We built a database that tracks prize data daily from official state lottery websites across 40+ states, and we used it to answer a question the lottery industry never has to answer publicly: when a state ends a scratch-off game, how often are top prizes still unclaimed? After analyzing 8,200+ ended games from 2019–2025, the answer is striking — 60% of all ended games closed before all top prizes were distributed, with an average of 31% of top prizes still outstanding at game closure. Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska have a 100% early-ending rate every single year in our dataset — not one game has ever run to natural completion. Maine went from one of the best states to a 100% offender in just two years. 

The reason isn't incompetence — states end games because top prizes are still available, not despite it. Once the lottery hits its ROI target on a game, paying out the remaining top prizes is pure cost. Full state-by-state rankings and methodology at the link.  https://scratchsmarter.com/scratch-off-games-ended-early-study/