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California · Best ValueScore™ Scratch-Offs

Last updated August 27, 2026

California's #1 scratch-off right now is 200X with a ValueScore™ of 97/100. ValueScore™ combines expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health into a single 0 to 100 rating, updated daily.

52 active California scratch off games are scored, with 5 rated Excellent (80 or above) and 14 rated Good (60 to 79). Statewide average ValueScore is 50.6.
Score bands: 80+ Excellent · 60 to 79 Good · 40 to 59 Fair · below 40 Below Average.
Why not just use the odds printed on the ticket?

Printed odds are set the day a game ships and never change, but the game itself does. Every week tickets sell and prizes get claimed, and the ticket can't tell you any of that. ValueScore™ re-scores every California game from live prize data, so it knows when the top prizes are already gone from a game that still advertises great odds, and when a quiet game is sitting on all of its big prizes. Higher is better; details below the table.

RankGamePriceValueScore™Overall OddsTop Prize
1200X$30971 in 2.71$10,000,000
2Golden State Riches$20891 in 2.89$5,000,000
3Royal Jackpot$40871 in 2.43$15,000,000
4$5,000,000 Extreme Cash$20861 in 3$5,000,000
5Crossword Xtreme$30841 in 2.72$7,000,000
6Set for Life (Game #1705)$20751 in 3.32
$5,000,000
$200,000 a year for 25 years
77's$30721 in 2.71$10,000,000
8100X The Cash$20711 in 3.32$5,000,000
9Red Carpet Riches$20691 in 3.1$2,000,000
10LOTERIA™ Extra!$5661 in 3.51$100,000
11Instant Prize Crossword$20651 in 3.1$2,000,000
12MONOPOLY$20651 in 3.32$5,000,000
13$1,000,000 Poker$10641 in 3.5$1,000,000
14Neon Jackpot$10631 in 3.42$1,000,000
15Cash King$20631 in 3$5,000,000
1640 Years of Play!$40621 in 2.85$15,000,000
17Full of 500's$5611 in 4.43$500
18Show Me $5,000,000!$20611 in 3.32$5,000,000
19$5,000,000 Superstar$20601 in 3.43$5,000,000
20$50 or $100$10571 in 8.13$100
21Planetary Payout$2551 in 4.09$20,000
22LOTERIA™$3531 in 3.74$30,000
23California Jackpot$10531 in 3.42$1,000,000
24100X$20521 in 3$5,000,000
25JAWS$5521 in 3.81$500,000
26Mystery Crossword$10501 in 3.47$750,000
27Power 10's$10491 in 3.3$1,000,000
28$100 or $200 Frenzy$20481 in 7.94$200
29$1,000,000 Money Mania$10481 in 3.42$1,000,000
30MEGA Crossword$5461 in 3.82$75,000
31California Color Pop$10461 in 3.5$1,000,000
32Set for Life$2451 in 4.44
$1,200,000
$4,000 a month for 25 years
33Tripling Bonus Crossword$3431 in 3.34$20,000
34LOTERIA™ Grande$10421 in 3.5$1,000,000
35California Dreamin'$5411 in 3.75$555,555
36MONOPOLY (Game #1665)$2391 in 4.1$30,000
37GOOOAAAL!$2381 in 4.09$20,000
38Fireball Bingo$3371 in 3.61$20,000
39SuperLotto Plus® Multiplier$5371 in 3.81$500,000
40Dominoes$2361 in 4.1$30,000
41Ca$h Doubler$2351 in 4.24$20,000
42Poker Nights$5341 in 3.62$75,000
43LOTERIA™ Extra! (Game #1688)$5331 in 3.51$100,000
44Red, White & Blue 7's$5331 in 4.73$250,000
45Rockin' Riches$1311 in 4.34$5,000
46Cash Crush$5311 in 4.53$250,000
4715X$3261 in 3.78$30,000
48Winner Winner Chicken Dinner$5251 in 4.77$250,000
4910X The Cash$2161 in 4.16$30,000
50Straight 8's$1141 in 4.59$888
51$100 or $200$20141 in 7.94$200
52The Lucky Spot!$1121 in 4.78$1,000

How ValueScore is built

Most people judge a scratch off by two numbers: the overall odds printed on the ticket, and maybe how many prizes are left. Both are easy to read, and both mislead on their own. Overall odds only tell you how often any prize hits, and most of those are break-even reprints. A ticket can advertise 1 in 3 and still be a bad buy once the prizes worth winning are gone. Remaining-prize countshave the opposite blind spot: “400 prizes left” means nothing without the price, the odds, and how many of the top prizes are actually still in the pool.

ValueScore reads all of it at once and rates what those two numbers can’t see on their own. It blends the four signals that actually decide whether a ticket is worth buying, which is why our top pick in California often looks nothing like the game with the flashiest odds:

  • Expected Value (weighted most heavily). Published per-ticket return across the full prize structure, not just the headline odds.
  • Prize Quality. How much of the payout sits in prizes worth winning versus tiny break-even reprints.
  • Win Frequency. Your probability of any prize per ticket.
  • Inventory Health. Top prizes still unclaimed versus tickets remaining. This is the one the ticket can’t show you: a game with great printed odds whose jackpots are already gone. (Exact weighting is proprietary.)

Scores recompute after every successful California scrape, so a game listed at the top last week may have moved. See the national ValueScore ranking for cross-state context.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Best ValueScore™ Scratch-Offs ranking measure?
This page ranks California scratch-off by ScratchCheck ValueScore, a 0 to 100 composite that weighs expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health. A score of 80 or above is Excellent, 60 to 79 is Good, 40 to 59 is Fair, and below 40 is Poor. ValueScore updates as prizes are claimed, so the top pick can shift week to week.
Which California scratch-off is currently #1 for best valuescore™ scratch-offs?
The 200X ($30) currently ranks first with overall odds of 1 in 2.71 (ValueScore 97 of 100). Prize payout is 79.6%. Rankings update automatically as prize counts change, so the top pick can move. Open the game page for the full prize-tier breakdown and remaining counts.
How often does this ranking update?
Game data for California is refreshed from official sources on a daily schedule. Whenever remaining-prize counts change, ValueScore and every dependent ranking are recomputed automatically. The "updated daily" stamp on the page reflects the most recent successful update.
How should I pick between the top few games in California?
Rankings are a starting point, not a verdict. Two tickets that sit next to each other often differ on a dimension the headline metric ignores: price, top-prize size, or remaining inventory. Use the Budget & Goal Optimizer or the side-by-side Compare tool to weigh Breakeven probability, Jackpot Chase value, or published EV against your actual spend and goal.
Are these values official or estimated?
ScratchCheck uses official published odds and prize counts wherever the state makes them available. A small number of states publish only limited prize breakdowns; for those games ScratchCheck estimates Expected Value and related metrics from industry price-point averages and flags them with an "~Est." tag next to the number. Official figures always take precedence.