California · $3 tickets
Best $3 California Scratch-Off Tickets
There are 7 active $3 scratch-off games in the California Lottery right now. Ranked by expected return — how much, on average, comes back for every $1 spent — the best is 15X at $0.66 per $1. Updated Oct 31, 2026.
Across the 7 $3 California games with a calculable return, the strongest pays back $0.66 per $1 and the weakest $0.58 — a 7-cent gap on the dollar, averaging $0.62. The biggest prize still in play at this price is $30,000 on 15X (26 still unclaimed).
| # | Game | Price | Return / $1 | Odds to Win | Top Prize | Est. Tickets Left | Prize Tiers Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  15X#1746 | $3 | $0.66 / $1 | 1 in 3.78 | $30,000 | 14,714,840 | 11/11 |
| 2 |  LOTERIA™#1729 | $3 | $0.66 / $1 | 1 in 3.74 | $30,000 | 21,716,007 | 11/11 |
| 3 |  Fireball Bingo#1711 | $3 | $0.64 / $1 | 1 in 3.61 | $20,000 | 13,735,628 | 16/16 |
| 4 | $3 | $0.64 / $1 | 1 in 3.34 | $20,000 | 9,465,821 | 16/16 | |
| 5 |  LOTERIA™#1666 | $3 | $0.61 / $1 | 1 in 3.74 | $30,000 | 5,614,870 | 11/11 |
| 6 |  Bingo Extra#1657 | $3 | $0.58 / $1 | 1 in 3.61 | $20,000 | 3,763,869 | 16/16 |
| 7 |  15X#1684 | $3 | $0.58 / $1 | 1 in 3.78 | $30,000 | 2,509,572 | 11/11 |
Even the best $3 ticket almost always returns less than $1 per $1 played. These rankings tell you which games are less bad, not which are profitable. Play for fun, not for income.