What is the expected value of Crossword?

As of the latest tracked snapshot, the expected value of Crossword is 62.0%, meaning the average ticket returns about $1.86 in prizes against its $3 cost.

Is Crossword retired?

No, Crossword is still active and being sold by the New Jersey state lottery as of the latest tracked snapshot.

Crossword ($3) - Odds & Remaining Prizes

Scratchstats

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Weak value

ActiveCrossword · $3 · New Jersey Lottery

▼ -3.0 pts vs launch#3 of 3 · $3 NJ gamesUpdated Jun 24, 2026, 12:26 PM

Crossword is a $3 scratch-off ticket from the New Jersey state lottery. Its current expected value is 62.0%, down 3.0 percentage points from the launch value of 65.0%. 6 of the original 20 $20,000 top prizes are still unclaimed. Approximately 67% of the 14.0M printed tickets have been sold.

62.0%

expected return

1 in 4.89

odds of any win

6 of 20

$20K top prizes left

67%

claimed · 9.3M of 14M printed

Odds, in plain terms

If you bought 100 tickets today

Based on the 949,568 winning tickets still unclaimed.

13 win more than $3

$5 – $100, an actual profit

8 win their money back

a $3 prize, so you break even

79 win nothing

the house edge, made visible

Prizes of $500 or more hit about 1 in 150,161 tickets, so they won't show up in a batch of 100.

Value map

Where the $1.86 comes from

The average payback per ticket, split by prize size. Small wins do most of the work.

Small wins $3 – $500

$1.82 · 60.8% of price

Mid prizes $5K – $20K

$0.04 · 1.2% of price

Most of the value pays out as

$3 – $500 wins

949,552 winning tickets remain in this range: 98% of total value, and the wins you'll actually see.

Claim progress

67% of the print run claimed

Counting every ticket since launch, Dec 2025.

14M

tickets printed

9.3M

tickets claimed · 67%

4.7M

still out there

Prizes claimed over time

Claim chart needs more snapshot history

Sales are outpacing the jackpots: worse for buyers.

Jackpots left

30%

Tickets left

33%

30% of top prizes remain with 33% of tickets left to claim them.

Where to buy

New Jersey Lottery

At retailers statewide, or online through Jackpocket. Affiliate link: Scratchstats may earn a commission.

View on New Lottery Buy on Jackpocket

Rank vs $3 NJ peers

#3 of 3

By expected return. Higher is better for the player.

Crossword

62.0%

Figures from New Jersey Lottery published claim data, updated Jun 24, 2026, 12:26 PM.

Scratchstats

Crossword: Weak value. A $3 ticket pays back $1.86 on average.

If you bought 100 tickets today

Where the $1.86 comes from

67% of the print run claimed