Scratch & 50/50
Which Scratch Tickets Pay Back the Most in Canada?
Compare scratch tickets in Ontario and Quebec by two published numbers: the payout (share of sales paid back as prizes) and the overall odds of winning any prize.
On average, of every $1 spent on $250 Frenzy, about $0.65 comes back as prizes – counted over the whole print run, not for one ticket.
| Game | Price | Payout | Any prize | Matches the lottery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $250 Frenzy OLG | $3 | 65.01% | 1 in 4.11 | yes |
| 7X Multiplier OLG | $3 | 64.93% | 1 in 3.81 | yes |
| Gagnant à vie Loto-Québec | $5 | 63.50% | 1 in 3.48 | yes |
| Pause-café Loto-Québec | $3 | 63.00% | 1 in 3.47 | yes |
| Lucky 7s OLG | $2 | 62.96% | 1 in 3.78 | yes |
| Lucky 7s WCLC | – | – | 1 in 3.83 published | no full prize table |
“Payout” and “1 in N wins” are two different numbers: a prize is often a free ticket or less than the price. See the difference on one ticket
WCLC publishes the overall odds and the big prizes left, but not the full prize table, so its payout cannot be counted here.
Source: olg.ca: $250 FREENZY 2584 Fact Sheet EN.pdf (2026-10-29) · olg.ca: 7X MULTIPLIER 2568 Fact Sheet EN.pdf (2026-10-29) · loteries.assets.lotoquebec.com: gagnant a vie regles loterie fr.pdf (2026-10-29) · loteries.assets.lotoquebec.com: pause cafe regles loteries fr.pdf (2026-10-29) · loteries.assets.lotoquebec.com (2026-10-29) · olg.ca: LUCKY 7s 2594 Fact Sheet EN.pdf (2026-10-29) · wclc.com: prizes remaining 1 (2026-10-29) · wclc.com: 1 lucky 7s 20074 1 (2026-10-29)
How it is calculated
Payout = (sum of every prize × how many are printed) ÷ tickets printed ÷ ticket price.
Chance of any prize = winning tickets ÷ tickets printed, shown as “1 in N”.
$250 Frenzy65.01%
Both assume every ticket is sold and every prize claimed – the way the lotteries print them.
Payout % vs overall odds
Payout %
- Share of all ticket sales paid back as cash prizes
- Counts the whole print run, not one ticket
- OLG leaves out the value of free-ticket prizes
- Theoretical: assumes every ticket sold and every prize claimed
Overall odds
- How often a ticket wins any prize
- Counts a small prize the same as the top prize
- Says nothing about how much a win pays
- Can change as prizes are claimed
How payout is calculated
Payout % = all cash prizes ÷ all ticket sales × 100 (theoretical, full print run)
Example: For example, a payout of 63.0% means that share of all sales comes back as prizes; the rest does not.
Games we counted
| Game | Province | Payout | Overall odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| OLG instant game 2594 | Ontario | 63.0% | 1 in 3.78 |
| OLG instant game 2584 | Ontario | 65.0% | 1 in 4.11 |
| OLG instant game 2568 | Ontario | 64.9% | 1 in 3.81 |
| Pause-café (Loto-Québec) | Quebec | 63.0% | Not compared here |
| Gagnant à vie (Loto-Québec) | Quebec | 63.5% | Not compared here |
Among OLG games, 2584 pays back most but wins least often. OLG: theoretical at launch. Loto-Québec: theoretical return rate. Some prizes may already be claimed.
Higher price, higher payout?
| Province | Lower-priced game | Higher-priced games |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario (OLG) | Game 2594: 63.0% | Games 2584 and 2568: 65.0% and 64.9% |
| Quebec (Loto-Québec) | Pause-café: 63.0% | Gagnant à vie: 63.5% |
In this pack the pricier games pay back slightly more. Every game still pays back less in prizes than it takes in sales.
More on scratch tickets
Payout vs odds
Why a game can win often and still pay back little, with worked examples.
OLG scratch tickets
Odds, payout and top prizes left for Ontario instant games.
Loto-Québec prizes remaining
Which prizes are still unclaimed in Quebec instant games.
Scratch vs lottery draws
How the payback of instant games compares with draw games like Lotto 6/49.
Sources
- Loto-Québec – Gagnant à vie, règles du jeu · checked Oct 29, 2026
- Loto-Québec – Pause-café, règles du jeu · checked Oct 29, 2026
- OLG – $250 Frenzy instant game 2584, player’s guide fact sheet (2026) · checked Oct 29, 2026
- OLG – 7X Multiplier instant game 2568, player’s guide fact sheet (2026) · checked Oct 29, 2026
- OLG – Lucky 7s instant game 2594, player’s guide fact sheet (2026) · checked Oct 29, 2026
- Loto-Québec – Pause-café, données du jeu · checked Oct 29, 2026
Questions
Which scratch tickets pay back the most in Canada?
Among the games we counted, OLG game 2584 has the highest payout at 65.0%. Among the OLG games, game 2594 wins most often at 1 in 3.78. Every game pays back less than it takes in.
Do more expensive scratch tickets pay back more?
In this pack, slightly. The lower-priced OLG game pays 63.0% and the pricier ones 65.0% and 64.9%. In Quebec it is 63.0% against 63.5%.
What do the overall odds printed on a scratch ticket mean?
They show how often a ticket wins any prize, for example 1 in 3.78. Many of those wins are small: the smallest prize often just equals the ticket price. Odds can change as prizes are claimed.
Which scratch tickets have the best odds in Ontario?
Of the OLG games we counted, game 2594 wins most often at 1 in 3.78, and game 2584 has the highest payout at 65.0%. See OLG scratch tickets for more games.