Best California Scratch Off Tickets: Odds, Remaining Prizes & More
Find the best scratch-off tickets to buy in California right now. We rank all 58 active California Lottery scratch-off games by ROI, odds, and remaining prizes — updated daily from official sources. Use the tabs below to filter by best value, best odds, newest releases, or games to avoid.
Best picks by budget
Highest overall grade
Highest overall grade among $20 tickets
Highest overall grade among $5 tickets
All games
Sorted by Best Grade
How We Calculate Value, ROI & Grades
Every game on this page shows the same four figures and a letter grade. Here’s what each one means.
- Top prize — the game’s largest advertised prize, as published by the California Lottery.
- Top prizes unclaimed — how many of those the California Lottery has not yet recorded as claimed. An unclaimed prize may already be sitting on a ticket someone has bought, so this doesn’t guarantee one is still on a shelf.
- Published odds — the California Lottery’s original “1 in X” chance of winning any prize, which includes winning back just the ticket price. These are the odds set when the game was printed, not a recalculation of the odds among unsold tickets.
- Est. ROI — the estimated average gain or loss against what you spend. −20% means roughly 80¢ back per $1. We work it out from the prize counts the lottery reports and an estimate of how many tickets remain, so it’s a model rather than a measurement, and any single ticket can land far from the average.
- Grade — our 0–100 score shown as a letter, A being 85 or above. The largest single factor is whether a game still has unclaimed top prizes. Among the games that do, the grade is driven mostly by estimated return and by how the top-prize odds have moved since launch.
We read official California Lottery prize reports daily. ROI and grades are our own calculations, not official lottery ratings. Read our full methodology for how we source data, estimate remaining tickets, and calculate expected value, ROI and the California game grades.
Prize Activity Summary
Over the past 30 days, scratch-off games in this state paid out approximately $156.8 million in prizes, averaging $5.2 million per day across 58 active games. Crossword Xtreme leads in prize activity with $27.3 million claimed ($30 ticket). 2 top prizes remain. 100X The Cash follows with $17.0 million in claims, with only 2 top prizes remaining.
Cheaper combinations that beat a single ticket
For some California tickets, spending the same money on two or more cheaper tickets gives a higher total expected value. These are the ones where that is currently true.
Instead of
Power 10'S
$10
Buy instead
2× California Dreamin' $5
Both cost $10, but the pair carries about +25.6% more expected value than the single ticket.
$2 1 of 8 have a cheaper combination worth more +1.3% avg
-
Instead of 10X The Cash #1719
Buy instead 2× Straight 8's $1 +1.3%
$3 1 of 5 have a cheaper combination worth more +16.3% avg
-
Instead of 15X #1684
Buy instead 1× Set for Life $2 + 1× Straight 8's $1 +16.3%
$5 2 of 12 have a cheaper combination worth more +4.6% avg
-
Instead of LOTERIA™ Extra! #1688
Buy instead 1× Tripling Bonus Crossword $3 + 1× Set for Life $2 +9.1%
-
Instead of Poker Night #1694
Buy instead 1× Tripling Bonus Crossword $3 + 1× Set for Life $2 +0.1%
$10 5 of 11 have a cheaper combination worth more +11.6% avg
-
Instead of Power 10'S #1686
Buy instead
2× California Dreamin' $5
+25.6%
-
Instead of Mystery Crossword #1708
Buy instead
2× California Dreamin' $5
+19.6%
-
Instead of Mystery Crossword #1743
Buy instead
2× California Dreamin' $5
+10.1%
-
Instead of California Color Pop #1721
Buy instead
2× California Dreamin' $5
+1.7%
-
Instead of $1,000,000 Poker #1725
Buy instead
2× California Dreamin' $5
+1.0%
$20 9 of 13 have a cheaper combination worth more +9.8% avg
-
Instead of Instant Prize Crossword #1590
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +17.7%
-
Instead of Red Carpet Riches #1714
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +17.2%
-
Instead of Instant Prize Crossword #1739
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +14.8%
-
Instead of 100X The Cash #1722
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +13.3%
-
Instead of Show Me $5,000,000! #1678
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +10.4%
-
Instead of Golden State Riches #1735
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +9.9%
-
Instead of MONOPOLY #1669
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +4.7%
-
Instead of Cash King #1664
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +0.3%
-
Instead of set for life #1705
Buy instead 2× Set For Life $10 +0.3%
$30 1 of 3 have a cheaper combination worth more +13.4% avg
-
Instead of Crossword Xtreme #1726
Buy instead 1× 100X $20 + 1× Set For Life $10 +13.4%
$40 2 of 3 have a cheaper combination worth more +17.5% avg
-
Instead of $1 Million California Cash #1749
Buy instead 1× 7's $30 + 1× Set For Life $10 +25.2%
-
Instead of Royal Jackpot #1718
Buy instead 1× 7's $30 + 1× Set For Life $10 +9.9%
Expected value is an average across many tickets, not a prediction for any single purchase, and every one of these games still returns less than it costs on average. Figures are recalculated daily from remaining prizes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best California scratch-offs to buy right now?
Our three top-graded California scratch-offs today are 40 Years of Play! ($40), 7's ($30) and 100X ($20). Each still has at least one top prize left. Even these pay back less than they cost on average. Rankings change daily as prizes are claimed.
Which California scratch-off is most likely to win?
The California game with the best odds of winning any prize is $1 Million California Cash ($40) at 1 in 2.32. It still has 37 top prizes of $1,000,000 left. Most of those wins are small, often just your ticket price back, so good odds are not the same as a good buy.
What's the best California scratch-off at each price?
Our top-graded pick at each price today: $1: Straight 8's; $2: Planetary Payout; $3: Fireball Bingo; $5: California Dreamin'; $10: LOTERIA™ Grande; $20: 100X; $30: 7's; $40: 40 Years of Play!. The price filter on this page ranks every game at each price.
Which California scratch-offs should I avoid?
None stand out right now: every California game on sale still has at least one top prize left.
How do I claim a winning California scratch-off?
Prizes up to $599 can be cashed at any lottery retailer in California, and prizes of any amount at a District Office. You can also claim by mail for prizes of any amount; our guide to where to cash scratch-off tickets covers the forms and ID you need. Federal tax of 24% is withheld on prizes over $5,000, and California does not tax lottery winnings (more on taxes on scratch-off winnings).
How long do I have to claim a California scratch-off?
You have 180 days from the date the lottery officially ends the game, not from the day you bought the ticket. Check a game's end date before you buy, especially if it is ending soon. Our guide to whether scratch-off tickets expire lists every state's deadline.
Can I buy California scratch-offs online or with a card?
Scratch-offs are not sold online in California, so you have to buy them in a store. You must be 18 or older to buy. More in our guides to buying scratch-offs online and with a debit card.
Do more expensive California scratch-offs have better odds?
Usually, yes. The typical (median) game at each price, with its odds of winning any prize and what it pays back per dollar: $1, 1 in 4.59 and about 49 cents; $2, 1 in 4.10 and about 55 cents; $3, 1 in 3.74 and about 56 cents; $5, 1 in 3.81 and about 61 cents; $10, 1 in 3.47 and about 69 cents; $20, 1 in 3.10 and about 72 cents; $30, 1 in 2.71 and about 81 cents; $40, 1 in 2.43 and about 74 cents. Payback tends to rise with price, but you still lose money on average at every price.
Are California scratch-offs worth it, or do any pay back more than they cost?
Not as an investment. Right now 0 of the 58 California games on sale are expected to pay back more than they cost. The best, 40 Years of Play! ($40), still returns about 86 cents per dollar, and the typical game about 65 cents. A scratch-off that pays back more than it costs is rare and does not last long, so play for fun with money you can afford to lose. More on whether scratch-off tickets are worth it.
Should I buy California games that are ending soon?
Sometimes, when good prizes are still left. No California games are ending within the next 90 days, so there is no Ending Soon filter on this page right now. Bear in mind that scratch-off tickets do expire: in California you have 180 days from the date the lottery officially ends the game.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. All data is sourced from the official California lottery website and is updated regularly, but we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. Lottery games are games of chance, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Please play responsibly and never spend more than you can afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
