Football Squares Payout Calculator
The two numbers that decide a squares pool are the price per square and the share that goes back out as prizes. One hundred squares at $20 is a $2,000 pot; if 60% goes to prizes, $1,200 is paid out and $800 stays with the organiser or the cause. This works out the split for each quarter so you can publish exact figures before you sell a single square — which is the only honest way to sell one.
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Questions people ask
What percentage should go to prizes?
For a social pool, most of it — people are playing to win. For a fundraiser, 40–60% to prizes still feels generous while leaving real money for the cause, and being upfront about the split is what keeps people comfortable.
Should every quarter pay the same?
Weighting the final score higher is the convention, because it keeps everybody watching. A common split is 20/20/20/40.
Do I have to publish the payouts in advance?
You should. A pool that decides prizes after the numbers are drawn invites exactly the argument you do not want at settlement.
What are the most common football squares payout splits?
Four equal quarters (25/25/25/25) is the simplest. 20/20/20/40 weights the final so nobody stops watching. Some pools pay the halftime score twice (Q1 15%, half 30%, Q3 15%, final 40%). On a $10 board of 100 squares with everything going to prizes, 20/20/20/40 pays $200, $200, $200 and $400.
What is a reverse score in football squares?
A reverse payout also pays the square with the two score digits swapped. If a quarter ends 17–24, the 7-4 square wins and so does the 4-7 square, so twice as many people win something. Each quarter's prize is usually split between the two, or the reverse square gets a smaller amount. On ChooseASquare the reverse square is a payout option on Pro Commissioner and Organization, or with a Contest Pass.
Who wins if the score digit pair never comes up?
Every quarter ends on some pair of last digits, so every quarter has exactly one winning square (two with reverse scores). The only question is whether that square was sold — decide in advance whether an unsold winning square rolls the prize to the next quarter or goes to the cause.
Want us to run it for you?
We handle the selling, the collecting, the chasing and the scoring — numbers draw themselves, winners are worked out from the real scoreboard, and everyone can see the board on their phone. You keep 100% of what you raise.
Let us do the maths on a real board