BY PRICE · $5 TIER
Updated daily · across all US lotteries with published remaining-prize data.
TL;DR
Invaders from the Planet Moolah
OH · $5
KINGS
WI · $5 · 1 in 3.7
Slingo® Trio Wild Jacks
MT · $5 · 1 in 3.75
Win Big
OH · $5
Power $500
NE · $5
Santa's Cash Drop
OK · $5 · 1 in 3.12
$500 Cash Crossword
MN · $5 · 1 in 3.47.
Luxury Dollars
MT · $5 · 1 in 3.69
$5 MAINE LOTTERY 50
ME · $5
Merry Money 10X
NM · $5
Rankings are computed from official state lottery remaining-prize data, refreshed daily by our autonomous scanning infrastructure. Expected value per dollar (EV/$) is the probability-weighted average payout per $1 spent, derived from current unclaimed prize counts and estimated outstanding ticket volumes. Games with insufficient data for a valid EV estimate are excluded. Learn more about EV/$ →
Higher price points generally offer larger top prizes and sometimes better overall odds, but a higher ticket price does not guarantee a higher EV/$. What matters is the ratio of remaining high-value prizes to outstanding tickets. Our EV/$ ranking accounts for all of this regardless of price tier.
Based on current remaining-prize data, Invaders from the Planet Moolah (OH) leads all $5 games nationally at — EV/$. This ranking is updated daily as states publish new prize counts.
Our autonomous surveillance system queries official state lottery data feeds daily and recomputes EV/$ for every active game. The rankings you see reflect the most recent data snapshot, typically refreshed before 7 AM ET each morning.
In aggregate, no — lotteries are designed to return roughly 60–70% of revenue in prizes. However, individual games can enter a brief positive-EV window when high-value prizes remain unclaimed and sell-through is advanced. The games ranked above 1.00 EV/$ on this page represent those rare exceptions today.