What Happens When All Top Prizes Are Claimed on a Scratch-Off Game?

You’re at the gas station, eyeing a $10 scratch-off ticket. The game looks exciting — big jackpot advertised on the display. But here’s what the display doesn’t tell you: that jackpot might already be gone.

When a scratch-off game’s top prizes are claimed, the game doesn’t get pulled from shelves. It keeps selling. The ticket price stays the same. The odds printed on the back don’t change. But the expected value of every remaining ticket drops — sometimes dramatically.

We track this across 43 states and 2,700+ active games. Right now, 289 games are still being sold with zero top prizes remaining. Here’s what that means for your money, how to spot these games, and what the data actually shows.

Last updated: May 2026 · Based on real-time data from official state lottery websites

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The Math: How Top Prize Claims Affect Expected Value

Every scratch-off ticket has an Expected Value (EV) — the average dollar amount you’d receive per ticket based on remaining prizes. The top prize contributes a disproportionate share of that EV because of its size, even though the probability of hitting it is tiny.

A Real Example

Consider a $20 scratch-off with a $1,200,000 top prize and 2 million estimated tickets remaining. That single top prize contributes:

$1,200,000 × 1 ÷ 2,000,000 = $0.60 per ticket

That’s $0.60 of expected value from just one prize. On a $20 ticket, that’s 3% of the ticket price. When that prize is claimed, every remaining ticket instantly loses $0.60 in expected value — and the ROI drops by 3 percentage points.

For games with multiple top prizes, each claim compounds the loss:

Top Prizes Remaining	EV Contribution	Cumulative Loss When All Claimed
3 of 3 (all intact)	$1.80/ticket	—
2 of 3	$1.20/ticket	-$0.60 (-3.0% ROI)
1 of 3	$0.60/ticket	-$1.20 (-6.0% ROI)
0 of 3 (all claimed)	$0.00/ticket	-$1.80 (-9.0% ROI)

A 9-percentage-point ROI drop is massive. It can take a game from “above average” to “one of the worst values in the state” overnight.

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What the Data Shows: 289 Depleted Games Right Now

Across all 43 states we track, 289 active scratch-off games currently have zero top prizes remaining. They’re still on shelves, still being sold at full price, but their biggest payouts are gone.

The Impact by Price Tier

We compared the average ROI of games that still have top prizes ($100K+) versus games where all top prizes have been claimed:

Price Tier	Avg ROI (Top Prizes Intact)	Avg ROI (All Top Prizes Gone)	Difference
$5 tickets	-35.9%	-39.8%	3.9 points worse
$10 tickets	-29.9%	-37.0%	7.1 points worse
$20 tickets	-24.5%	-28.4%	3.9 points worse
$30 tickets	-22.2%	-26.6%	4.4 points worse

The $10 tier shows the largest impact: 7.1 percentage points worse when top prizes are gone. On a $10 ticket, that translates to roughly $0.71 less expected value per ticket — meaning you’re losing an extra 71 cents on every ticket compared to a similar game with top prizes intact.

Over 10 tickets, that’s $7.10 in additional expected losses. Over 50 tickets, it’s $35.50. The math adds up fast.

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The Worst Cases: Games You Should Absolutely Avoid

Some depleted games are dramatically worse than others. Here are the current worst-value games still being sold with no top prizes remaining:

Game	State	Price	ROI	Original Top Prize
SAPPHIRE 7s	IN	$2	-94.2%	$7,000
Keys and Cash	PA	$5	-87.5%	$100,000
DOUBLE SIDED DOLLARS	IN	$10	-67.2%	$250,000
CASHWORD DOUBLER	NY	$2	-63.2%	$20,000
Super Crossword	NJ	$5	-59.3%	$50,000
SKEE-BALL®	NM	$3	-54.4%	$15,000
Money Puzzle Tripler	NH	$3	-53.5%	$50,000
Triple Tripler	DC	$1	-53.4%	$3,333

Indiana’s SAPPHIRE 7s at -94.2% ROI is the worst active game in the country. For every $2 you spend, you can expect to get back about $0.12 on average. That’s a 94-cent loss per dollar. The game’s $7,000 top prize is gone, and what remains is almost entirely losing tickets.

Pennsylvania’s Keys and Cash (-87.5%) is similarly dire — a $5 ticket returning roughly $0.63 on average.

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Why Do Lotteries Keep Selling These Games?

This is the question everyone asks. If the top prizes are gone, why don’t states pull the game?

The answer is straightforward: lottery commissions are not required to remove games when top prizes are claimed. Most states have policies that allow games to continue selling until:

• A predetermined end date is reached
• A certain percentage of tickets are sold (often 90%+)
• The commission decides to close the game for other reasons

From the lottery’s perspective, every ticket sold generates revenue regardless of whether top prizes remain. The printed odds on the ticket technically still apply to the overall game (total tickets printed vs. total prizes), even though the current reality is different.

Some states are more transparent than others. States like Florida, Illinois, and Texas publish remaining prize data that makes it easy to check. Others make it harder to find. That’s exactly why we built ScratchersParadise — to surface this information before you buy.

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How to Check Before You Buy

Here’s how to avoid buying tickets from depleted games:

1. Check Our State Pages

Every state hub page on ScratchersParadise shows a “Top Prizes Claimed” tab that lists games where all top prizes are gone. We also flag these games with a ⚠️ warning in the main games list.

2. Look at the “Top Prizes Left” Column

In our game listings, the “Top Left” column shows how many top prizes remain. If it says 0, the game has been depleted. If it says 1, the game is at risk — one more claim and it joins the depleted list.

3. Check Your State’s Official Website

Most state lottery websites publish remaining prize information. Look for “remaining prizes” or “prizes remaining” on the game’s detail page. If the top prize shows 0 remaining, don’t buy that game.

4. Use Our Monthly State Reports

Our monthly state reports include a “Games to Avoid” section listing every depleted game, plus a “Top Prize Watch List” showing games about to lose their last top prize.

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The Watch List: Games About to Lose Their Last Top Prize

These games are one claim away from joining the depleted list. When their last top prize is claimed, expect their ROI to drop by 3–9 percentage points depending on the prize size and tickets remaining.

Across all 43 states, we currently track over 200 games with only 1 top prize remaining. Some notable ones:

Game	State	Price	Top Prize	Current ROI
500X The Cash	FL	$50	$25,000,000	-12.7%
$25,000,000 GOLD RUSH MULTIPLIER	FL	$50	$25,000,000	-18.6%
$10,000,000 Bankroll	IL	$50	$6,000,000	-19.0%
Cash is King	IL	$30	$1,800,000	+6.9%
Scorching Hot 7s	FL	$10	$2,000,000	+2.5%

Illinois’ Cash is King is particularly notable — it’s currently the state’s only positive-ROI game at +6.9%. If its last $1,800,000 prize is claimed, that ROI will drop significantly, and Illinois will have zero positive-EV games.

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What Smart Players Do Instead

Understanding top prize depletion gives you a clear edge over casual players who don’t check. Here’s the strategy:

1. Always check remaining top prizes before buying. It takes 30 seconds on our site. If the game shows 0 top prizes, skip it.
2. Prefer newer games. Games in their first few weeks have all prizes intact. Check the “Newest” tab on any state page.
3. Watch the Watch List. Games with 1 top prize left are at risk but still have value. If you’re going to play them, sooner is better than later.
4. Compare ROI, not just odds. Two games can have identical printed odds, but if one has lost its top prize, its actual value is significantly lower. ROI accounts for this; odds don’t.
5. Consider combo strategies. Sometimes buying two cheaper tickets from games with intact prizes beats one expensive ticket from a depleted game.

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Key Takeaways

• 289 games are currently being sold with zero top prizes remaining across 43 states
• Depleted $10 games average 7.1 percentage points worse ROI than similar games with top prizes intact
• The worst depleted game (Indiana’s SAPPHIRE 7s) has a -94.2% ROI — you lose 94 cents of every dollar
• Lotteries are not required to pull games when top prizes are claimed
• Checking remaining prizes before buying is the single easiest way to avoid bad games
• We flag depleted games with ⚠️ on every state page and track them in our monthly reports

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Related Resources

• The Math of Scratchers: Odds vs. EV vs. ROI Explained — understand why ROI matters more than odds
• Why 2× $5 Beats 1× $10 — alternative strategies when your preferred game is depleted
• Our Methodology — how we calculate EV, ROI, and track depletion events
• National Scratchers Report — monthly analysis including top prize watch lists