Crossword — $3 New Jersey Scratch-Off #01980
Crossword (#01980) is a $3 New Jersey scratch-off launched on August 11, 2026. As of September 22, 2026 it ranks #56 of 67 active games on current payout (64.3%, $1.93 expected back per ticket) and #3 of 4 $3 games, #59 on any-prize odds (1 in 4.94) and #19 on top-prize odds (1 in 754,608). Since launch the payout has fallen 0.7 points (65.0% at launch) and your chance of winning something has fallen 0.9% (1 in 4.89 at launch). 17 of 20 top prizes of $20,000 remain, and we estimate 12,828,342 tickets are still unsold (8.7% sold). That is below average for New Jersey; the New Jersey ranking lists show better payouts, including at $3.
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. Across all tiers, 2,598,164 of 2,871,544 prizes (90.5%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | 1 in 702,670 | 1 in 754,608 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 85.0% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 638,791 | 1 in 583,106 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 100.0% |
| $500 | 1 in 305,509 | 1 in 298,334 | 46 | 3 | 43 | 93.5% |
| $100 | 1 in 430.5 | 1 in 435.6 | 32,645 | 3,197 | 29,448 | 90.2% |
| $25 | 1 in 33.3 | 1 in 33.7 | 421,589 | 41,483 | 380,106 | 90.2% |
| $10 | 1 in 23.8 | 1 in 24.1 | 590,267 | 58,365 | 531,902 | 90.1% |
| $5 | 1 in 16.7 | 1 in 16.8 | 843,226 | 81,480 | 761,746 | 90.3% |
| FREE $3 TICKETfree ticket | 1 in 14.3 | 1 in 14.3 | 983,729 | 88,849 | 894,880 | 91.0% |
| All prizes | 1 in 4.89 | 1 in 4.94 | 2,871,544 | 273,380 | 2,598,164 | 90.5% |
How Crossword has moved
Recent claims of $1,000 and up
- September 17, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 17 remain.
- September 13, 2026: 2 $20,000 prizes were claimed; 18 remain.
- September 12, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 18 remain.
- September 12, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 19 remain.
- September 11, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 19 remain.
- September 10, 2026: one $20,000 prize was claimed; 19 remain.
Crossword: common questions
- How many $20,000 prizes are left in Crossword?
- 17 of 20 as of September 22, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 754,608.
- What are the odds of winning anything on Crossword?
- 1 in 4.94 today, compared with 1 in 4.89 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 7.54, and the odds of winning more than the $3 ticket price are 1 in 7.53.
- Is Crossword worth buying?
- Its current payout is 64.3% ($1.93 back per $3 ticket), rank #56 of 67 in New Jersey. The best $3 alternative today is Crossword (#01953, $3) at 66.4%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many Crossword tickets are left?
- We estimate 12,828,342 of roughly 14,053,400 printed tickets are unsold (8.7% 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.