Best $20 California Scratchers (October 2026)
As of October 25, 2026, 13 $20 scratchers are on sale in California, averaging 77.6% current payout. The best of them is 100X (#1696) at 79.6% ($15.92 back per ticket, 1 in 3.05 for any prize).
Price is the strongest predictor of payout on a scratcher: across a lottery's games, pricier tickets tend to return a larger share of their price in prizes. In California as of October 25, 2026, $1 games average 68.1%, $2 games average 66.6%, $3 games average 66.9%, $5 games average 70.1%, $10 games average 73.6%, $30 games average 78.0%. That is a tendency, not a rule: within this $20 tier the spread between the best and worst game is 4.5 payout points, which is why the table matters more than the tier.
- 1 $20
100X (#1696)
#169679.6% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.92
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.05
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.10
- Top prizes
- 2 of 6
Best payout - 2 $20
2027
#175379.5% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.90
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.03
- Beats price
- 1 in 4.32
- Top prizes
- 4 of 4
New - 3 $20
Golden State Riches
#173579.1% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.82
- Any prize
- 1 in 2.89
- Beats price
- 1 in 8.90
- Top prizes
- 6 of 7
- 4 $20
Set for Life (#1705)
#170578.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.78
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.61
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.43
- Top prizes
- 5 of 6
- 5 $20
MONOPOLY (#1669)
#166978.6% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.72
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.49
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.23
- Top prizes
- 4 of 6
- 6 $20
Show Me $5,000,000!
#167878.5% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.69
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.33
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.01
- Top prizes
- 2 of 5
- 7 $20
100X The Cash
#172278.4% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.68
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.28
- Beats price
- 1 in 4.93
- Top prizes
- 2 of 6
- 8 $20
$5,000,000 Extreme Cash
#174476.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.38
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.14
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.28
- Top prizes
- 4 of 4
- 9 $20
$100 or $200 Frenzy
#173176.5% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.29
- Any prize
- 1 in 7.89
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.89
- Top prizes
- 227,682 of 467,736
- 10 $20
$100 or $200
#168776.4% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.28
- Any prize
- 1 in 7.90
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.90
- Top prizes
- 61,173 of 424,075
- 11 $20
Cash King
#166475.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.19
- Any prize
- 1 in 2.99
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.97
- Top prizes
- 2 of 6
- 12 $20
Instant Prize Crossword (#1739)
#173975.6% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.11
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.28
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.60
- Top prizes
- 12 of 15
- 13 $20
Red Carpet Riches
#171475.1% payout now- EV / ticket
- $15.02
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.23
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.53
- Top prizes
- 5 of 12
Payout is what the remaining prize pool returns per dollar; profit odds count only prizes larger than the ticket price. Definitions are on the methodology page.
Compare all 13 games in a table
| # Game | Price | Payout now | EV / ticket | Any-prize odds | Cash odds | Profit odds | Top prize | Top left | 7-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 100X | $20 | 79.6% | $15.92 | 1 in 3.05 | 1 in 3.05 | 1 in 6.10 | $5,000,000 | 2 | +0.1 pts |
| 2. 2027 New | $20 | 79.5% | $15.90 | 1 in 3.03 | 1 in 3.03 | 1 in 4.32 | $5,000,000 | 4 | — |
| 3. Golden State Riches | $20 | 79.1% | $15.82 | 1 in 2.89 | 1 in 2.89 | 1 in 8.90 | $5,000,000 | 6 | 0.0 pts |
| 4. Set for Life | $20 | 78.9% | $15.78 | 1 in 3.61 | 1 in 3.61 | 1 in 5.43 | $5,000,000 | 5 | 0.0 pts |
| 5. MONOPOLY | $20 | 78.6% | $15.72 | 1 in 3.49 | 1 in 3.49 | 1 in 5.23 | $5,000,000 | 4 | 0.0 pts |
| 6. Show Me $5,000,000! | $20 | 78.5% | $15.69 | 1 in 3.33 | 1 in 3.33 | 1 in 5.01 | $5,000,000 | 2 | 0.0 pts |
| 7. 100X The Cash | $20 | 78.4% | $15.68 | 1 in 3.28 | 1 in 3.28 | 1 in 4.93 | $5,000,000 | 2 | 0.0 pts |
| 8. $5,000,000 Extreme Cash | $20 | 76.9% | $15.38 | 1 in 3.14 | 1 in 3.14 | 1 in 6.28 | $5,000,000 | 4 | +0.6 pts |
| 9. $100 or $200 Frenzy | $20 | 76.5% | $15.29 | 1 in 7.89 | 1 in 7.89 | 1 in 7.89 | $200 | 227,682 | 0.0 pts |
| 10. $100 or $200 | $20 | 76.4% | $15.28 | 1 in 7.90 | 1 in 7.90 | 1 in 7.90 | $200 | 61,173 | 0.0 pts |
| 11. Cash King | $20 | 75.9% | $15.19 | 1 in 2.99 | 1 in 2.99 | 1 in 5.97 | $5,000,000 | 2 | 0.0 pts |
| 12. Instant Prize Crossword | $20 | 75.6% | $15.11 | 1 in 3.28 | 1 in 3.28 | 1 in 5.60 | $2,000,000 | 12 | -0.4 pts |
| 13. Red Carpet Riches | $20 | 75.1% | $15.02 | 1 in 3.23 | 1 in 3.23 | 1 in 5.53 | $2,000,000 | 5 | -0.1 pts |
Frequently asked questions
- Which $20 California scratcher is best right now?
- 100X (#1696) at 79.6% current payout, about $15.92 back per ticket, as of October 25, 2026.
- Are $20 tickets better value than other prices in California?
- The $20 tier averages 77.6% current payout across 13 active games. For comparison, $1 games average 68.1%, $2 games average 66.6%, $3 games average 66.9%, $5 games average 70.1%, $10 games average 73.6%, $30 games average 78.0%. Higher-priced tickets usually return more per dollar but you win less often per ticket.
- How many $20 games are on sale in California?
- 13 as of October 25, 2026. We only publish a price page when at least three games are active at that price.
- Do these numbers include free-ticket prizes?
- The payout and any-prize odds columns do. The cash-odds column excludes free tickets, and the profit-odds column counts only prizes larger than the $20 ticket price.