Birthday Surprise
Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
35
VALUESCORE
Below Avg
At $2 a ticket, Birthday Surprise comes from the New Jersey Lottery. Its published overall odds are 1 in 4.53. Its current expected value works out to $0.67 on the dollar, an average return. The top prize is $10,000. By our count about half the prizes remain, with 39% of all prizes unclaimed. Its ValueScore is 35/100 (Below Avg). Against the rest of the state it is 49th out of 66 New Jersey scratch-offs. At its own price point it is in the top third of New Jersey's 8 $2 tickets, at 3rd.
Overall Odds
1 in 4.53
Derived
Exp. Value
$0.67
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$10,000
Top Prizes Left
2
Prizes Remaining
39%
ValueScore™
35 / 100
Below Avg
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.67↓
BELOW AVERAGE
Ranked 49th out of 66 New Jersey scratch-offs. Better options exist, including 2 other $2 New Jersey games ranked higher.
Why
↓At 1 in 4.53, winning tickets turn up less often than usual.
- Expected value of $0.67 per $1 is about average, a typical return for a ticket at this price.
- Inventory is about half depleted, but a fair number of prizes are still out there.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$10,000
2 of 3 left
launch odds 1 in 1.2M
now ~1 in 696K
$1,000
11 of 24 left
launch odds 1 in 148K
now ~1 in 127K
$500
49 of 120 left
launch odds 1 in 30K
now ~1 in 28K
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 | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 1 in 1,180,000 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 147,500 | 24 | 11 | 46% |
| $500 | 1 in 29,500 | 120 | 49 | 41% |
| $100 | 1 in 2,003 | 1,767 | 617 | 35% |
| $50 | 1 in 504 | 7,019 | 2,465 | 35% |
| $20 | 1 in 67 | 53,086 | 19,410 | 37% |
| $10 | 1 in 32 | 112,114 | 42,175 | 38% |
| $5 | 1 in 27 | 129,754 | 50,777 | 39% |
| $4 | 1 in 25 | 141,674 | 55,775 | 39% |
| $2 | 1 in 21 | 165,160 | 66,192 | 40% |
| $2 | 1 in 21 | 170,994 | 69,701 | 41% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$4,712,284
Current Prize Pool
$1,799,171
Payout Percentage
38.2%
Total Prizes Remaining
307,174
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
3,541,169
Estimated Remaining
1,391,498
% Remaining
39.3%
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
35
VALUESCORE
Below Avg
35
out of 100
Expected Value
9/40
Prize Quality
14/25
Win Frequency
4/20
Inventory Health
8/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- New Jersey
- Game Number
- 1904
- Ticket Price
- $2
- Start Date
- 7/23/2025
- Payout %
- 66.6%
- Data Source
- State lottery
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
$2.00 per ticket · 1 in 4.53 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 Birthday Surprise scratch-off a good buy?
Birthday Surprise scores 35/100 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 New Jersey at the $2 price point.
How much does Birthday Surprise cost?
Birthday Surprise costs $2 per ticket in New Jersey. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $2 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Birthday Surprise scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Birthday Surprise are 1 in 4.53. This means roughly 1 in every 5 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Birthday Surprise?
The top prize for Birthday Surprise is $10,000. As of our latest update, 2 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Birthday Surprise?
Birthday Surprise offers 10 distinct prize levels: $10,000 (3 total), $1,000 (24 total), $500 (120 total), $100 (1,767 total), $50 (7,019 total), $20 (53,086 total), $10 (112,114 total), $5 (129,754 total), $4 (141,674 total), and $2 (336,154 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 Birthday Surprise?
Based on our latest data, 39% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 307,174 out of 781,715 total). The game is winding down. A significant portion of prizes have already been claimed.
How is Birthday Surprise rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Birthday Surprise at 35 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 Birthday Surprise released?
Birthday Surprise was released by the New Jersey Lottery on July 23, 2025. It has been on sale for over a year, so checking the remaining prize counts is important before buying.
How often is Birthday Surprise data updated on ScratchCheck?
Birthday Surprise data comes directly from the official New Jersey Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.