Crossword — $3 New Jersey Scratch-Off #01980
Crossword (#01980) is a $3 New Jersey scratch-off launched on August 11, 2026. As of October 25, 2026 it ranks #50 of 57 active games on current payout (64.4%, $1.93 expected back per ticket) and #2 of 3 $3 games, #51 on any-prize odds (1 in 4.91) and #13 on top-prize odds (1 in 695,061). Since launch the payout has fallen 0.6 points (65.0% at launch) and your chance of winning something has fallen 0.3% (1 in 4.89 at launch). 16 of 20 top prizes of $20,000 remain, and we estimate 11,120,978 tickets are still unsold (20.9% sold). That is below average for New Jersey; the New Jersey ranking lists show better payouts, including at $3.
Last top prize claimed: October 23, 2026, 2 days ago.
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in Crossword, with the odds printed at launch, the odds today given what is left, and how much of each tier is still unclaimed. To set its odds of $1,000 or more (or any other prize size) against every other New Jersey game, see odds by prize size. Across all tiers, 2,265,572 of 2,871,544 prizes (78.9%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | 1 in 702,670 | 1 in 695,061 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 80.0% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 638,791 | 1 in 617,832 | 22 | 4 | 18 | 81.8% |
| $500 | 1 in 305,509 | 1 in 308,916 | 46 | 10 | 36 | 78.3% |
| $100 | 1 in 430.5 | 1 in 435.9 | 32,645 | 7,135 | 25,510 | 78.1% |
| $25 | 1 in 33.3 | 1 in 33.8 | 421,589 | 92,262 | 329,327 | 78.1% |
| $10 | 1 in 23.8 | 1 in 24.1 | 590,267 | 128,675 | 461,592 | 78.2% |
| $5 | 1 in 16.7 | 1 in 16.8 | 843,226 | 180,417 | 662,809 | 78.6% |
| FREE $3 TICKETfree ticket | 1 in 14.3 | 1 in 14.1 | 983,729 | 197,465 | 786,264 | 79.9% |
| All prizes | 1 in 4.89 | 1 in 4.91 | 2,871,544 | 605,972 | 2,265,572 | 78.9% |
How Crossword has moved
Recent claims of $1,000 and up
- October 23, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 16 remain.
- October 12, 2026: one $5,000 prize was claimed; 18 remain.
- October 1, 2026: one $5,000 prize was claimed; 19 remain.
- September 30, 2026: one $5,000 prize was claimed; 20 remain.
- September 26, 2026: one $5,000 prize was claimed; 21 remain.
- September 17, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 17 remain.
- September 12, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 18 remain.
Crossword: common questions
- How many $20,000 prizes are left in Crossword?
- 16 of 20 as of October 25, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 695,061.
- What are the odds of winning anything on Crossword?
- 1 in 4.91 as of October 25, 2026, compared with 1 in 4.89 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 7.51, and the odds of winning more than the $3 ticket price are 1 in 7.52.
- Is Crossword worth buying?
- Its current payout is 64.4% ($1.93 back per $3 ticket), rank #50 of 57 in New Jersey. The best $3 alternative as of October 25, 2026 is LOTERIA (#01982, $3) at 68.0%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many Crossword tickets are left?
- We estimate 11,120,978 of roughly 14,053,400 printed tickets are unsold (20.9% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did Crossword launch and is it still on sale?
- It launched on August 11, 2026. It is still on sale.