Mystery Crossword — $10 California Scratcher #1743
Mystery Crossword (#1743) is a $10 California scratcher launched on August 24, 2026. As of September 12, 2026 it ranks #19 of 54 active games on current payout (76.1%, $7.61 expected back per ticket) and #2 of 10 $10 games, #26 on any-prize odds (1 in 3.52) and #23 on top-prize odds (1 in 1,198,907). Since launch the payout has fallen 2.4 points (78.5% at launch) and the any-prize odds have worsened 5.6% (1 in 3.33 at launch). 23 of 25 top prizes of $750,000 remain, and we estimate 27,574,855 tickets are still unsold (7.7% sold). That is a middle-of-the-pack game: fine to play, but the ranking lists show better value at the same price.
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in Mystery Crossword, with the odds printed at launch, the odds today given what is left, and how much of each tier is still unclaimed. Across all tiers, 7,844,694 of 8,653,564 prizes (90.7%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $750,000 | 1 in 1,200,000 | 1 in 1,198,907 | 25 | 2 | 23 | 92.0% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 600,000 | 1 in 586,699 | 50 | 3 | 47 | 94.0% |
| $4,000 | 1 in 394,737 | 1 in 372,633 | 76 | 2 | 74 | 97.4% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 384,615 | 1 in 358,115 | 78 | 1 | 77 | 98.7% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 7,964 | 1 in 7,792 | 3,767 | 228 | 3,539 | 93.9% |
| $400 | 1 in 4,782 | 1 in 4,843 | 6,273 | 579 | 5,694 | 90.8% |
| $200 | 1 in 536.0 | 1 in 543.6 | 56,014 | 5,284 | 50,730 | 90.6% |
| $100 | 1 in 49.0 | 1 in 50.2 | 607,000 | 57,940 | 549,060 | 90.5% |
| $60 | 1 in 100.0 | 1 in 101.2 | 301,280 | 28,676 | 272,604 | 90.5% |
| $40 | 1 in 63.0 | 1 in 63.7 | 479,001 | 45,863 | 433,138 | 90.4% |
| $20 | 1 in 12.0 | 1 in 12.7 | 2,400,000 | 227,084 | 2,172,916 | 90.5% |
| Ticketfree ticket | 1 in 6.00 | 1 in 6.33 | 4,800,000 | 443,208 | 4,356,792 | 90.8% |
| All prizes | 1 in 3.33 | 1 in 3.52 | 8,653,564 | 808,870 | 7,844,694 | 90.7% |
How Mystery Crossword has moved
Recent claims of $1,000 and up
- September 12, 2026: one $750,000 prize was claimed; 23 remain.
- September 12, 2026: one $2,000 prize was claimed; 77 remain.
- September 12, 2026: 20 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 3,539 remain.
- September 11, 2026: one $10,000 prize was claimed; 47 remain.
- September 11, 2026: one $4,000 prize was claimed; 74 remain.
- September 11, 2026: 15 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 3,559 remain.
- September 10, 2026: 24 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 3,574 remain.
- September 9, 2026: one $10,000 prize was claimed; 48 remain.
- September 9, 2026: 37 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 3,598 remain.
Mystery Crossword: common questions
- How many $750,000 prizes are left in Mystery Crossword?
- 23 of 25 as of September 12, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 1,198,907.
- What are the odds of winning anything on Mystery Crossword?
- 1 in 3.52 today, compared with 1 in 3.33 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 7.94, and the odds of winning more than the $10 ticket price are 1 in 7.91.
- Is Mystery Crossword worth buying?
- Its current payout is 76.1% ($7.61 back per $10 ticket), rank #19 of 54 in California. The best $10 alternative today is LOTERIA™ Grande (#1704, $10) at 76.5%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many Mystery Crossword tickets are left?
- We estimate 27,574,855 of roughly 28,800,000 printed tickets are unsold (7.7% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did Mystery Crossword launch and is it still on sale?
- It launched on August 24, 2026. It is still on sale.
Other $10 California scratchers
- LOTERIA™ Grande — 76.5% payout, 1 in 3.66 any prize
- California Jackpot — 74.2% payout, 1 in 3.37 any prize
- $1,000,000 Poker — 74.0% payout, 1 in 3.49 any prize
- $50 or $100 — 73.4% payout, 1 in 8.09 any prize
- Neon Jackpot — 73.4% payout, 1 in 3.52 any prize