California · $40 tickets
Best $40 California Scratch-Off Tickets
There are 3 active $40 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 40 Years of Play! at $0.86 per $1. Updated Oct 31, 2026.
Across the 3 $40 California games with a calculable return, the strongest pays back $0.86 per $1 and the weakest $0.82 — a 4-cent gap on the dollar, averaging $0.84. The biggest prize still in play at this price is $15,000,000 on 40 Years of Play! (1 still unclaimed).
| # | Game | Price | Return / $1 | Odds to Win | Top Prize | Est. Tickets Left | Prize Tiers Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  40 Years of Play!#1660 | $40 | $0.86 / $1 | 1 in 2.85 | $15,000,000 | 1,993,846 | 10/11 |
| 2 |  Royal Jackpot#1718 | $40 | $0.84 / $1 | 1 in 2.43 | $15,000,000 | 7,890,956 | 11/11 |
| 3 | $40 | $0.82 / $1 | 1 in 2.32 | $1,000,000 | 13,205,266 | 12/12 |
Even the best $40 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.