How do I check remaining prizes on NY scratch-off tickets?

Visit nylottery.ny.gov and navigate to the scratch-off game you're interested in. Click 'Prizes Remaining' to see a breakdown by tier. Or use ScratchOffsNY.com for a ranked comparison of all games with remaining prize percentages calculated automatically.

Does the NY Lottery update prizes remaining daily?

The NY Lottery updates remaining prize data regularly, typically daily. ScratchOffsNY pulls this data automatically and calculates rankings based on the latest available information.

Should I avoid scratch-off games with low prizes remaining?

Not necessarily. A game with low prizes remaining but a high +EV score can still be a good buy if the remaining prizes are weighted toward higher tiers. Check the full prize breakdown, not just the overall percentage.

What percentage of prizes remaining is considered good?

Games with 50% or more prizes remaining are generally in good shape. Between 35-50% is acceptable if the +EV score is positive. Below 35% the game is thinning out and you should check if top prizes are still available.

NY Scratch-Off Prizes Remaining: How to Check Before You Buy

March 16, 2026 Guide Prizes

Every New York scratch-off game starts with a fixed number of prizes at each tier — from break-even $1 wins all the way up to $10 million jackpots. As tickets sell, those prizes get claimed. The game's value changes in real time, but most players never check.

Checking remaining prizes before you buy is the single most impactful thing you can do to play smarter. Here's exactly how to do it and what to look for.

Why Remaining Prizes Matter More Than "Overall Odds"

The odds printed on the back of a scratch-off ticket are calculated at launch. They never get updated. But the actual odds change every single day as tickets sell and prizes are claimed.

Imagine a game launched with 3 top prizes of $1,000,000. If all 3 have been claimed but 40% of tickets are still unsold, you're paying the same price for a ticket that can no longer win the top prize. The "overall odds" on the back won't tell you this.

Remaining prizes give you the real picture. Not what the odds were at launch — what they are right now.

How to Check Remaining Prizes on nylottery.ny.gov

1 Go to the NY Lottery website

Visit nylottery.ny.gov/scratch-off-games to see the list of all active scratch-off games.

2 Find your game

Browse or search for the game you're considering. Click on it to open the game detail page.

3 Look for "Prizes Remaining"

On the game detail page, you'll see a prize breakdown table showing how many prizes were originally available at each tier and how many have been claimed. The remaining count is what matters.

4 Compare across games

This is where it gets tedious on the NY Lottery site — you'd need to repeat steps 2–3 for every game you're comparing. That's why we built the rankings page on ScratchOffsNY, which does this comparison automatically across all games.

The Easier Way: Use ScratchOffsNY

Checking prizes remaining on the official NY Lottery site works, but it's slow. You can only view one game at a time, and doing the math yourself is a pain.

On ScratchOffsNY, we pull prize data from the NY Lottery daily and automatically calculate:

Prizes remaining % — The percentage of total prizes still unclaimed, shown as a simple number
Payout rate — The current return per dollar based on remaining prizes (not the original launch rate)
+EV Score — Whether the game has gotten better or worse since launch
Rankings — Every game ranked against every other game at the same price point

You can filter by price ($1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $30) and sort by any metric. It's the comparison view that the NY Lottery site doesn't offer.

What the Numbers Tell You

Prizes Remaining Above 60%

The game is early in its lifecycle. Most or all big prizes are still available. This is generally a safe buy — you're getting close to the original advertised odds. New games fall in this range.

Prizes Remaining 40–60%

The sweet spot for many players. Enough tickets have sold that you can evaluate whether the game is trending positively (+EV) or negatively. If the +EV score is positive and top prizes are still out there, this is often the best time to play a game.

Prizes Remaining 20–40%

Caution zone. The game is well into its lifecycle. Check whether top prizes are still available — if they're gone, the remaining prize pool is mostly small wins. Some games in this range are still playable if they have high +EV scores, but many are past their prime.

Prizes Remaining Below 20%

The game is nearing end of life. Most prizes have been claimed, and the game may be pulled from stores soon. The NY Lottery publishes an "end of game" schedule — once a game hits this list, you have a limited window to buy and claim prizes. Generally avoid unless you know exactly what prizes are left.

What about games near the end that still have top prizes?

Occasionally, a game nears end of life with a top prize still unclaimed. This sounds great — fewer remaining tickets means better odds at the big prize. But the total remaining prize pool is usually thin, so the overall expected value may still be low. Our Rare Finds section specifically tracks these end-of-life opportunities.

A Real Example

Comparing Two $5 Games

Game A: 72% prizes remaining, payout rate 67%, +EV score +2

Game B: 38% prizes remaining, payout rate 71%, +EV score +8

Which is better? Game B — despite having fewer prizes remaining, its payout rate is higher and its +EV score shows the math has shifted significantly in the player's favor. The remaining prizes are weighted toward bigger tiers.

This is why you can't just look at one number. Prizes remaining, payout rate, and +EV score work together to give you the complete picture.

How Often Should You Check?

Prizes remaining data changes daily as tickets sell across New York. But for most players, checking once per week is plenty. The rankings don't usually shift dramatically day-to-day — games trend gradually better or worse over weeks.

The exceptions are:

When a top prize gets claimed — This can immediately drop a game in the rankings. Our data reflects this within 24 hours.
When a new game launches — New games enter the rankings with all prizes intact and may immediately rank well.
End-of-game announcements — When the NY Lottery announces a game is ending, the clock starts ticking. Check prizes remaining to see if there are still good finds before it's pulled.

The Bottom Line

Checking remaining prizes takes 30 seconds and can be the difference between playing a game that's still loaded with prizes and one that's been picked clean. It's the simplest upgrade you can make to your scratch-off strategy.

Visit the rankings page to see every active NY scratch-off game with current remaining prize data, or check out the All Games view for a complete list.

See What Prizes Are Left

Every NY scratch-off ranked by remaining value. Updated daily.

View Rankings →

Data sourced from nylottery.ny.gov. Updated daily. For entertainment and informational purposes only. Please play responsibly.

Alex P.

Lead Data Analyst at ScratchOffsNY

Alex builds the Smart Score model and analyzes scratch-off data daily using official NY Lottery prize reports and open data APIs. All rankings are based on math, not gut feeling. Learn about our methodology.