Merry & Bright
Image Credit: South Dakota Lottery
52
VALUESCORE
Fair
Merry & Bright is a $5 scratch-off lottery ticket from the South Dakota Lottery. It has overall odds of 1 in 4.11, meaning roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize. The expected value is $0.69 per $1 spent, which is an average return compared to other scratch-offs. The top prize is $10,000. 2 of 3 top prizes remain. Most prizes have already been claimed (18% remaining). ScratchCheck rates this ticket 52/100 (Fair) based on expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health.
Overall Odds
1 in 4.11
Exp. Value
$0.69
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$10,000
Top Prizes Left
2 / 3
Prizes Remaining
18%
ValueScore™
52 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.69→
AVERAGE
Middle-of-the-pack value for a ticket at this price point.
Why
→The prize pool is running thin, with most prizes already won.
- Prize quality is fair, with some of the bigger winners already claimed.
- Average win frequency: about a 24% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 4.11).
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$10,000
2 of 3 left
launch odds 1 in 61K
now ~1 in 16K
$500
3 of 16 left
launch odds 1 in 11K
now ~1 in 11K
$100
25 of 332 left
launch odds 1 in 550
now ~1 in 1,278
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 1 in 60,000 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| $500 | 1 in 11,250 | 16 | 3 | 19% |
| $100 | 1 in 556 | 332 | 25 | 8% |
| $50 | 1 in 61 | 2,980 | 352 | 12% |
| $20 | 1 in 30 | 6,084 | 958 | 16% |
| $15 | 1 in 30 | 6,104 | 849 | 14% |
| $10 | 1 in 17 | 10,617 | 1,880 | 18% |
| $5 | 1 in 10 | 18,252 | 3,702 | 20% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$630,870
Current Prize Pool
$110,805
Payout Percentage
17.6%
Total Prizes Remaining
7,771
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
182,435
Estimated Remaining
31,939
% Remaining
17.5%
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
52
VALUESCORE
Fair
52
out of 100
Expected Value
Prize Quality
Win Frequency
Inventory Health
Updated: 7/19/2026
Game Details
- State
- South Dakota
- Game Number
- 1172
- Ticket Price
- $5
- Payout %
- 69.2%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 7/19/2026
Compare
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Image Credit: South Dakota Lottery
$5.00 per ticket · 1 in 4.11 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 Merry & Bright scratch-off a good buy?
Merry & Bright is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 52/100. It is roughly average compared to other scratch-offs in South Dakota. If you are looking for the best value at this price point, check the South Dakota rankings page for higher-rated alternatives.
How much does Merry & Bright cost?
Merry & Bright costs $5 per ticket in South Dakota. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $5 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Merry & Bright scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Merry & Bright are 1 in 4.11. This means roughly 1 in every 4 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Merry & Bright?
The top prize for Merry & Bright is $10,000. As of our latest update, 2 of 3 top prizes remain unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Merry & Bright?
Merry & Bright offers 8 distinct prize levels: $10,000 (3 total), $500 (16 total), $100 (332 total), $50 (2,980 total), $20 (6,084 total), $15 (6,104 total), $10 (10,617 total), and $5 (18,252 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 Merry & Bright?
Based on our latest data, 18% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 7,771 out of 44,388 total). The game is winding down. A significant portion of prizes have already been claimed.
How is Merry & Bright rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Merry & Bright at 52 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.
How often is Merry & Bright data updated on ScratchCheck?
Merry & Bright data comes directly from the official South Dakota Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.