Simply A Buck
Image Credit: Pennsylvania Lottery
3
VALUESCORE
Poor
Simply A Buck is a $1 scratch-off lottery ticket from the Pennsylvania Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 4.66, 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 $1,000. Most prizes have already been claimed (9% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 3/100 (Poor) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 4.66
Exp. Value
$0.65
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$1,000
Top Prizes Left
9
Prizes Remaining
9%
ValueScore™
3 / 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.
- Wins are infrequent: about a 21% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 4.66), lower than most games.
- Prize quality is thin, with the bigger winners mostly gone.
Prize Breakdown
| Prize | Odds | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | 1 in 84,000 | 100 | 9 | 9% |
| $500 | 1 in 84,000 | 100 | 3 | 3% |
| $100 | 1 in 15,000 | 560 | 35 | 6% |
| $50 | 1 in 600 | 14,000 | 927 | 7% |
| $20 | 1 in 360 | 23,310 | 1,805 | 8% |
| $10 | 1 in 91 | 92,400 | 8,507 | 9% |
| $5 | 1 in 34 | 243,600 | Not reported | - |
| $2 | 1 in 15 | 546,000 | Not reported | - |
| $1 | 1 in 10 | 882,000 | Not reported | - |
“Not reported” = the lottery publishes remaining-prize counts for its top prizes only.
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$2,296,200
Current Prize Pool
$181,520
Payout Percentage
7.9%
Total Prizes Remaining
11,286
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
607,990
Estimated Remaining
52,593
% Remaining
8.7%
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
3
VALUESCORE
Poor
3
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 8/8/2026
Game Details
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Game Number
- 1749
- Ticket Price
- $1
- Start Date
- 8/9/2025
- Payout %
- 65.3%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 8/9/2026
Compare
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View on Pennsylvania Lottery ↗Simulate This Game
Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: Pennsylvania Lottery
$1.00 per ticket · 1 in 4.66 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 Simply A Buck scratch-off a good buy?
Simply A Buck has a ValueScore of 3/100, which is among the lowest-rated tickets in Pennsylvania. 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 Simply A Buck cost?
Simply A Buck costs $1 per ticket in Pennsylvania. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $1 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Simply A Buck scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Simply A Buck are 1 in 4.66. This means roughly 1 in every 5 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Simply A Buck?
The top prize for Simply A Buck is $1,000. As of our latest update, 9 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Simply A Buck?
Simply A Buck offers 9 distinct prize levels: $1,000 (100 total), $500 (100 total), $100 (560 total), $50 (14,000 total), $20 (23,310 total), $10 (92,400 total), $5 (243,600 total), $2 (546,000 total), and $1 (882,000 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 Simply A Buck?
Based on our latest data, 9% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 11,286 out of 130,470 total). The vast majority of prizes have been claimed. This game is close to being retired.
How is Simply A Buck rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Simply A Buck at 3 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 Simply A Buck released?
Simply A Buck was released by the Pennsylvania Lottery on August 9, 2025. It has been on sale for over a year, so checking the remaining prize counts is important before buying.
How often is Simply A Buck data updated on ScratchCheck?
Simply A Buck 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.