Bits & Odds

Cactus Crossword — $5 Arizona Scratcher #1444

Data captured September 29, 2026 · no longer on sale, claim by February 28, 2027

Cactus Crossword (#1444) was a $5 Arizona scratcher. Its final figures, from September 29, 2026, were 74.4% payout ($3.72 expected back per ticket), 1 in 2.85 for any prize and 1 in 607,160 for the top prize. Since launch the payout has risen 5.5 points (68.8% at launch) and your chance of winning something has risen 20.3% (1 in 3.43 at launch). 2 of 24 top prizes of $50,000 were never claimed, and we estimate 84.9% of its tickets had sold. Cactus Crossword is no longer on sale in Arizona; the figures below are final as of September 29, 2026 and prizes can be claimed until February 28, 2027.

Current payout
74.4%
68.8% at launch
Expected value
$3.72
per $5 ticket
Any-prize odds
1 in 2.85
1 in 3.43 at launch
Cash odds
1 in 2.85
excludes free tickets
Profit odds
1 in 6.53
win more than $5
$600+ odds
1 in 50,597
claim-at-lottery prizes
Top prizes left
2 of 24
$50,000 each
Tickets remaining
15.1%
≈ 1,214,321 tickets

Prizes remaining

Every prize level in Cactus Crossword, with the odds printed at launch, the odds today given what is left, and how much of each tier is still unclaimed. Across all tiers, 425,524 of 2,348,917 prizes (18.1%) are still out there.

PrizeOdds at launchOdds now TotalClaimedRemaining% left
$50,000 1 in 335,870 1 in 607,160 24 22 2 8.3%
$2,500 1 in 60,156 1 in 55,196 134 112 22 16.4%
$100 1 in 602.0 1 in 635.8 13,391 11,481 1,910 14.3%
$50 1 in 257.6 1 in 269.0 31,298 26,783 4,515 14.4%
$40 1 in 150.0 1 in 153.6 53,751 45,845 7,906 14.7%
$25 1 in 60.0 1 in 60.2 134,348 114,187 20,161 15.0%
$20 1 in 30.0 1 in 29.5 268,696 227,518 41,178 15.3%
$10 1 in 12.6 1 in 11.0 638,143 527,890 110,253 17.3%
$5 1 in 6.67 1 in 5.07 1,209,132 969,555 239,577 19.8%
All prizes1 in 3.431 in 2.85 2,348,9171,923,393 425,52418.1%

How Cactus Crossword has moved

2% 39% 76% Feb 2025Jun 2025Sep 2026
Current payout (solid) and any-prize odds (dashed, inverted so up is better) since we began tracking Cactus Crossword. 121 daily readings.

Recent claims of $1,000 and up

Derived from day-to-day changes in the official remaining-prize counts, so the date is when the lottery published the change.

Cactus Crossword: common questions

How many $50,000 prizes are left in Cactus Crossword?
2 of 24 as of September 29, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 607,160.
What are the odds of winning anything on Cactus Crossword?
1 in 2.85 today, compared with 1 in 3.43 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 2.85, and the odds of winning more than the $5 ticket price are 1 in 6.53.
Is Cactus Crossword worth buying?
Its current payout is 74.4% ($3.72 back per $5 ticket), rank #— of 58 in Arizona. The best $5 alternative today is Sizzling Red Hot 7's (#1479, $5) at 81.1%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
How many Cactus Crossword tickets are left?
We estimate 1,214,321 of roughly 8,064,910 printed tickets are unsold (84.9% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
When did Cactus Crossword launch and is it still on sale?
We first saw it on February 15, 2025. Sales have ended; prizes can be claimed until February 28, 2027.

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