Iowa · $3 tickets
Best $3 Iowa Scratch-Off Tickets
There are 6 active $3 scratch-off games in the Iowa Lottery right now. Ranked by expected return — how much, on average, comes back for every $1 spent — the best is Crossword Gold at $0.63 per $1. Updated Oct 31, 2026.
Across the 6 $3 Iowa games with a calculable return, the strongest pays back $0.63 per $1 and the weakest $0.55 — a 8-cent gap on the dollar, averaging $0.61. The biggest prize still in play at this price is $30,000 on Crossword Gold (8 still unclaimed).
| # | Game | Price | Return / $1 | Odds to Win | Top Prize | Est. Tickets Left | Prize Tiers Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Crossword Gold#808 | $3 | $0.63 / $1 | 1 in 3.82 | $30,000 | 988,767 | 8/8 |
| 2 |  UNO™#773 | $3 | $0.63 / $1 | 1 in 3.79 | $30,000 | 1,080,860 | 9/9 |
| 3 | $3 | $0.63 / $1 | 1 in 3.52 | $30,000 | 5,314,782 | 8/8 | |
| 4 | $3 | $0.62 / $1 | 1 in 3.82 | $30,000 | 1,400,577 | 8/8 | |
| 5 | $3 | $0.62 / $1 | 1 in 3.51 | $30,000 | 779,253 | 10/10 | |
| 6 |  Unlock It#793 | $3 | $0.55 / $1 | 1 in 3.51 | $3,000 | 1,764,506 | 10/10 |
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.