WIN $250 — $5 New York Scratch-Off #1604
WIN $250 (#1604) is a $5 New York scratch-off launched on March 5, 2024. As of October 25, 2026 it ranks #53 of 109 active games on current payout (67.8%, $3.39 expected back per ticket) and #12 of 29 $5 games, #21 on any-prize odds (1 in 3.48) and #8 on top-prize odds (1 in 736). Since launch the payout has risen 1.7 points (66.0% at launch) and your chance of winning something has risen 25.8% (1 in 4.38 at launch). 492 of 18340 top prizes of $250 remain, and we estimate 362,316 tickets are still unsold (96.0% sold). Its current figures fail our plausibility check (the caution below), so whatever its place in the list, we do not count it among the best New York scratch-offs to buy. A caution on the current figures: the any-prize odds have moved from 1 in 4.38 to 1 in 3.48, further than a game's odds really move. Its prize tiers disagree about how many tickets are left (between 0.25 million and 0.56 million), usually because small prizes are claimed late, and the current odds and payout lean on that disagreement. The printed odds are the safer guide, and our summaries do not name this game the best of anything (how we estimate).
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in WIN $250, 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 York game, see odds by prize size. Across all tiers, 104,135 of 2,087,332 prizes (5.0%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $250 | 1 in 498.1 | 1 in 736.4 | 18,340 | 17,848 | 492 | 2.7% |
| $100 | 1 in 249.6 | 1 in 309.1 | 36,601 | 35,429 | 1,172 | 3.2% |
| $50 | 1 in 100.0 | 1 in 106.4 | 91,347 | 87,943 | 3,404 | 3.7% |
| $20 | 1 in 80.0 | 1 in 90.2 | 114,152 | 110,136 | 4,016 | 3.5% |
| $15 | 1 in 66.6 | 1 in 68.1 | 137,074 | 131,752 | 5,322 | 3.9% |
| $10 | 1 in 10.0 | 1 in 8.68 | 913,440 | 871,711 | 41,729 | 4.6% |
| $5 | 1 in 11.8 | 1 in 7.55 | 776,378 | 728,378 | 48,000 | 6.2% |
| All prizes | 1 in 4.38 | 1 in 3.48 | 2,087,332 | 1,983,197 | 104,135 | 5.0% |
How WIN $250 has moved
WIN $250: common questions
- How many $250 prizes are left in WIN $250?
- 492 of 18340 as of October 25, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 736.
- What are the odds of winning anything on WIN $250?
- 1 in 3.48 as of October 25, 2026, compared with 1 in 4.38 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 3.48, and the odds of winning more than the $5 ticket price are 1 in 6.45.
- Is WIN $250 worth buying?
- Its current payout is 67.8% ($3.39 back per $5 ticket), rank #53 of 109 in New York. That figure fails our plausibility check (see the caution above), so read it as approximate and not as a reason to buy. The best $5 alternative as of October 25, 2026 is NEW YORK MILLIONAIRE (#1651, $5) at 90.0%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many WIN $250 tickets are left?
- We estimate 362,316 of roughly 9,137,969 printed tickets are unsold (96.0% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did WIN $250 launch and is it still on sale?
- It launched on March 5, 2024. It is still on sale.
Other $5 New York scratch-offs
- $1,000,000 GOLD — 93.6% payout, 1 in 7.07 any prize
- NEW YORK MILLIONAIRE — 90.0% payout, 1 in 4.57 any prize
- $500,000 MATCH TO WIN — 80.0% payout, 1 in 2.81 any prize
- 50Xtra — 79.5% payout, 1 in 2.95 any prize
- DOUBLE WIN — 77.8% payout, 1 in 3.04 any prize