At a glance
Instant Cash is a $10 ticket from the Virginia Lottery. Our estimate for the $500,000 prize has slipped to about 1 in 1,105,907 per ticket, from 1 in 815,400 at launch. Its overall odds of 1 in 5.25 trail the 1 in 3.98 typical of Virginia's $10 games. Only 0% of its winning tickets pay $10 or less; the rest pay more than the ticket cost.
Overall Odds
1 in 5.25
Exp. Value
$0.73
per $1 spent
Top Prize
$500,000
Top Prizes Left
1
Prizes Remaining
45%
ValueScore™
48 / 100
Fair
Should I Buy This Ticket?
Expected value per $1 spent:
$0.73→
AVERAGE
Middle of the pack: #32 of the 78 active games we track in Virginia.
Why
→Prizes hit less often here, roughly 19% per ticket (1 in 5.25).
- Top-prize odds have worsened: 1 in 815K at launch, about 1 in 1.1M now. The $500,000 prizes are being claimed faster than tickets sell.
- Weak prize quality: relatively few of the bigger top and mid-tier prizes are still unclaimed.
- This game is partway played through, with a fair share of prizes remaining.
Current Prize Odds
ScratchCheck estimate$500,000
1 of 3 left
launch odds 1 in 815K
now ~1 in 1.1M
$10,000
2 of 5 left
launch odds 1 in 489K
now ~1 in 553K
$500
296 of 652 left
launch odds 1 in 3,752
now ~1 in 3,736
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 | Total | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| $10,000 | 5 | 2 | 40% |
| $500 | 652 | 296 | 45% |
| $200 | 3,042 | 1,367 | 45% |
| $100 | 32,604 | 14,553 | 45% |
| $50 | 81,524 | 36,713 | 45% |
| $40 | 11,930 | 5,401 | 45% |
| $30 | 91,727 | 41,405 | 45% |
| $20 | 244,456 | 110,911 | 45% |
Prize Pool Analysis
Total Payout at Launch
$17,939,130
Current Prize Pool
$7,908,760
Payout Percentage
44.1%
Total Prizes Remaining
210,649
Ticket Statistics
Total Tickets Printed
2,446,201
Estimated Remaining
1,105,907
% Remaining
45.2%
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
48
VALUESCORE
Fair
48
out of 100
Expected Value
29/40
Prize Quality
9/25
Win Frequency
2/20
Inventory Health
8/15
Updated: 9/23/2026
Game Details
- State
- Virginia
- Game Number
- 2402
- Ticket Price
- $10
- Start Date
- 6/2/2026
- Payout %
- 73.3%
- Data Source
- Official
- Last Updated
- 9/23/2026
Compare
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Run a virtual scratch-off using this game's real odds.
Image Credit: Virginia Lottery
$10.00 per ticket · 1 in 5.25 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 Instant Cash scratch-off a good buy?
Instant Cash is a middling ticket with a ValueScore of 48/100. It is roughly average compared to other scratch-offs in Virginia. If you are looking for the best value at this price point, check the Virginia rankings page for higher-rated alternatives.
How much does Instant Cash cost?
Instant Cash costs $10 per ticket in Virginia. All ScratchCheck figures for this game (expected value, ValueScore, and top prize analysis) are calculated against this $10 ticket price.
What are the odds of winning the Instant Cash scratch-off?
The overall odds of winning any prize with Instant Cash are 1 in 5.25. This means roughly 1 in every 5 tickets wins a prize of any amount.
What is the top prize for Instant Cash?
The top prize for Instant Cash is $500,000. As of our latest update, 1 top prize remains unclaimed.
What are the prizes for Instant Cash?
Instant Cash offers 9 distinct prize levels: $500,000 (3 total), $10,000 (5 total), $500 (652 total), $200 (3,042 total), $100 (32,604 total), $50 (81,524 total), $40 (11,930 total), $30 (91,727 total), and $20 (244,456 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 Instant Cash?
Based on our latest data, 45% of all prize tickets remain (approximately 210,649 out of 465,943 total). Roughly half the prizes remain, which is typical for an active game.
How is Instant Cash rated by ScratchCheck?
ScratchCheck rates Instant Cash at 48 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 Instant Cash released?
Instant Cash was released by the Virginia Lottery on June 2, 2026. It has been on sale for about 4 months.
How often is Instant Cash data updated on ScratchCheck?
Instant Cash data comes directly from the official Virginia Lottery and is refreshed daily, so the odds and remaining prize counts you see match the lottery's latest published figures.