Short answer: Expected value (EV) is the average return per ticket if you played that game forever — sum of every prize times its probability. Most scratch-offs have negative EV.
Reviewed by Marcus Chen, Lead Data Scientist · 2026-06-09
This guide is informational, not legal or tax advice. Always verify requirements with the official NY Lottery before submitting a winning ticket.Data sourced from nylottery.ny.gov and NY Open Data. Independent, non-commercial project. Play responsibly — NY Problem Gambling · 1-877-8-HOPENY.