At a glance
The Minnesota Lottery sells Crossword Gems as a $5 ticket. It pays back about $0.68 per $1 on average, in line with Minnesota's other $5 games. At a ValueScore of 66/100 (Good), it is 3rd of Minnesota's 9 $5 tickets, in the top third.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.66
Exp. Value
$0.68
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$100,000
Top Prizes Left
4
Prizes Remaining
64%
ValueScore™
66 / 100
Good
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.68↑
ABOVE AVERAGE
Above the pack: #15 of the 38 active games we track in Minnesota.
Why
↑Prize quality is high: most of the meaningful top and mid-tier prizes remain in play.
- Fresh prize pool: most of this game's prizes are still on the table.
- Odds of 1 in 3.66 put the win rate squarely in the normal range.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | 1 in 817,650 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| $1,500 | 1 in 327,060 | 10 | 6 | 60% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 81,765 | 40 | 28 | 70% |
| $500 | 1 in 7,714 | 424 | 269 | 63% |
| $200 | 1 in 4,933 | 663 | Not reported | - |
| $150 | 1 in 2,400 | 1,363 | Not reported | - |
| $100 | 1 in 1,002 | 3,263 | Not reported | - |
| $75 | 1 in 1,191 | 2,745 | Not reported | - |
| $50 | 1 in 600 | 5,453 | Not reported | - |
| $45 | 1 in 499 | 6,552 | Not reported | - |
| $30 | 1 in 240 | 13,631 | Not reported | - |
| $25 | 1 in 56 | 58,882 | Not reported | - |
| $20 | 1 in 50 | 65,412 | Not reported | - |
| $15 | 1 in 31 | 106,337 | Not reported | - |
| $10 | 1 in 15 | 220,723 | Not reported | - |
| $5 | 1 in 8 | 408,844 | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
Prize History
Top prizes left
All 4 $100,000 top prizes left on March 6, when our records for it began, are still unclaimed.
40
March 6October 9
From ScratchCheck's daily record of the lottery's published prize counts. Dates are when a claim first appeared in those counts, and small prizes are often cashed days after purchase, so claims trail actual sales.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
66
VALUESCORE
Good
66
out of 100
Expected Value
22/40
Prize Quality
21/25
Win Frequency
11/20
Inventory Health
12/15
Updated: 10/9/2026
Game Details
- State
- Minnesota
- Game Number
- 2056
- Ticket Price
- $5
- Start Date
- 8/5/2025
- Payout %
- 68.1%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 10/9/2026
Compare
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Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: Minnesota Lottery
$5.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.66 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 Crossword Gems scratch-off a good buy?
It is a solid pick. Crossword Gems scores 66/100 (Good) and is 3rd of Minnesota's 9 $5 tickets, in the top third. It pays back about $0.68 for every $1 spent.
What are the odds of winning the Crossword Gems scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Crossword Gems are 1 in 3.66. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Crossword Gems?
The top prize for Crossword Gems is $100,000. As of our latest update, 4 top prizes remain unclaimed.
Every $5 ticket in Minnesota
| Game | ValueScore | Odds | Payout | Top prize · left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 Cash Crossword | 71 | 1 in 3.47 | 67.9% | $500 · 2,217 |
| Platinum Cash | 69 | 1 in 3.72 | 68.2% | $100K · 3 |
| Crossword Gems (this game) | 66 | 1 in 3.66 | 68.1% | $100K · 4 |
| Forest Fortune | 58 | 1 in 3.76 | 68.0% | $100K · 4 |
| Jumanji | 56 | 1 in 3.90 | 67.9% | $100K · 3 |
| Ghostbusters™ | 55 | 1 in 3.97 | 68.0% | $100K · 3 |
| Peppermint Bark 7s | 54 | 1 in 3.65 | 63.0% | $100K · 4 |
| $500 Frenzy | 53 | 1 in 3.98 | 67.5% | $500 · 2,494 |
| Struck by Luck | 53 | 1 in 3.76 | 68.1% | $100K · 3 |