$500,000 a Year for Life
Image Credit: Pennsylvania Lottery
72
VALUESCORE
Good
The Pennsylvania Lottery sells $500,000 a Year for Life at $20 a ticket. Published overall odds: 1 in 3.46. Dollar for dollar, it pays back around $0.78 per $1, an above-average return for a scratch-off. The top prize is $7,250,000. About half the prizes remain (54% remaining). On ScratchCheck's 0-100 ValueScore it earns a 72 (Good). Today it stands at ahead of roughly 78% of Pennsylvania's 67 active games; among $20 tickets it is 4th of the 5 active $20 games in Pennsylvania.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.46
Exp. Value
$0.78
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$7,250,000
Top Prizes Left
4
Prizes Remaining
54%
ValueScore™
72 / 100
Good
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.78↑
ABOVE AVERAGE
Above the pack: ahead of roughly 78% of Pennsylvania's 67 active games.
Why
↑$0.78 back per dollar puts this game's return ahead of the pack.
- The game is early in its life, with the bulk of its prizes unclaimed.
- You win something fairly often here, about 29% per ticket (1 in 3.46).
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $7,250,000 | 1 in 1,680,000 | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| $50,000 | 1 in 840,000 | 10 | 6 | 60% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 30,000 | 280 | 157 | 56% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 4,800 | 1,750 | 955 | 55% |
| $500 | 1 in 393 | 21,350 | 11,455 | 54% |
| $200 | 1 in 375 | 22,400 | 12,108 | 54% |
| $100 | 1 in 60 | 140,000 | Not reported | - |
| $50 | 1 in 30 | 280,000 | Not reported | - |
| $40 | 1 in 30 | 280,000 | Not reported | - |
| $30 | 1 in 30 | 280,000 | Not reported | - |
| $20 | 1 in 6 | 1,400,000 | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$55,055,000
Current Prize Pool
$39,189,100
Payout Percentage
71.2%
Total Prizes Remaining
24,685
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
158,451
Estimated Remaining
85,410
% Remaining
53.9%
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
72
VALUESCORE
Good
72
out of 100
Expected Value
33/40
Prize Quality
14/25
Win Frequency
14/20
Inventory Health
12/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Game Number
- 1763
- Ticket Price
- $20
- Start Date
- 12/27/2025
- Payout %
- 77.8%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
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Image Credit: Pennsylvania Lottery
$20.00 per ticket · 1 in 3.46 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 $500,000 a Year for Life scratch-off a good buy?
$500,000 a Year for Life is a solid choice. Its ValueScore of 72/100 is above average, indicating good expected value and a healthy prize pool. It performs better than most $20 tickets in Pennsylvania.
How much does $500,000 a Year for Life cost?
$500,000 a Year for Life costs $20 per ticket in Pennsylvania. 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 $500,000 a Year for Life scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with $500,000 a Year for Life are 1 in 3.46. This means roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for $500,000 a Year for Life?
The top prize for $500,000 a Year for Life is $7,250,000. As of our latest update, 4 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for $500,000 a Year for Life?
$500,000 a Year for Life offers 11 distinct prize levels: $7,250,000 (5 total), $50,000 (10 total), $5,000 (280 total), $1,000 (1,750 total), $500 (21,350 total), $200 (22,400 total), $100 (140,000 total), $50 (280,000 total), $40 (280,000 total), $30 (280,000 total), and $20 (1,400,000 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 $500,000 a Year for Life?
Based on our latest data, 54% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 24,685 out of 45,795 total). Roughly half the prizes remain, which is typical for an active game.
How is $500,000 a Year for Life rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates $500,000 a Year for Life at 72 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 $500,000 a Year for Life released?
$500,000 a Year for Life was released by the Pennsylvania Lottery on December 27, 2025. It has been on sale for roughly 8 months, so a meaningful portion of prizes has likely been claimed.
How often is $500,000 a Year for Life data updated on ScratchCheck?
$500,000 a Year for Life data comes directly from the official Pennsylvania Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.