9 of Top 10 $20 Games in 2024

By Scientific Games

Published December 17, 2024

Developing a high-performance instant scratch game portfolio takes creativity – and millions of data points to help guide product managers on just the right mix of playstyles and prizes. According to analysts at Scientific Games, the world’s largest lottery games company, the $20 price point has been a relatively stable component of portfolios for the past several years and is second only to the $10 price point in total sales.

Twenty-dollar games represent an important segment of a lottery’s customer base: the high price point player. The company’s research indicates that its high-price-point players are usually more engaged and purchase lottery products across the portfolio.

In fiscal year 2024, $20 games generated $13.6 billion in retail sales for U.S. lotteries, representing 21.4% of total instant game sales.

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“The $20 price point has become increasingly important in the average lottery’s portfolio as our customers gravitate towards higher price points for the enhanced experience they provide,” shared Rob Thompson, Director, Business Intelligence for Scientific Games, who has been analyzing game performance data and consumer data for 15 years.

Thompson’s team took a deep dive into the data to determine which $20 games launched by U.S. lotteries in fiscal year 2024 were the highest performers based on the first 16 weeks of weekly per capita sales.

Nine of the top 10 $20 games were created and produced by Scientific Games with its lottery partners.

1: South Carolina Education Lottery

MILLIONAIRE’S CLUB

Playstyle/theme: Find and key number match game with a money/wealth theme.

Portfolio: This new game was a follow-up to the popular FASTEST ROAD TO $2,000,000, SCEL’s first $20 game that launched in August 2023 and the highest price point in the market.

Features: Three bonus boxes and Premium Metallic Ink, a Strategic Product Enhancement, were added.

Notably: Strategic differentiation between this game and the first $20 game gave highly engaged players a reason to play both games, and the $20 category grew as a result.

“MILLIONAIRE’S CLUB was our second $20 ticket launch. Players enjoyed the no-break-even prize structure, starting with prizes from $40 up to $2,000,000, as well as the three bonus boxes prominently displayed on the front of the ticket. The added premium metallic ink made the silver and red ticket stand out in the dispenser. The $20 price point tickets are the largest [sized] ticket in our portfolio and are supported by their own full-facing dispenser on the counter, allowing players to see the full play value.”

– Ammie Smith, South Carolina Education Lottery Director of Product Development

2: Florida Lottery

GOLD RUSH LEGACY

Playstyle/theme: Key number match game with a precious metals/money theme.

Portfolio: This is a returning game and the first of the popular $20 GOLD RUSH games the Lottery has offered since 2001.

Features: Three bonus boxes.

Notably: Highly recognizable at retail, the Florida Lottery’s premiere GOLD RUSH family of games has enjoyed tremendous success with Florida Lottery players for more than two decades.

“GOLD RUSH was the first $20 Florida Lottery game and quickly became a staple within our Scratch-Off portfolio, accounting for nearly $500 million in first-year sales. GOLD RUSH LEGACY was intended to recreate the excitement felt by players with the first GOLD RUSH by accentuating the low- to mid-tier win frequencies, as well as a life-changing $10,000,000 top prize.”

– Diane Recoy, Florida Lottery Senior Product Manager

3: South Carolina Education Lottery

200x THE CASH

Playstyle/theme: Key number match game with a money/wealth multiplier theme.

Portfolio: This was a new game and SCEL’s third $20 game in the market.

Features: Paired with the opportunity to multiply winnings, Sparkle, a Strategic Product Enhancement, added just the right touch of opulence with a layer of holographic/metallic.

Notably: To differentiate from SCEL’s other two $20 games in the market, this was the Lottery’s first $20 game to use the ever-popular multiplier feature.

“200X THE CASH followed the MILLIONAIRES CLUB game as our third game to hit the market for the $20 price point. This game was part of a family of games that included a $1, $2, $5 and $10 price point. The driver in the success of this game was the multipliers ranging from 50X, 100X and 200X, the highest multiplier our players have experienced. The turquoise color set against the silver Sparkle really made this stand out and complete the family of games for this launch.”

– Ammie Smith, South Carolina Education Lottery Director of Product Development

4: Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

200X THE WIN

Playstyle/theme: Key number match game with a multiplier theme.

Portfolio: Arkansas players look forward to this multiplier family of games launching every March. Performing well at all price points, the family has been a staple in the Lottery’s portfolio since instant games launched in the state.

Features: For extra pop at retail, two Strategic Product Enhancements, Fluorescent Ink and premium Metallic Ink, were added to all games in the family.

Notably: Art is first and foremost. Each year, the Lottery’s art department comes up with refreshing ideas. SG works with the team, leaning into prize structures to add more value and keep the games fun and exciting.

“200X THE WIN was our top-selling game in calendar year 2024. It was the cornerstone of our multiplier family of games that launched in March 2024. Multiplier-themed games continue to be extremely popular with our players. The 200X THE WIN ticket really popped in the market with its bright neon fluorescent pink and gold metallic inks on a black background.”

– Mike Smith, Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Gaming Director

5: Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

$1,000,000 VIP CLUB

Playstyle/theme: Key number match with a wealth theme.

Portfolio: This is a new game with a new playstyle and new artwork, but the Lottery generally does a $1 million top prize for this launch.

Features: Adding auto wins, a 10X multiplier and $500 instant wins – plus Gold Crosslight Sparkle Select, a Strategic Product Enhancement combining brilliant metallics with intriguing holographics – made the game worthy of its name.

Notably: Rich gold shines against the ticket’s dark background, getting players’ attention and with so many ways to win, keeping them engaged.

“$1,000,000 VIP CLUB was our spotlight ticket that launched in November 2023. The original print run had over $42 million in prizes, including three $1,000,000 top prizes. $1,000,000 VIP CLUB was a premium looking gold and black ticket that was printed with Gold Crosslight Sparkle Select ink. This game exceeded our sell-through expectations, which required us to do a partial re-order to avoid a product gap in the market. The re-order added nearly $15 million more in prizes including, a fourth $1,000,000 top prize.”

– Mike Smith, Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Gaming Director

6: New Hampshire Lottery

200X THE CASH

Playstyle/theme: Key number match game with a money theme and multipliers.

Portfolio: This new game was developed to lead the New Hampshire Lottery’s introduction of the full X The Cash family of games in a limited $20 game portfolio.

Features: Sparkle Select was added as a Strategic Product Enhancement to give the game a premium look.

Notably: With a $1 million top prize, this bold green game calls out five levels of multiplier options popular with New Hampshire players.

“A few things made this green gem shine to be the most successful $20 game launched to date, beyond the Sparkle Select Green Crosslight pattern used. Almost 23% of the prize fund was focused on the $100 and $200 prizes, making for loads of meaningful wins. It was also launched a month ahead of our holiday games and filled a gap in our $20 portfolio. It made for a great gift, aligning the initial launch with the holiday season, so really hit the mark from a timing and need perspective.”

– Kelley-Jaye Cleland, New Hampshire Lottery Chief Product & Program Officer

8: Massachusetts Lottery

$10,000,000 CASH BLAST

Playstyle/theme: Key number match game with a money theme.

Portfolio: This new game was the Mass Lottery’s first new $20 game launched in nearly a year.

Features: Two Strategic Product Enhancements, Fluorescent Ink and Foil, and the game’s promising prize structure made it a hit at retail.

Notably: The clean design of this game tested well in focus groups, and the clear, prominently placed callouts excited players.

“With grand prizes of both $10 million and $1 million, and overall odds of winning at better than 1 in 3, the ticket's prize structure gives it tremendous appeal. The ticket’s striking design, featuring bold yellow fluorescents and foil graphics, has added to its allure. In 63 weeks, it has generated more than $126 million in sales.”

– Tom Aiello, Massachusetts Lottery Instant Ticket Product Manager

9: Tennessee Education Lottery

MILLIONAIRE JUMBO BUCKS

Playstyle/theme: Key number match game with a money/wealth theme.

Portfolio: This core game is one of many JUMBO BUCKS branded games enjoyed by Tennessee players since 2010.

Features: With reliable game play and lots of winners, the game is a strong performer.

Notably: JUMBO BUCKS games make up a large percentage of the Lottery’s instant game sales annually.

“MILLIONAIRE JUMBO BUCKS is a tried-and-true favorite among our players. The game has built a solid brand recognition and is a familiar face in our portfolio, promising an easy playstyle and strong return for players.”

– Rebecca Paul, Tennessee Education Lottery President and CEO

10: Georgia Lottery

$100, $200 & $300 CASH OUT

Playstyle/theme: This is a find-style scratcher with a money theme.

Portfolio: The new game was a fresh take on a “blowout” game, only featuring prizes of $100, $200 and $300. An earlier Georgia Lottery blowout game this year with $100 and $200 prizes had players eager to play the new version.

Features: Two Strategic Product Enhancements, LuxShimmer and LuxVelvet, gave the game a premium yet unusual holiday vibe with deep purple and gold.

Notably: Blowout games are popular with Georgia players, and packed with only prizes of $100, $200 and $300, this $20 version filled that need.

“Our $100, $200 & $300 CASH OUT Scratcher was launched during the holiday season and positioned as the perfect gift. Instead of using traditional colors of red and green, we chose hues of purple and gold, enhanced with LuxVelvet and LuxShimmer to give the game a rich appeal. Our players have always appreciated a game loaded with lower top prizes that can be redeemed at retail, and this game offered over $49 million.”

– Gretchen Corbin, Georgia Lottery Corporation President and CEO

SOURCE: Scientific Games MAP data. Ranked by first 16 weeks of weekly per capita sales. Games include U.S. games launched in fiscal year 2024, excluding Mississippi Lottery and any games with holiday themes.