Best Nebraska Scratch Off Tickets: Odds, Remaining Prizes & More
Find the best scratch-off tickets to buy in Nebraska right now. We rank all 24 active Nebraska 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 $5 tickets
Highest overall grade among $20 tickets
All games
Sorted by Best Grade
How We Calculate Value, ROI & Grades
Every game on this page shows the top prize, how many top prizes are left and the published odds, plus a letter grade. Here’s what each one means, and why Nebraska games don’t show an ROI.
- Top prize — the game’s largest advertised prize, as published by the Nebraska Lottery.
- Top prizes left — how many of those the Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.
- 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, followed by how the top-prize odds have moved since launch. Because Nebraska’s prize data is incomplete, treat it as a rough ranking rather than a value rating.
Why there’s no ROI for Nebraska
ROI is the estimated average gain or loss against what you spend: −20% means roughly 80¢ back per $1. To work it out we need a game’s whole prize table: what every tier pays, how many of each prize were printed, and how many are still unclaimed. We add up the value of every prize still out there and divide it by our estimate of the tickets still unsold.
The Nebraska Lottery reports how many of its larger prizes remain, but not how many of the smaller prizes are still unclaimed. Without that, any ROI we showed would mostly reflect the missing data rather than the game, so we leave it off instead of publishing a number we can’t stand behind.
For Nebraska, top prizes left is the most useful figure on the page. A game whose top prizes are nearly all claimed has little left at the top end, whatever its published odds say.
We read official Nebraska Lottery prize reports daily. Grades are our own calculations, not official lottery ratings. Read our full methodology for how we source data and calculate expected value and ROI in the states that publish full prize tables.
Prize Activity Summary
Over the past 31 days, scratch-off games in this state paid out approximately $1.2 million in prizes, averaging $39,259 per day across 23 active games. The overall prize pool decreased by 13.1% during this period, with 7,163 individual prizes claimed across all tiers. Cash Explosion Spectacular® leads in prize activity with $351,900 claimed ($20 ticket). 327 top prizes remain. Cash Explosion® follows with $210,000 in claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Nebraska scratch-offs to buy right now?
Our three top-graded Nebraska scratch-offs today are Ruby Red 7s ($10), Caddyshack ($5) and Mega Loteria ($10). Each still has at least one top prize left. Rankings change daily as prizes are claimed.
Which Nebraska scratch-off is most likely to win?
The Nebraska game with the best odds of winning any prize is Electric 7s ($30) at 1 in 2.90. It still has 1 top prize of $300,000 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 Nebraska scratch-off at each price?
Our top-graded pick at each price today: $1: Quick 7s; $2: Super 7s; $3: Lucky Symbols Loteria; $5: Caddyshack; $10: Ruby Red 7s; $20: $200,000 Crossword Jackpot; $30: Electric 7s. The price filter on this page ranks every game at each price.
Which Nebraska scratch-offs should I avoid?
None stand out right now: every Nebraska game on sale still has at least one top prize left.
How do I claim a winning Nebraska scratch-off?
Prizes up to $500 can be cashed at any lottery retailer in Nebraska, and prizes up to $19,999 at a Regional Lottery Claim Center. Prizes of $20,000 or more must be claimed in person at Nebraska Lottery, 137 NW 17th Street, Lincoln. You can also claim by mail for prizes up to $19,999; 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 Nebraska taxes lottery winnings as income at up to 4.55% (more on taxes on scratch-off winnings).
How long do I have to claim a Nebraska 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 Nebraska scratch-offs online or with a card?
Scratch-offs are not sold online in Nebraska, so you have to buy them in a store. You must be 19 or older to buy. More in our guides to buying scratch-offs online and with a debit card.
Do more expensive Nebraska scratch-offs have better odds?
Usually, yes. Typical (median) odds of winning any prize by ticket price: $1, 1 in 3.58; $2, 1 in 4.07; $3, 1 in 3.50; $5, 1 in 3.84; $10, 1 in 3.50; $20, 1 in 3.59; $30, 1 in 3.47. Better odds mostly means more small wins, often just your ticket price back.
Are Nebraska scratch-offs worth it, or do any pay back more than they cost?
Not as an investment. Nebraska's lottery does not publish enough prize data for us to calculate how much its games pay back, but lotteries keep a share of every ticket sold, so a scratch-off that pays back more than it costs is rare. Play for fun with money you can afford to lose. More on whether scratch-off tickets are worth it.
Should I buy Nebraska games that are ending soon?
Sometimes, when good prizes are still left. No Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.
