Crossword
Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
11
VALUESCORE
Poor
Crossword is a $3 scratch-off lottery ticket from the New Jersey Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 4.89, meaning roughly 1 in every 5 tickets wins a prize. The expected value is $0.65 per $1 spent, which is an average return compared to other scratch-offs. The top prize is $20,000. Most prizes have already been claimed (24% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 11/100 (Poor) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 4.89
~Estimated
Exp. Value
$0.65
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$20,000
Top Prizes Left
0
Prizes Remaining
24%
ValueScore™
11 / 100
Poor
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.65↓
POOR VALUE
Low overall value right now. A different game will likely give you more.
Why
↓At $0.65 back per $1, the return here is middle-of-the-road for this price point.
- Prize quality is thin, with the bigger winners mostly gone.
- Wins are infrequent: about a 20% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 4.89), lower than most games.
* Odds are estimated and may differ from actual values.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$20,000
0 of 20 left
launch odds 1 in 699K
All claimed
$5,000
0 of 22 left
launch odds 1 in 635K
All claimed
$500
12 of 46 left
launch odds 1 in 304K
now ~1 in 279K
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | 1 in 699,540* | 20 | 0 | Claimed |
| $5,000 | 1 in 635,945* | 22 | 0 | Claimed |
| $500 | 1 in 304,148* | 46 | 12 | 26% |
| $100 | 1 in 431* | 32,466 | 6,857 | 21% |
| $25 | 1 in 33* | 419,734 | 88,533 | 21% |
| $10 | 1 in 24* | 587,648 | 126,805 | 22% |
| $5 | 1 in 17* | 839,166 | 191,695 | 23% |
| $3 | 1 in 14* | 979,628 | 270,682 | 28% |
* = Estimated
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$27,284,144
Current Prize Pool
$5,943,596
Payout Percentage
21.8%
Total Prizes Remaining
684,584
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
13,979,190
Estimated Remaining
3,347,616
% Remaining
23.9%
Prize pool figures use advertised prize values. Tickets printed and remaining are estimated from overall odds and the share of prizes still unclaimed.
ValueScore™ Breakdown
11
VALUESCORE
Poor
11
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 7/19/2026
Game Details
- State
- New Jersey
- Game Number
- 1953
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 12/10/2025
- Payout %
- 65.0%
- Data Source
- Estimated
- Last Updated
- 7/19/2026
Compare
Compare this game with another →Official Source
View on New Jersey Lottery ↗ Estimated Odds
New Jersey does not publish official overall odds. Values are derived from print run data. Actual odds may vary.
Simulate This Game
Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
$3.00 per ticket · 1 in 4.89 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 scratch-off a good buy?
Crossword has a ValueScore of 11/100, which is among the lowest-rated tickets in New Jersey. The combination of poor expected value, limited prizes, or heavily depleted inventory makes it a poor choice compared to alternatives. Check other games before buying.
How much does Crossword cost?
Crossword costs $3 per ticket in New Jersey. 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 Crossword scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Crossword are 1 in 4.89. This means roughly 1 in every 5 tickets wins a prize of any amount. Note: New Jersey does not publish official overall odds. This figure is estimated from available prize data.
What is the top prize for Crossword?
The top prize for Crossword is $20,000. All top prizes have already been claimed. This game no longer has a top prize available, so you may want to consider a different game.
What are the prizes for Crossword?
Crossword offers 8 distinct prize levels: $20,000 (20 total), $5,000 (22 total), $500 (46 total), $100 (32,466 total), $25 (419,734 total), $10 (587,648 total), $5 (839,166 total), and $3 (979,628 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 Crossword?
Based on our latest data, 24% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 684,584 out of 2,858,730 total). The game is winding down. A significant portion of prizes have already been claimed.
How is Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Crossword at 11 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 Crossword released?
Crossword was released by the New Jersey Lottery on December 10, 2025. It has been on sale for roughly 7 months, so a meaningful portion of prizes has likely been claimed.
How often is Crossword data updated on ScratchCheck?
Crossword 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.