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Ranked 22nd of 35 Tickets in South Dakota

Merry & BrightSouth Dakota Scratch-Off Odds & Prizes Remaining

Image Credit: South Dakota Lottery
47
VALUESCORE
Fair
$5South DakotaGame #1172GREEN
At a glance

The South Dakota Lottery sells Merry & Bright as a $5 ticket. The South Dakota Lottery stops selling it on November 17, 2026, with 1 of 3 $10,000 top prizes still unclaimed at the last report. Only 12% of all its prizes are left, yet 1 of the 3 $10,000 top prizes are still unclaimed.

Overall Odds
1 in 4.11
Exp. Value
$0.69
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$10,000
Top Prizes Left
1 / 3
Prizes Remaining
12%
ValueScore™
47 / 100
Fair

Should I Buy This Ticket?

Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.69
→
AVERAGE
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either; it is 8th of the 12 active $5 games in South Dakota.
Why
→Only 1 of 3 top prizes remain, and the mid-tier pool has thinned out with them.
  • Top-prize odds have improved: 1 in 61K at launch, about 1 in 22K now. Tickets have sold faster than the $10,000 prizes have been claimed.
  • The prize pool is running thin, with most prizes already won.
  • Average win frequency: about a 24% chance to win something per ticket (1 in 4.11).

Current Prize Odds

ScratchCheck estimate · Updated October 19
$10,000
1 of 3 left
launch odds 1 in 61K
now ~1 in 22K
$500
1 of 16 left
launch odds 1 in 11K
now ~1 in 22K
$100
13 of 332 left
launch odds 1 in 550
now ~1 in 1,704
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

PrizeOddsTotalLeftStatus
$10,0001 in 60,00031
33%
$5001 in 11,250161
6%
$1001 in 55633213
4%
$501 in 612,980196
7%
$201 in 306,084636
10%
$151 in 306,104526
9%
$101 in 1710,6171,308
12%
$51 in 1018,2522,710
15%

Prize Pool Analysis

Total Payout at Launch
$630,870
Current Prize Pool
$68,840
Payout Percentage
10.9%
Total Prizes Remaining
5,391

Ticket Statistics

Total Tickets Printed
182,435
Estimated Remaining
22,157
% Remaining
12.1%
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.

Prize History

Top prizes left

Since July 10, when our records for it began, one $10,000 top prize has been reported claimed, leaving 1. The most recent was on August 30.

20
2
1
July 10October 19
  • August 30, 20261 claimed · 1 left

How fast it's selling

Over the last 4 weeks, about 0.1% of this game's prizes were reported claimed each week, well below the average for South Dakota's $5 games (1% a week).

From ScratchCheck's daily record of the lottery's published prize counts. Dates are when a claim first appeared in those counts, and small prizes are often cashed days after purchase, so claims trail actual sales.

ValueScore™ Breakdown

47
VALUESCORE
Fair
47
out of 100
Expected Value
26/40
Prize Quality
6/25
Win Frequency
12/20
Inventory Health
4/15
Updated: 10/19/2026

Game Details

Game Number
1172
Ticket Price
$5
Start Date
9/16/2025
Payout %
69.2%
Data Source
Official
Last Updated
10/19/2026

Simulate This Game

Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.

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?
It is about average. Merry & Bright scores 47/100 (Fair) and is 8th of the 12 active $5 games in South Dakota. It pays back about $0.69 for every $1 spent. Higher-rated $5 tickets are listed on the South Dakota rankings page.
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, 1 of 3 top prizes remain unclaimed.
How many prizes are left in Merry & Bright?
Based on our latest data, 12% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 5,391 out of 44,388 total). The vast majority of prizes have been claimed. This game is close to being retired.

Every $5 ticket in South Dakota

All 12 ranked →
GameValueScoreOddsPayoutTop prize · leftClaimed per week
$500 Frenzy641 in 4.5170.0%$25K · 2 of 31.2%
Money Madness631 in 4.2169.1%$25K · 2 of 30.9%
Extreme 8s631 in 4.2468.0%$9K · 4 of 41.3%
Season’s Greetings531 in 4.1160.0%$10K · 3 of 3-
Hidden Gems521 in 4.0768.3%$25K · 2 of 31.5%
One-Word Crossword481 in 4.0167.6%$40K · 1 of 30.9%
20X Extreme Cash481 in 4.3569.0%$40K · 1 of 21.2%
Merry & Bright (this game)471 in 4.1169.2%$10K · 1 of 30.1%
$25,000 Gold Rush461 in 4.0968.6%$25K · 1 of 30.8%
Max Money431 in 4.3568.7%$25K · 1 of 30.9%

Claimed per week: share of each game's printed prizes reported claimed per week over the last 4 weeks, from our daily records of the lottery's prize counts.