Best $5 North Carolina Scratch-Offs (October 2026)
As of October 25, 2026, 16 $5 scratch-offs are on sale in North Carolina, averaging 69.9% current payout. The best of them is LOTERIA® Fiesta at 75.8% ($3.79 back per ticket, 1 in 3.28 for any prize). Double Your Money tops the list below at 81.0%, but its figures come from prize tiers that disagree about how many of its tickets are left, so we do not lead with it.
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, $1 games average 62.0%, $2 games average 65.6%, $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 $5 tier the spread between the best and worst game is 14.9 payout points, which is why the table matters more than the tier.
- 1 $5
Double Your Money
#1081.0% payout now- EV / ticket
- $4.05
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.85
- Beats price
- 1 in 3.85
- Top prizes
- 0 of 5
Figures uncertain No top prize left - 2 $5
LOTERIA® Fiesta
#275.8% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.79
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.28
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.88
- Top prizes
- 1 of 6
- 3 $5
$5 MONOPOLY®
#2270.3% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.52
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.15
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.73
- Top prizes
- 2 of 5
- 4 $5
Jungle Cashword
#4270.1% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.51
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.63
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.97
- Top prizes
- 2 of 5
- 5 $5
Prize Link Connect
#3769.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.49
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.18
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.52
- Top prizes
- 2 of 4
- 6 $5
Tar Heels®
#5969.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.49
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.15
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.79
- Top prizes
- 2 of 2
New - 7 $5
Loteria Grande
#5269.1% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.45
- Any prize
- 1 in 3.84
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.29
- Top prizes
- 4 of 5
- 8 $5
$500 Frenzy
#3369.0% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.45
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.25
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.82
- Top prizes
- 5,618 of 16,465
- 9 $5
$200,000 Taxes Paid
#5668.9% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.44
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.28
- Beats price
- 1 in 6.89
- Top prizes
- 2 of 3
- 10 $5
- 11 $5
Mega Bucks (#45)
#4568.8% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.44
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.39
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.15
- Top prizes
- 2 of 5
- 12 $5
20X The Cash (#30)
#3068.5% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.43
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.39
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.30
- Top prizes
- 12 of 15
- 13 $5
NC State®
#6068.2% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.41
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.25
- Beats price
- 1 in 5.91
- Top prizes
- 2 of 2
New - 14 $5
Cash King
#2666.8% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.34
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.32
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.49
- Top prizes
- 1 of 4
- 15 $5
Wheel of Fortune
#4866.6% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.33
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.54
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.68
- Top prizes
- 4 of 5
- 16 $5
Diamonds and Dollars
#4166.1% payout now- EV / ticket
- $3.30
- Any prize
- 1 in 4.57
- Beats price
- 1 in 7.26
- Top prizes
- 2 of 4
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 16 games in a table
| # Game | Price | Payout now | EV / ticket | Any-prize odds | Cash odds | Profit odds | Top prize | Top left | 7-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Double Your Money | $5 | 81.0%? | $4.05 | 1 in 3.85 | 1 in 3.85 | 1 in 3.85 | $200,000 | 0 | -0.1 pts |
| 2. LOTERIA® Fiesta | $5 | 75.8% | $3.79 | 1 in 3.28 | 1 in 3.28 | 1 in 5.88 | $150,000 | 1 | -0.5 pts |
| 3. $5 MONOPOLY® | $5 | 70.3% | $3.52 | 1 in 4.15 | 1 in 4.15 | 1 in 6.73 | $200,000 | 2 | -0.1 pts |
| 4. Jungle Cashword | $5 | 70.1% | $3.51 | 1 in 3.63 | 1 in 3.63 | 1 in 5.97 | $150,000 | 2 | -0.2 pts |
| 5. Prize Link Connect | $5 | 69.9% | $3.49 | 1 in 4.18 | 1 in 4.18 | 1 in 6.52 | $200,000 | 2 | -0.1 pts |
| 6. Tar Heels® New | $5 | 69.9% | $3.49 | 1 in 4.15 | 1 in 4.15 | 1 in 5.79 | $200,000 | 2 | +4.0 pts |
| 7. Loteria Grande | $5 | 69.1% | $3.45 | 1 in 3.84 | 1 in 3.84 | 1 in 6.29 | $150,000 | 4 | -0.2 pts |
| 8. $500 Frenzy | $5 | 69.0% | $3.45 | 1 in 4.25 | 1 in 4.25 | 1 in 6.82 | $500 | 5,618 | 0.0 pts |
| 9. $200,000 Taxes Paid | $5 | 68.9% | $3.44 | 1 in 4.28 | 1 in 4.28 | 1 in 6.89 | $277,740 | 2 | -0.5 pts |
| 10. CASH | $5 | 68.8% | $3.44 | 1 in 4.24 | 1 in 4.24 | 1 in 6.38 | $200,000 | 2 | +0.4 pts |
| 11. Mega Bucks | $5 | 68.8% | $3.44 | 1 in 4.39 | 1 in 4.39 | 1 in 7.15 | $200,000 | 2 | -0.2 pts |
| 12. 20X The Cash | $5 | 68.5% | $3.43 | 1 in 4.39 | 1 in 4.39 | 1 in 7.30 | $250,000 | 12 | -0.1 pts |
| 13. NC State® New | $5 | 68.2% | $3.41 | 1 in 4.25 | 1 in 4.25 | 1 in 5.91 | $200,000 | 2 | -0.1 pts |
| 14. Cash King | $5 | 66.8% | $3.34 | 1 in 4.32 | 1 in 4.32 | 1 in 7.49 | $200,000 | 1 | -0.2 pts |
| 15. Wheel of Fortune | $5 | 66.6% | $3.33 | 1 in 4.54 | 1 in 4.54 | 1 in 7.68 | $200,000 | 4 | -0.3 pts |
| 16. Diamonds and Dollars | $5 | 66.1% | $3.30 | 1 in 4.57 | 1 in 4.57 | 1 in 7.26 | $200,000 | 2 | -0.5 pts |
Frequently asked questions
- Which $5 North Carolina scratch-off is best right now?
- LOTERIA® Fiesta (#2) at 75.8% current payout, about $3.79 back per ticket, as of October 25, 2026.
- Are $5 tickets better value than other prices in North Carolina?
- The $5 tier averages 69.9% current payout across 16 active games. For comparison, $1 games average 62.0%, $2 games average 65.6%, $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 $5 games are on sale in North Carolina?
- 16 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 $5 ticket price.