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The Compare Tool

Compare Idaho Scratch-Offs

Mega Cash vs High Life

Put any two active Idaho scratch-offs side by side. We score each on ValueScore, expected value, payout rate, overall odds, big-win odds, break-even chance, and top-prize health, then call a winner so you can tell which ticket your dollar goes further on.

Filter
OUR PICK
Higher ValueScore (98 vs 83)
Go with Mega Cash.

Mega Cash leads on a higher ValueScore (98 vs 83), better overall odds, and better odds of a $1,000+ win.

Price
ticket cost
SAME PRICE
Mega Cash
$50
High Life
$50
ValueScore
composite quality index, higher is better
Mega Cash WINS
Mega Cash
98
High Life
83
Expected value
average return per $1 played
High Life WINS
Mega Cash
$0.76
High Life
$0.78
Payout rate
share of sales returned to players
High Life WINS
Mega Cash
76.3%
High Life
78.3%
Overall odds
chance of winning any prize, lower is better
Mega Cash WINS
Mega Cash
1 in 2.71
High Life
1 in 2.97
Odds of a $1,000+ win
best single-tier odds at $1,000 or more
Mega Cash WINS
Mega Cash
1 in 21,753
High Life
1 in 67,719
Top prize
advertised jackpot
EVEN
Mega Cash
$1M
High Life
$1M
Top prizes left
top prizes still unclaimed
EVEN
Mega Cash
2
High Life
2
Final score
Image credit: Idaho Lottery
Winner
Mega Cash
3
metric wins · 2 even
Image credit: Idaho Lottery
High Life
2
metric wins · 2 even
Mega Cash wins on ValueScore (98 vs 83), the score that weighs every metric together.
How it works

Three steps to a smarter pick.

  1. STEP 1
    Pick Game A
    Choose any active Idaho scratch-off from the first dropdown. Filter by price if you want to compare tickets at the same tier.
  2. STEP 2
    Pick Game B
    Choose a second game from the other dropdown. Both games appear as ticket thumbnails once selected.
  3. STEP 3
    Read the verdict
    We compare eight metrics including ValueScore, expected value, payout rate, overall odds, big-win odds, and break-even chance. The OUR PICK banner names the winner and explains why.
FAQ

Common questions.

What is ValueScore?

ValueScore is a composite index from 0 to 100 that blends expected value, prize quality, win frequency, and inventory health. Higher is better. It lets you rank games across price tiers without manually weighing four separate metrics.

Why are lower overall odds better?

Overall odds of 1 in X describe how many tickets you would need to buy on average to hit any prize. Lower X means more frequent wins, though most wins at that frequency are small. Pair overall odds with expected value to see if those wins are actually worthwhile.

How is expected value calculated?

Expected value is the average return per dollar played, from the game's printed prize structure: the total value of every prize the lottery printed, divided by the money the full print run takes in. A $1 ticket returning $0.70 on average has an EV of $0.70. It does not move as prizes are claimed, so check top prizes left too: a game whose jackpots are mostly gone is worth less than its EV suggests.

How does the verdict pick a winner?

When the two ValueScores are 5 or more points apart, the higher ValueScore is the pick: it is the composite that weighs every factor together, including how many top prizes are left, and it is how the rest of the site ranks games. When they are closer, the verdict tallies eight metrics (ValueScore, expected value, payout rate, overall odds, odds of winning $1,000 or more, break-even chance on $100, top prize, and top prizes still unclaimed) and picks the game that wins more of them. Metrics where the games are even, or where either game has no data, count for neither side. A tied tally goes to the higher ValueScore, and a dead heat across everything shows as a toss-up.

How often is this data updated?

Scratch off data refreshes daily from the Idaho lottery. Remaining top prizes can shift during the day as prizes are claimed, but price, overall odds, and payout rate only change when the lottery updates its public pack data.