West Virginia Holiday Scratch-Offs: What to Buy and What to Skip (October 2026)

Updated October 14, 2026, 00:43 UTC · 4 holiday scratch-offs on sale

West Virginia holiday scratch-offs on sale, best payout first

1. 1 $10

   LUCKY WITCH-LUCKY ELF

   #1268

   69.7% payout now

   EV / ticket

   $6.97

   Any prize

   1 in 5.46

   Beats price

   1 in 5.46

   Top prizes

   6 of 8

   Best payout
2. 2 $5

   MOTHMAN FORTUNE-MERRY LITTLE CRYPTIDS

   #1269

   68.4% payout now

   EV / ticket

   $3.42

   Any prize

   1 in 3.77

   Beats price

   1 in 6.64

   Top prizes

   3 of 4
3. 3 $2

   SALEM-WINTER GREEN SEVENS

   #1270

   64.6% payout now

   EV / ticket

   $1.29

   Any prize

   1 in 4.74

   Beats price

   1 in 6.05

   Top prizes

   2 of 3
4. 4 $1

   PURRFECT CASH - 7 ELVES

   #1271

   62.5% payout now

   EV / ticket

   $0.63

   Any prize

   1 in 4.07

   Beats price

   1 in 6.97

   Top prizes

   31 of 42

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 4 games in a table

West Virginia holiday Scratch-Offs ranked by current payout

# Game	Price	Payout now	EV / ticket	Any-prize odds	Cash odds	Profit odds	Top prize	Top left	7-day
1. LUCKY WITCH-LUCKY ELF #1268	$10	69.7%	$6.97	1 in 5.46	1 in 5.46	1 in 5.46	$5,000	6	—
2. MOTHMAN FORTUNE-MERRY LITTLE CRYPTIDS #1269	$5	68.4%	$3.42	1 in 3.77	1 in 3.77	1 in 6.64	$2,000	3	—
3. SALEM-WINTER GREEN SEVENS #1270	$2	64.6%	$1.29	1 in 4.74	1 in 4.74	1 in 6.05	$7,000	2	—
4. PURRFECT CASH - 7 ELVES #1271	$1	62.5%	$0.63	1 in 4.07	1 in 4.07	1 in 6.97	$100	31	—

Why holiday scratch-offs usually pay less

A holiday range is the most heavily promoted thing a state lottery sells. The tickets are bigger, the artwork is better, and they arrive at the one time of year when people who never buy a scratcher buy one as a gift. None of that changes the arithmetic. The prize pool is printed before the game ships, and the share of each dollar it returns is set at the same time. In West Virginia right now that share is lower than the state's ordinary games: a median 66.5% against 67.7%. Buying the festive ticket costs you about 1.2% of every dollar. The one thing a new holiday game does guarantee is that its top prizes are still unclaimed, which is not true of a game that has been on the shelf since spring.

If you are buying a scratcher as a gift, the useful question is not which game is festive but which is still worth handing over. The payout ranking answers that for every game in West Virginia, and the top prizes still unclaimed list shows which games have their headline prize in play. Both are free and both are recomputed daily.

West Virginia holiday scratch-offs: common questions

How many West Virginia holiday scratch-offs are on sale right now?

4 as of October 14, 2026.

Are holiday scratch-offs a better bet than normal ones?

No. In West Virginia today the holiday games return a median 66.5% against 67.7% across all 41 games on sale. They are marketed harder and pay less.

When do West Virginia holiday scratch-offs go on sale?

West Virginia has released its holiday range in October and November: the games we hold launched between August 25, 2026 and August 25, 2026. This page lists the new range the day the West Virginia Lottery publishes it, because we re-read the official prize data every day.

Can I still claim a holiday scratch-off from last year?

Only while the game is inside its claim window. A game stops selling months before claims close, so check the last claim date on the game's own page.

Do unclaimed holiday prizes carry over?

No. Every game is a fixed pool printed before it ships, and prizes that are never claimed are simply never paid. That is why a game late in its life can look generous on paper: the money is still in the pool, but so are the tickets.

Source: West Virginia Lottery official prize data, captured October 14, 2026. See sources and methodology.