ScratchBest Research · Published September 9, 2026
How Often Do Active Scratch-Off Games Have No Top Prize Remaining?
Across 813 eligible active games in ten dated state snapshots, 89 games—10.95%—had zero top prizes reported remaining.
The bottom line
What the data supports
89 of 813 eligible active games had zero reported top prizes remaining; 724 had at least one.
State rates ranged from 1.72% in North Carolina to 25.00% in New York.
The largest adequately sized ticket-price group was $5: 31 of 213 games, or 14.55%, had zero reported top prizes remaining.
The $40 and $100 price groups had fewer than five games and should not support broad price comparisons.
Visual results
Charts with exact values
Each chart is rendered accessibly below and has a 1600×900 PNG download for social posts or presentations.
Share of active games with zero reported top prizes, by state
Every state uses its own latest available snapshot date.
Share with zero reported top prizes, by ticket price
Small groups are shown but flagged; rates are descriptive, not causal.
Detailed results
The numbers behind the charts
| State | Eligible | At least one | Zero | Zero rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 104 | 78 | 26 | 25.00% |
| MA | 132 | 108 | 24 | 18.18% |
| FL | 84 | 69 | 15 | 17.86% |
| IL | 55 | 49 | 6 | 10.91% |
| CA | 86 | 78 | 8 | 9.30% |
| MI | 110 | 106 | 4 | 3.64% |
| NJ | 70 | 68 | 2 | 2.86% |
| SC | 35 | 34 | 1 | 2.86% |
| TX | 79 | 77 | 2 | 2.53% |
| NC | 58 | 57 | 1 | 1.72% |
| Price | Eligible | At least one | Zero | Zero rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | 69 | 64 | 5 | 7.25% | Descriptive comparison |
| $2 | 121 | 109 | 12 | 9.92% | Descriptive comparison |
| $3 | 35 | 31 | 4 | 11.43% | Descriptive comparison |
| $5 | 213 | 182 | 31 | 14.55% | Descriptive comparison |
| $10 | 170 | 152 | 18 | 10.59% | Descriptive comparison |
| $20 | 118 | 105 | 13 | 11.02% | Descriptive comparison |
| $25 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 20.00% | Descriptive comparison |
| $30 | 50 | 46 | 4 | 8.00% | Descriptive comparison |
| $40 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | Small sample; descriptive only |
| $50 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 3.85% | Descriptive comparison |
| $100 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | Small sample; descriptive only |
| Game | State / number | Price | Top prize | Original | Remaining | Data date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lucky Spot! | CA · 1555 | $1 | $1,000 | 125 | 27 | 2026-09-06 |
| The Price is Right™ | FL · 1518 | $5 | $1,000,000 | 8 | 4 | 2026-09-02 |
| MEGA Crossword | CA · 1628 | $5 | $75,000 | 48 | 0 | 2026-09-06 |
| Triple Crossword | FL · 1497 | $3 | $150,000 | 30 | 0 | 2026-09-02 |
Methodology
- 1For each state, the analysis used its latest available Games_List snapshot and the same active-game deadline rule as the public ScratchBest catalog.
- 2The top prize was the highest numeric prize amount in each active game’s latest prize tiers. Equal highest-value tiers were combined rather than choosing an arbitrary prize-level row.
- 3A combined remaining count of zero was classified as zero reported top prizes. Missing or invalid top-prize data would have been excluded rather than converted to zero.
Exclusions
No active games were excluded: all 813 had usable top-prize tiers, and no duplicate active game identities were present.
Limits to keep in mind
- Lottery reports may lag source changes, and the state snapshots are not simultaneous.
- “Active” means present under ScratchBest’s catalog rule; it does not mean every retailer still stocks the game.
- Zero top prizes does not mean no prizes remain at lower tiers, and it does not predict any ticket outcome.
- This ten-state sample should not be described as all U.S. scratch-off games.
State snapshot coverage
Each state is analyzed at its own latest available date. The sample is not one simultaneous national snapshot.
NY
2026-09-08
104 active games
FL
2026-09-02
84 active games
CA
2026-09-06
86 active games
MI
2026-09-08
110 active games
MA
2026-09-08
132 active games
NC
2026-09-07
58 active games
TX
2026-09-07
79 active games
IL
2026-08-21
55 active games
NJ
2026-09-08
70 active games
SC
2026-09-08
35 active games
Share responsibly
Suggested post copy
Disclosure: I run ScratchBest. I analyzed 813 active scratch-off games across 10 dated state snapshots. 89 (10.95%) had zero reported top prizes remaining. This describes reported prize counts—not retailer inventory or winning odds. Full methods and state results: https://www.scratchbest.com/research/active-scratch-off-games-no-top-prizes-remaining
Before posting, check the specific community’s rules and disclose your connection to ScratchBest. Avoid repetitive cross-posting or presenting these results as advice about what to buy.