes are still unclaimed.
- Strong prize quality: a healthy share of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- Wins hit often: about a 27% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 3.69), better than most games.
* Odds are estimated and may differ from actual values.
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Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
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.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$143,143,270
Current Prize Pool
$142,292,740
Payout Percentage
99.4%
Total Prizes Remaining
5,163,961
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
19,174,568
Estimated Remaining
19,055,016
% Remaining
99.4%
Prize pool figures use advertised prize values. Tickets printed and remaining are estimated from overall odds and the share of prizes still unclaimed.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | 20 | 20 | 100% |
| $25,000 | 48 | 48 | 100% |
| $1,000 | 1,680 | 1,680 | 100% |
| $500 | 8,153 | 8,103 | 99% |
| $200 | 9,639 | 9,576 | 99% |
| $150 | 14,422 | 14,323 | 99% |
| $100 | 239,641 | 238,104 | 99% |
| $60 | 23,987 | 23,841 | 99% |
| $50 | 512,671 | 509,447 | 99% |
| $40 | 119,813 | 119,124 | 99% |
| $30 | 351,707 | 349,519 | 99% |
| $20 | 2,156,928 | 2,143,209 | 99% |
| $10 | 1,757,651 | 1,746,967 | 99% |
ValueScore™ Breakdown
79
VALUESCORE
Good
79
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 7/9/2026
Game Details
- State
- Illinois
- Game Number
- 7664
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 7/7/2026
- Payout %
- 74.7%
- Data Source
- Estimated
- Last Updated
- 7/6/2026
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View on Illinois Lottery ↗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 79/100 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, 20 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, 99% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 5,163,961 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 79 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. This is a newly released game, so the full prize pool is effectively intact.
How often is $250,000 Crossword 2026 data updated on ScratchCheck?
$250,000 Crossword 2026 data is collected directly from official Illinois Lottery publications by ScratchCheck's automated pipeline. Prize counts and odds typically refresh daily or whenever the lottery publishes new data.