Best $1 North Carolina Scratch-Offs (October 2026)
As of October 25, 2026, 3 $1 scratch-offs are on sale in North Carolina, averaging 62.0% current payout. The best of them is Lucky 7s (#40) at 62.5% ($0.63 back per ticket, 1 in 4.60 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 North Carolina as of October 25, 2026, $2 games average 65.6%, $5 games average 69.9%, $10 games average 76.0%, $20 games average 75.2%, $30 games average 77.7%, $50 games average 81.9%. That is a tendency, not a rule: within this $1 tier the spread between the best and worst game is 1.4 payout points, which is why the table matters more than the tier.
- 1 $1
Lucky 7s (#40)
#4062.5% payout now- EV / ticket
- $0.63
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.60
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.64
- Top prizes
- 5 of 8
Best payout - 2 $1
5X The Cash (#28)
#2862.2% payout now- EV / ticket
- $0.62
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.64
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.71
- Top prizes
- 8 of 16
- 3 $1
Hit $50!
#5161.2% payout now- EV / ticket
- $0.61
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.76
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.93
- Top prizes
- 3 of 5
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 3 games in a table
| # Game | Price | Payout now | EV / ticket | Any-prize odds | Cash odds | Profit odds | Top prize | Top left | 7-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lucky 7s | $1 | 62.5% | $0.63 | 1 in 4.60 | 1 in 4.60 | 1 in 7.64 | $7,000 | 5 | -0.2 pts |
| 2. 5X The Cash | $1 | 62.2% | $0.62 | 1 in 4.64 | 1 in 4.64 | 1 in 7.71 | $10,000 | 8 | -0.1 pts |
| 3. Hit $50! | $1 | 61.2% | $0.61 | 1 in 4.76 | 1 in 4.76 | 1 in 7.93 | $5,000 | 3 | -0.4 pts |
Frequently asked questions
- Which $1 North Carolina scratch-off is best right now?
- Lucky 7s (#40) at 62.5% current payout, about $0.63 back per ticket, as of October 25, 2026.
- Are $1 tickets better value than other prices in North Carolina?
- The $1 tier averages 62.0% current payout across 3 active games. For comparison, $2 games average 65.6%, $5 games average 69.9%, $10 games average 76.0%, $20 games average 75.2%, $30 games average 77.7%, $50 games average 81.9%. Higher-priced tickets usually return more per dollar but you win less often per ticket.
- How many $1 games are on sale in North Carolina?
- 3 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 $1 ticket price.