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The Compare Tool

Compare North Carolina Scratch-Offs

500X The Cash vs $8 Million Money Maker

Put any two active North Carolina 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
Leads 5 metrics · 1 even
Go with 500X The Cash.

500X The Cash leads on a higher ValueScore (92 vs 60), a higher payout rate (0.4 pts), and better overall odds.

Price
ticket cost
SAME PRICE
500X The Cash
$50
$8 Million Money Maker
$50
ValueScore
composite quality index, higher is better
500X The Cash WINS
500X The Cash
92
$8 Million Money Maker
60
Expected value
average return per $1 played
EVEN
500X The Cash
$0.82
$8 Million Money Maker
$0.82
Payout rate
share of sales returned to players
500X The Cash WINS
500X The Cash
82.4%
$8 Million Money Maker
82.0%
Overall odds
chance of winning any prize, lower is better
500X The Cash WINS
500X The Cash
1 in 3.33
$8 Million Money Maker
1 in 4.14
Odds of a $1,000+ win
best single-tier odds at $1,000 or more
$8 Million Money Maker WINS
500X The Cash
1 in 24,049
$8 Million Money Maker
1 in 23,330
Break-even on $100
chance to win back $100 or more spending $100
$8 Million Money Maker WINS
500X The Cash
37%
$8 Million Money Maker
42%
Top prize
advertised jackpot
500X The Cash WINS
500X The Cash
$10M
$8 Million Money Maker
$8M
Top prizes left
top prizes still unclaimed
500X The Cash WINS
500X The Cash
5
$8 Million Money Maker
1
Final score
Image credit: North Carolina Lottery
Winner
500X The Cash
5
metric wins · 1 even
Image credit: North Carolina Lottery
$8 Million Money Maker
2
metric wins · 1 even
500X The Cash wins the comparison, leading 5 metrics with 1 even.
How it works

Three steps to a smarter pick.

  1. STEP 1
    Pick Game A
    Choose any active North Carolina 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. We sum the value of every remaining prize tier, weighted by its probability, then divide by the ticket price. A $1 ticket returning $0.70 on average has an EV of $0.70.

How does the verdict pick a winner?

The OUR PICK 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. It flags the game that wins the most, and metrics where the games are even count for neither side. When the win totals tie, the higher ValueScore breaks it, since ValueScore is the composite that already blends those factors and is how the rest of the site ranks games. On a dead heat across everything we show a toss-up instead of forcing a pick.

How often is this data updated?

Scratch off data refreshes daily from the North Carolina 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.