Merry & Bright
Image Credit: South Dakota Lottery
46
VALUESCORE
Fair
The South Dakota Lottery sells Merry & Bright at $5 a ticket. Published overall odds: 1 in 4.11. Dollar for dollar, it pays back around $0.69 per $1, an average return for a scratch-off. $10,000 is the top prize, and 1 of 3 are still in play. Prize inventory sits at 13%: most prizes have already been claimed. On ScratchCheck's 0-100 ValueScore it earns a 46 (Fair). Today it stands at 19th out of 31 South Dakota scratch-offs; among $5 tickets it is 6th of the 11 active $5 games in South Dakota.
Overall Odds
1 in 4.11
Exp. Value
$0.69
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$10,000
Top Prizes Left
1 / 3
Prizes Remaining
13%
ValueScore™
46 / 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 6th of the 11 active $5 games in South Dakota.
Why
→Only 1 of 3 top prizes remain, and the mid-tier pool has thinned out with them.
- 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$10,000
1 of 3 left
launch odds 1 in 61K
now ~1 in 24K
$500
1 of 16 left
launch odds 1 in 11K
now ~1 in 24K
$100
17 of 332 left
launch odds 1 in 550
now ~1 in 1,429
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 | 1 | 33% |
| $500 | 1 in 11,250 | 16 | 1 | 6% |
| $100 | 1 in 556 | 332 | 17 | 5% |
| $50 | 1 in 61 | 2,980 | 233 | 8% |
| $20 | 1 in 30 | 6,084 | 709 | 12% |
| $15 | 1 in 30 | 6,104 | 601 | 10% |
| $10 | 1 in 17 | 10,617 | 1,413 | 13% |
| $5 | 1 in 10 | 18,252 | 2,934 | 16% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$630,870
Current Prize Pool
$75,845
Payout Percentage
12.0%
Total Prizes Remaining
5,909
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
182,435
Estimated Remaining
24,286
% Remaining
13.3%
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
46
VALUESCORE
Fair
46
out of 100
Expected Value
25/40
Prize Quality
6/25
Win Frequency
11/20
Inventory Health
4/15
Updated: 9/4/2026
Game Details
- State
- South Dakota
- Game Number
- 1172
- Ticket Price
- $5
- Start Date
- 9/16/2025
- Payout %
- 69.2%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/4/2026
Compare
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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?
Merry & Bright is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 46/100. 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, 1 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, 13% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 5,909 out of 44,388 total). The vast majority of prizes have been claimed. This game is close to being retired.
How is Merry & Bright rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Merry & Bright at 46 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 Merry & Bright released?
Merry & Bright was released by the South Dakota Lottery on September 16, 2025. It has been on sale for roughly 12 months, so a meaningful portion of prizes has likely been claimed.
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.