Best $10 Scratch-Off Tickets to Buy

What $10 tickets get you

Ten-dollar scratchers are where things start getting serious. Top prizes usually range from $300K to $2 million or more, and the mid-tier prizes (the ones you actually have a realistic shot at winning) are meaningfully larger than cheaper tickets. We're talking $100-$500 wins instead of $10-$50.

The tradeoff is obvious: you're spending twice as much as a $5 ticket. If you're playing regularly, those extra dollars add up fast. That's exactly why it matters to pick the right $10 game instead of grabbing one randomly.

Are $10 tickets better than $5 tickets?

Not always, and that surprises a lot of people. Higher price doesn't automatically mean better odds or better EV. In fact, some $5 tickets have better expected value than $10 ones in the same state. It depends entirely on the specific game and how many prizes are left.

That said, $10 tickets do tend to have slightly better overall odds on average. They're designed to give you more frequent small wins to keep you playing. The question is whether those frequent small wins make up for the higher ticket cost, and the answer varies game by game.

How to pick the best $10 scratch-offs

Check the top prizes first

At the $10 price point, top prizes are the main draw. If the jackpot prizes are gone, you're basically paying a premium for slightly better small-win odds. Not worth it. Always check that the top prizes are still in play before buying.

Compare EV across all $10 games

Most states have 5-10 active $10 games at any time. The EV spread between the best and worst can be massive. You might find one game returning 82 cents per dollar and another at 58 cents. That's the difference between a decent bet and throwing money away. Always compare before buying.

Watch for end-of-life games

When a state announces a game's last day of sales, it means they're closing it out. Sometimes these games still have unclaimed prizes which can mean good odds. Other times they're shutting it down because the prizes are gone. Check the data before assuming a closing game is a good deal.

Find the best $10 games right now

Scratchy shows you live odds and EV for every $10 game in California, Florida, New York, Texas, Michigan, and more. Filter by price, sort by EV, and you'll see exactly which $10 games are worth your money today.

If $10 feels like too much, check our guide to the best $5 scratch-offs instead. Or learn how lottery odds actually work so you can evaluate any ticket on your own.