Best $5 California Scratchers (October 2026)
As of October 25, 2026, 12 $5 scratchers are on sale in California, averaging 70.1% current payout. The best of them is LOTERIA™ Extra! (#1688) at 74.8% ($3.74 back per ticket, 1 in 2.98 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%, $10 games average 73.6%, $20 games average 77.6%, $30 games average 78.0%. That is a tendency, not a rule: within this $5 tier the spread between the best and worst game is 12.9 payout points, which is why the table matters more than the tier.
- 1 $5
LOTERIA™ Extra! (#1688)
#168874.8% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.74
- Any prize
- 1 in 2.98
- Beats price
- 1 in 4.85
- Top prizes
- 3 of 19
Best payout - 2 $5
Poker Nights
#169472.7% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.63
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.30
- Beats price
- 1 in 4.98
- Top prizes
- 3 of 40
- 3 $5
California Dreamin'
#168072.6% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.63
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.93
- Beats price
- 1 in 8.33
- Top prizes
- 5 of 12
- 4 $5
JAWS
#172472.3% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.61
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.66
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.16
- Top prizes
- 9 of 20
- 5 $5
LOTERIA™ Extra! (#1737)
#173770.7% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.54
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.51
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.43
- Top prizes
- 11 of 13
- 6 $5
Full of 500's (#1742)
#174270.6% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.53
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.36
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.06
- Top prizes
- 15,028 of 26,250
- 7 $5
Holiday Delight
#175170.3% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.52
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.77
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.25
- Top prizes
- 10 of 10
New - 8 $5
Poker Multiplier
#174770.0% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.50
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.61
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.30
- Top prizes
- 21 of 25
- 9 $5
Cash Crush
#171269.8% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.49
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.34
- Beats price
- 1 in 4.34
- Top prizes
- 5 of 14
- 10 $5
MEGA Crossword (#1717)
#171768.5% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.42
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.80
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.82
- Top prizes
- 15 of 35
- 11 $5
Red, White & Blue 7's
#173066.7% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.34
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.70
- Beats price
- 1 in 4.70
- Top prizes
- 3 of 18
- 12 $5
SuperLotto Plus® Multiplier
#173361.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.09
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.68
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.17
- Top prizes
- 5 of 13
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 12 games in a table
| # Game | Price | Payout now | EV / ticket | Any-prize odds | Cash odds | Profit odds | Top prize | Top left | 7-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. LOTERIA™ Extra! | $5 | 74.8% | $3.74 | 1 in 2.98 | 1 in 2.98 | 1 in 4.85 | $100,000 | 3 | 0.0 pts |
| 2. Poker Nights | $5 | 72.7% | $3.63 | 1 in 3.30 | 1 in 3.30 | 1 in 4.98 | $75,000 | 3 | +0.2 pts |
| 3. California Dreamin' | $5 | 72.6% | $3.63 | 1 in 3.93 | 1 in 3.93 | 1 in 8.33 | $555,555 | 5 | 0.0 pts |
| 4. JAWS | $5 | 72.3% | $3.61 | 1 in 3.66 | 1 in 3.66 | 1 in 5.16 | $500,000 | 9 | +0.4 pts |
| 5. LOTERIA™ Extra! | $5 | 70.7% | $3.54 | 1 in 3.51 | 1 in 3.51 | 1 in 5.43 | $100,000 | 11 | -0.1 pts |
| 6. Full of 500's | $5 | 70.6% | $3.53 | 1 in 4.36 | 1 in 4.36 | 1 in 6.06 | $500 | 15,028 | 0.0 pts |
| 7. Holiday Delight New | $5 | 70.3% | $3.52 | 1 in 3.77 | 1 in 3.77 | 1 in 5.25 | $250,000 | 10 | — |
| 8. Poker Multiplier | $5 | 70.0% | $3.50 | 1 in 3.61 | 1 in 3.61 | 1 in 5.30 | $75,000 | 21 | +0.2 pts |
| 9. Cash Crush | $5 | 69.8% | $3.49 | 1 in 4.34 | 1 in 4.34 | 1 in 4.34 | $250,000 | 5 | 0.0 pts |
| 10. MEGA Crossword | $5 | 68.5% | $3.42 | 1 in 3.80 | 1 in 3.80 | 1 in 5.82 | $75,000 | 15 | -0.1 pts |
| 11. Red, White & Blue 7's | $5 | 66.7% | $3.34 | 1 in 4.70 | 1 in 4.70 | 1 in 4.70 | $250,000 | 3 | -0.6 pts |
| 12. SuperLotto Plus® Multiplier | $5 | 61.9% | $3.09 | 1 in 3.68 | 1 in 3.68 | 1 in 5.17 | $500,000 | 5 | -0.1 pts |
Frequently asked questions
- Which $5 California scratcher is best right now?
- LOTERIA™ Extra! (#1688) at 74.8% current payout, about $3.74 back per ticket, as of October 25, 2026.
- Are $5 tickets better value than other prices in California?
- The $5 tier averages 70.1% current payout across 12 active games. For comparison, $1 games average 68.1%, $2 games average 66.6%, $3 games average 66.9%, $10 games average 73.6%, $20 games average 77.6%, $30 games average 78.0%. Higher-priced tickets usually return more per dollar but you win less often per ticket.
- How many $5 games are on sale in California?
- 12 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 $5 ticket price.