Crossword Bonanza
Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
86
VALUESCORE
Excellent
Crossword Bonanza costs $20 per ticket from the New Jersey Lottery. The published overall odds are 1 in 3.51. Every $1 spent returns about $0.75 on average, an above-average showing by scratch-off standards. The top prize is $400,000. 72% of the total prize pool is still unclaimed, so most prizes are still available. It scores 86/100 (Excellent) on ScratchCheck's ValueScore. That makes it #5 of 66 in New Jersey, better than about 94% of the state's games, and in the top third of New Jersey's 10 $20 tickets, at 3rd.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.51
Derived
Exp. Value
$0.75
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$400,000
Top Prizes Left
2
Prizes Remaining
72%
ValueScore™
86 / 100
Excellent
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.75↑
GREAT VALUE
#5 of 66 in New Jersey, better than about 94% of the state's games, with strong marks across the board.
Why
↑Plenty of prizes remain in circulation across this game.
- Frequent winners: roughly a 28% shot at a prize on each ticket (1 in 3.51), ahead of most games.
- $0.75 back per dollar puts this game's return ahead of the pack.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$400,000
2 of 3 left
launch odds 1 in 824K
now ~1 in 895K
$25,000
13 of 20 left
launch odds 1 in 124K
now ~1 in 138K
$2,000
74 of 104 left
launch odds 1 in 24K
now ~1 in 24K
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | 1 in 823,660 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| $25,000 | 1 in 123,549 | 20 | 13 | 65% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 23,759 | 104 | 74 | 71% |
| $500 | 1 in 299 | 8,254 | 6,028 | 73% |
| $200 | 1 in 218 | 11,350 | 8,198 | 72% |
| $150 | 1 in 193 | 12,789 | 9,227 | 72% |
| $100 | 1 in 35 | 69,990 | 50,528 | 72% |
| $80 | 1 in 98 | 25,126 | 18,182 | 72% |
| $60 | 1 in 120 | 20,591 | 14,906 | 72% |
| $50 | 1 in 20 | 123,549 | 89,078 | 72% |
| $30 | 1 in 13 | 185,335 | 133,915 | 72% |
| $20 | 1 in 10 | 247,075 | 179,913 | 73% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$37,146,890
Current Prize Pool
$26,781,980
Payout Percentage
72.1%
Total Prizes Remaining
510,064
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
2,471,693
Estimated Remaining
1,790,325
% Remaining
72.4%
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
86
VALUESCORE
Excellent
86
out of 100
Expected Value
35/40
Prize Quality
17/25
Win Frequency
19/20
Inventory Health
15/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- New Jersey
- Game Number
- 1976
- Ticket Price
- $20
- Start Date
- 7/7/2026
- Payout %
- 75.2%
- Data Source
- State lottery
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: New Jersey Lottery
$20.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.51 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 Bonanza scratch-off a good buy?
Yes. Crossword Bonanza is an excellent buy with a ValueScore of 86/100. It ranks among the top scratch-offs available and scores highly on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health, meaning more prizes are still available relative to how long the game has been on sale.
How much does Crossword Bonanza cost?
Crossword Bonanza costs $20 per ticket in New Jersey. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $20 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Crossword Bonanza scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Crossword Bonanza are 1 in 3.51. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Crossword Bonanza?
The top prize for Crossword Bonanza is $400,000. As of our latest update, 2 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Crossword Bonanza?
Crossword Bonanza offers 12 distinct prize levels: $400,000 (3 total), $25,000 (20 total), $2,000 (104 total), $500 (8,254 total), $200 (11,350 total), $150 (12,789 total), $100 (69,990 total), $80 (25,126 total), $60 (20,591 total), $50 (123,549 total), $30 (185,335 total), and $20 (247,075 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 Bonanza?
Based on our latest data, 72% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 510,064 out of 704,186 total). The game is early in its run, with most prizes still on the market.
How is Crossword Bonanza rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Crossword Bonanza at 86 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 Bonanza released?
Crossword Bonanza was released by the New Jersey Lottery on July 7, 2026. It has been on sale for about 2 months.
How often is Crossword Bonanza data updated on ScratchCheck?
Crossword Bonanza 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.