New Jersey · $3 tickets
Best $3 New Jersey Scratch-Off Tickets
There are 8 active $3 scratch-off games in the New Jersey Lottery right now. Ranked by expected return — how much, on average, comes back for every $1 spent — the best is LOTERIA at $0.65 per $1. Updated Aug 2, 2026.
Across the 8 $3 New Jersey games with a calculable return, the strongest pays back $0.65 per $1 and the weakest $0.47 — a 18-cent gap on the dollar, averaging $0.57. The biggest prize still in play at this price is $875,200 on Win For Life! (0 still unclaimed).
| # | Game | Price | Return / $1 | Top Prize | Est. Tickets Left | Prize Tiers Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOTERIA#1982 | $3 | $0.65 / $1 | $30,000 | 4,712,547 | 12/12 |
| 2 | LOTERIA#1899 | $3 | $0.63 / $1 | $30,000 | 1,150,637 | 12/12 |
| 3 | LOTERIA#1952 | $3 | $0.61 / $1 | $30,000 | 864,330 | 12/12 |
| 4 | LOTERIA#1858 | $3 | $0.61 / $1 | $30,000 | 916,073 | 11/12 |
| 5 | Crossword#1953 | $3 | $0.58 / $1 | $20,000 | 2,693,021 | 8/8 |
| 6 | Win For Life!#1867 | $3 | $0.52 / $1 | $875,200 | 949,579 | 10/12 |
| 7 | Crossword#1918 | $3 | $0.47 / $1 | $20,000 | 1,047,672 | 8/8 |
| 8 | Crossword#1862 | $3 | $0.47 / $1 | $20,000 | 1,057,285 | 7/8 |
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.