$500,000 a Year for Life
Image Credit: Pennsylvania Lottery
81
VALUESCORE
Excellent
$500,000 a Year for Life is a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket from the Pennsylvania Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 3.46, meaning roughly 1 in every 3 tickets wins a prize. The expected value is $0.78 per $1 spent, which is an above-average return compared to other scratch-offs. The top prize is $7,250,000. Most prizes are still available (60% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 81/100 (Excellent) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 3.46
Exp. Value
$0.78
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$7,250,000
Top Prizes Left
4
Prizes Remaining
60%
ValueScore™
81 / 100
Excellent
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.78↑
GREAT VALUE
Excellent overall value, ahead of the large majority of games at this price.
Why
↑Strong expected value of $0.78 per $1: a bigger slice of ticket sales is still sitting in the prize pool than usual.
- Frequent winners: roughly a 29% shot at a prize on each ticket (1 in 3.46), ahead of most games.
- Plenty of prizes remain in circulation across this game.
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 | 171 | 61% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 4,800 | 1,750 | 1,061 | 61% |
| $500 | 1 in 393 | 21,350 | 12,725 | 60% |
| $200 | 1 in 375 | 22,400 | 13,344 | 60% |
| $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
$40,247,300
Payout Percentage
73.1%
Total Prizes Remaining
27,311
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
158,451
Estimated Remaining
94,496
% Remaining
59.6%
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
81
VALUESCORE
Excellent
81
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 7/20/2026
Game Details
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Game Number
- 1763
- Ticket Price
- $20
- Start Date
- 12/27/2025
- Payout %
- 77.8%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 7/20/2026
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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?
Yes. $500,000 a Year for Life is an excellent buy with a ValueScore of 81/100. 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 $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, 60% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 27,311 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 81 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 7 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.