MAX-A-MILLION — $30 North Carolina Scratch-Off #985
MAX-A-MILLION (#985) is a $30 North Carolina scratch-off. As of September 12, 2026 it ranks #6 of 58 active games on current payout (80.2%, $24.05 expected back per ticket) and #1 of 9 $30 games, #1 on any-prize odds (1 in 2.98) and #8 on top-prize odds (1 in 381,530). Since launch the payout has fallen 1.4 points (81.5% at launch) and the any-prize odds have worsened 1.1% (1 in 2.95 at launch). 12 of 25 top prizes of $1,000,000 remain, and we estimate 4,578,361 tickets are still unsold (49.7% sold). That is a middle-of-the-pack game: fine to play, but the ranking lists show better value at the same price.
Current payout
80.2%
81.5% at launch
Expected value
$24.05
per $30 ticket
Any-prize odds
1 in 2.98
1 in 2.95 at launch
Cash odds
1 in 2.98
excludes free tickets
Profit odds
1 in 4.24
win more than $30
$600+ odds
1 in 10,849
claim-at-lottery prizes
Top prizes left
12 of 25
$1,000,000 each
Tickets remaining
50.3%
≈ 4,578,361 tickets
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in MAX-A-MILLION, 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, 1,535,932 of 3,087,051 prizes (49.8%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000,000 | 1 in 363,971 | 1 in 381,530 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 48.0% |
| $100,000 | 1 in 909,927 | 1 in 763,060 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 60.0% |
| $20,000 | 1 in 454,964 | 1 in 416,215 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 55.0% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 227,482 | 1 in 254,353 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 45.0% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 12,036 | 1 in 12,209 | 756 | 381 | 375 | 49.6% |
| $500 | 1 in 1,199 | 1 in 1,224 | 7,586 | 3,847 | 3,739 | 49.3% |
| $300 | 1 in 300.1 | 1 in 306.2 | 30,320 | 15,369 | 14,951 | 49.3% |
| $200 | 1 in 33.3 | 1 in 33.9 | 273,002 | 138,146 | 134,856 | 49.4% |
| $100 | 1 in 40.0 | 1 in 40.7 | 227,427 | 115,010 | 112,417 | 49.4% |
| $60 | 1 in 30.0 | 1 in 30.4 | 303,309 | 152,826 | 150,483 | 49.6% |
| $50 | 1 in 15.0 | 1 in 15.2 | 606,504 | 305,561 | 300,943 | 49.6% |
| $40 | 1 in 12.5 | 1 in 12.7 | 728,042 | 366,250 | 361,792 | 49.7% |
| $30 | 1 in 10.0 | 1 in 10.0 | 910,010 | 453,681 | 456,329 | 50.1% |
| All prizes | 1 in 2.95 | 1 in 2.98 | 3,087,051 | 1,551,119 | 1,535,932 | 49.8% |
How MAX-A-MILLION has moved
Recent claims of $1,000 and up
- September 10, 2026: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 375 remain.
- September 27, 2025: 2 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 528 remain.
- September 23, 2025: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 530 remain.
- September 20, 2025: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 531 remain.
- September 18, 2025: 2 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 532 remain.
- September 16, 2025: 3 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 534 remain.
- September 11, 2025: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 537 remain.
- September 9, 2025: 3 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 538 remain.
- September 6, 2025: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 541 remain.
- September 4, 2025: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 542 remain.
- September 3, 2025: 3 $1,000 prizes were claimed; 543 remain.
- August 30, 2025: one $1,000 prize was claimed; 546 remain.
MAX-A-MILLION: common questions
- How many $1,000,000 prizes are left in MAX-A-MILLION?
- 12 of 25 as of September 12, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 381,530.
- What are the odds of winning anything on MAX-A-MILLION?
- 1 in 2.98 today, compared with 1 in 2.95 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 2.98, and the odds of winning more than the $30 ticket price are 1 in 4.24.
- Is MAX-A-MILLION worth buying?
- Its current payout is 80.2% ($24.05 back per $30 ticket), rank #6 of 58 in North Carolina. The best $30 alternative today is Millionaire Bucks (#952, $30) at 80.0%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many MAX-A-MILLION tickets are left?
- We estimate 4,578,361 of roughly 9,100,100 printed tickets are unsold (49.7% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did MAX-A-MILLION launch and is it still on sale?
- We first saw it on March 4, 2025. It is still on sale.
Other $30 North Carolina scratch-offs
- Millionaire Bucks — 80.0% payout, 1 in 3.03 any prize
- 200X The Cash — 79.9% payout, 1 in 3.08 any prize
- $5,000,000 Ultimate — 78.1% payout, 1 in 3.32 any prize
- Carolina Black Premier — 77.7% payout, 1 in 4.47 any prize
- $100,000 Cash Payday — 77.5% payout, 1 in 3.51 any prize