Mega Bucks — $5 North Carolina Scratch-Off #45
Mega Bucks (#45) is a $5 North Carolina scratch-off. As of September 12, 2026 it ranks #37 of 58 active games on current payout (70.5%, $3.53 expected back per ticket) and #3 of 14 $5 games, #33 on any-prize odds (1 in 4.28) and #48 on top-prize odds (1 in 1,801,818). Since launch the payout has risen 1.6 points (68.9% at launch) and the any-prize odds have improved 5.0% (1 in 4.50 at launch). 2 of 5 top prizes of $200,000 remain, and we estimate 3,603,636 tickets are still unsold (50.8% sold). That is below average for North Carolina; the North Carolina ranking lists show better payouts, including at $5.
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in Mega Bucks, 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, 842,954 of 1,625,797 prizes (51.8%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | 1 in 1,463,544 | 1 in 1,801,818 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 40.0% |
| $5,000 | 1 in 487,848 | 1 in 514,805 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 46.7% |
| $1,000 | 1 in 118,028 | 1 in 116,246 | 62 | 31 | 31 | 50.0% |
| $500 | 1 in 38,924 | 1 in 38,749 | 188 | 95 | 93 | 49.5% |
| $200 | 1 in 29,271 | 1 in 28,600 | 250 | 124 | 126 | 50.4% |
| $100 | 1 in 100.2 | 1 in 99.2 | 73,070 | 36,736 | 36,334 | 49.7% |
| $50 | 1 in 125.6 | 1 in 124.0 | 58,267 | 29,197 | 29,070 | 49.9% |
| $30 | 1 in 239.6 | 1 in 233.6 | 30,538 | 15,114 | 15,424 | 50.5% |
| $20 | 1 in 60.0 | 1 in 58.5 | 122,031 | 60,396 | 61,635 | 50.5% |
| $10 | 1 in 10.0 | 1 in 9.56 | 731,707 | 354,809 | 376,898 | 51.5% |
| $5 | 1 in 12.0 | 1 in 11.1 | 609,664 | 286,330 | 323,334 | 53.0% |
| All prizes | 1 in 4.50 | 1 in 4.28 | 1,625,797 | 782,843 | 842,954 | 51.8% |
How Mega Bucks has moved
Mega Bucks: common questions
- How many $200,000 prizes are left in Mega Bucks?
- 2 of 5 as of September 12, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 1,801,818.
- What are the odds of winning anything on Mega Bucks?
- 1 in 4.28 today, compared with 1 in 4.50 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 4.28, and the odds of winning more than the $5 ticket price are 1 in 6.94.
- Is Mega Bucks worth buying?
- Its current payout is 70.5% ($3.53 back per $5 ticket), rank #37 of 58 in North Carolina. The best $5 alternative today is Double Your Money (#10, $5) at 81.1%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many Mega Bucks tickets are left?
- We estimate 3,603,636 of roughly 7,315,968 printed tickets are unsold (50.8% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did Mega Bucks launch and is it still on sale?
- We first saw it on September 7, 2026. It is still on sale.
Other $5 North Carolina scratch-offs
- Double Your Money — 81.1% payout, 1 in 3.85 any prize
- LOTERIA® Fiesta — 73.8% payout, 1 in 3.40 any prize
- $5 MONOPOLY® — 70.5% payout, 1 in 4.13 any prize
- Jungle Cashword — 70.4% payout, 1 in 3.62 any prize
- CASH — 69.6% payout, 1 in 4.18 any prize