Black Pearls — $5 District of Columbia Scratcher #1656
Black Pearls (#1656) is a $5 District of Columbia scratcher launched on April 1, 2026. As of October 14, 2026 it ranks #44 of 59 active games on current payout (69.9%, $3.50 expected back per ticket) and #16 of 19 $5 games, #44 on any-prize odds (1 in 4.07) and #45 on top-prize odds (1 in 146,846). Since launch the payout has fallen 0.5 points (70.5% at launch) and your chance of winning something has risen 2.5% (1 in 4.17 at launch). 1 of 2 top prizes of $50,000 remain, and we estimate 146,846 tickets are still unsold (40.0% sold). That is below average for District of Columbia; the District of Columbia ranking lists show better payouts, including at $5.
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in Black Pearls, 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, 36,081 of 58,689 prizes (61.5%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 1 in 122,367 | 1 in 146,846 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 81,578 | 1 in 146,846 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 30,592 | 1 in 20,978 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.5% |
| $500 | 1 in 7,416 | 1 in 7,729 | 33 | 14 | 19 | 57.6% |
| $200 | 1 in 6,275 | 1 in 5,648 | 39 | 13 | 26 | 66.7% |
| $100 | 1 in 396.7 | 1 in 396.9 | 617 | 247 | 370 | 60.0% |
| $50 | 1 in 120.7 | 1 in 119.5 | 2,028 | 799 | 1,229 | 60.6% |
| $25 | 1 in 89.9 | 1 in 90.6 | 2,722 | 1,101 | 1,621 | 59.6% |
| $20 | 1 in 33.3 | 1 in 32.4 | 7,357 | 2,826 | 4,531 | 61.6% |
| $10 | 1 in 11.4 | 1 in 11.1 | 21,440 | 8,260 | 13,180 | 61.5% |
| $5 | 1 in 10.0 | 1 in 9.73 | 24,440 | 9,344 | 15,096 | 61.8% |
| All prizes | 1 in 4.17 | 1 in 4.07 | 58,689 | 22,608 | 36,081 | 61.5% |
How Black Pearls has moved
Black Pearls: common questions
- How many $50,000 prizes are left in Black Pearls?
- 1 of 2 as of October 14, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 146,846.
- What are the odds of winning anything on Black Pearls?
- 1 in 4.07 as of October 14, 2026, compared with 1 in 4.17 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 4.07, and the odds of winning more than the $5 ticket price are 1 in 7.00.
- Is Black Pearls worth buying?
- Its current payout is 69.9% ($3.50 back per $5 ticket), rank #44 of 59 in District of Columbia. The best $5 alternative as of October 14, 2026 is DC 5 Scratcher (#1661, $5) at 76.3%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many Black Pearls tickets are left?
- We estimate 146,846 of roughly 244,733 printed tickets are unsold (40.0% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did Black Pearls launch and is it still on sale?
- It launched on April 1, 2026. It is still on sale.
Other $5 District of Columbia scratchers
- DC 5 Scratcher — 76.3% payout, 1 in 3.33 any prize
- Washington Commanders — 74.1% payout, 1 in 4.22 any prize
- Boo Koo Bucks — 73.2% payout, 1 in 3.68 any prize
- Money Rush — 71.6% payout, 1 in 5.01 any prize
- Fab 5 — 71.4% payout, 1 in 3.27 any prize