California · $5 tickets
Best $5 California Scratch-Off Tickets
There are 16 active $5 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 California Dreamin' at $0.76 per $1. Updated Oct 31, 2026.
Across the 16 $5 California games with a calculable return, the strongest pays back $0.76 per $1 and the weakest $0.60 — a 16-cent gap on the dollar, averaging $0.67. The biggest prize still in play at this price is $555,555 on California Dreamin' (5 still unclaimed).
| # | Game | Price | Return / $1 | Odds to Win | Top Prize | Est. Tickets Left | Prize Tiers Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  California Dreamin'#1680 | $5 | $0.76 / $1 | 1 in 3.75 | $555,555 | 3,821,651 | 12/12 |
| 2 | $5 | $0.71 / $1 | 1 in 3.51 | $100,000 | 16,286,737 | 17/17 | |
| 3 |  Holiday Delight#1751 | $5 | $0.70 / $1 | 1 in 3.76 | $250,000 | 11,382,557 | 12/12 |
| 4 |  Tic Tac Toe Bonus#1658 | $5 | $0.70 / $1 | 1 in 3.76 | $250,000 | 9,522,801 | 12/12 |
| 5 |  Poker Multiplier#1747 | $5 | $0.70 / $1 | 1 in 3.62 | $75,000 | 25,781,970 | 11/11 |
| 6 |  JAWS#1724 | $5 | $0.69 / $1 | 1 in 3.81 | $500,000 | 10,394,358 | 12/12 |
| 7 |  Full of 500's#1742 | $5 | $0.69 / $1 | 1 in 4.43 | $500 | 9,865,224 | 8/8 |
| 8 |  MEGA Crossword#1717 | $5 | $0.68 / $1 | 1 in 3.82 | $75,000 | 17,411,740 | 12/12 |
| 9 |  Cash Crush#1712 | $5 | $0.67 / $1 | 1 in 4.53 | $250,000 | 4,423,998 | 11/11 |
| 10 |  Poker Nights#1694 | $5 | $0.66 / $1 | 1 in 3.62 | $75,000 | 6,821,738 | 11/11 |
| 11 | $5 | $0.65 / $1 | 1 in 4.77 | $250,000 | 5,177,644 | 11/11 | |
| 12 | $5 | $0.65 / $1 | 1 in 4.73 | $250,000 | 4,260,670 | 10/10 | |
| 13 | $5 | $0.64 / $1 | 1 in 3.51 | $100,000 | 4,552,923 | 17/17 | |
| 14 |  Full of 500's#1703 | $5 | $0.63 / $1 | 1 in 4.43 | $500 | 1,681,034 | 8/8 |
| 15 |  Feeling Lucky#1685 | $5 | $0.63 / $1 | 1 in 4.77 | $250,000 | 3,183,674 | 10/11 |
| 16 | $5 | $0.60 / $1 | 1 in 3.81 | $500,000 | 8,646,376 | 12/12 |
Even the best $5 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.