Crossword
Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
41
VALUESCORE
Fair
Crossword is one of the New Jersey Lottery's $3 scratch-off games. Its published overall odds are 1 in 4.89. Dollar for dollar, it pays back around $0.65 per $1, an average return for a scratch-off. The top prize is $20,000. 96% of the total prize pool is still unclaimed, so most prizes are still available. Its ValueScore is 41/100 (Fair). Against the rest of the state it is 40th out of 66 New Jersey scratch-offs. At its own price point it is 2nd among the 4 $3 games New Jersey sells.
Overall Odds
1 in 4.89
Derived
Exp. Value
$0.65
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$20,000
Top Prizes Left
19
Prizes Remaining
96%
ValueScore™
41 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.65→
AVERAGE
Middle of the pack: #40 of the 66 active games we track in New Jersey.
Why
→Expected value of $0.65 per $1 is about average, a typical return for a ticket at this price.
- At 1 in 4.89, winning tickets turn up less often than usual.
- Prize quality is high: most of the meaningful top and mid-tier prizes remain in play.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$20,000
19 of 20 left
launch odds 1 in 702K
now ~1 in 710K
$5,000
22 of 22 left
launch odds 1 in 638K
now ~1 in 613K
$500
46 of 46 left
launch odds 1 in 305K
now ~1 in 293K
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 702,670 | 20 | 19 | 95% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 638,791 | 22 | 22 | 100% |
| $500 | 1 in 305,509 | 46 | 46 | 100% |
| $100 | 1 in 430 | 32,645 | 31,346 | 96% |
| $25 | 1 in 33 | 421,589 | 404,512 | 96% |
| $10 | 1 in 24 | 590,267 | 566,506 | 96% |
| $5 | 1 in 17 | 843,226 | 810,012 | 96% |
| $3 | 1 in 14 | 983,729 | 947,416 | 96% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$27,407,212
Current Prize Pool
$26,317,768
Payout Percentage
96.0%
Total Prizes Remaining
2,759,879
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
14,041,850
Estimated Remaining
13,495,808
% Remaining
96.1%
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
41
VALUESCORE
Fair
41
out of 100
Expected Value
0/40
Prize Quality
24/25
Win Frequency
2/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- New Jersey
- Game Number
- 1980
- Ticket Price
- $3
- Start Date
- 8/11/2026
- Payout %
- 65.0%
- Data Source
- State lottery
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
Compare this game with another →Official Source
View on New Jersey Lottery ↗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 is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 41/100. It is roughly average compared to other scratch-offs in New Jersey. If you are looking for the best value at this price point, check the New Jersey rankings page for higher-rated alternatives.
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.
What is the top prize for Crossword?
The top prize for Crossword is $20,000. As of our latest update, 19 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Crossword?
Crossword offers 8 distinct prize levels: $20,000 (20 total), $5,000 (22 total), $500 (46 total), $100 (32,645 total), $25 (421,589 total), $10 (590,267 total), $5 (843,226 total), and $3 (983,729 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, 96% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 2,759,879 out of 2,871,544 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is Crossword rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Crossword at 41 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 August 11, 2026. This is a newly released game, so the full prize pool is effectively intact.
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.