Tips for Playing Online Scratch Cards

Scratch cards remain a popular type of lottery gaming, thanks to their ability to deliver instant wins. That’s why we’re going to look at what they are, how to play them, strategies to increase your chances of winning, as well as some alternatives that you can check out. By the end, you should know everything you need to know to become an online scratch card winner.

History of Scratch Cards

Lottery scratch cards have been around since the 1970s in the United States. Before their invention, lottery winners would have to wait about a week to find out if they had won. According to John Koza and Daniel Bower, this was a perceived flaw, which they discovered while working with the Massachusetts Lottery Commission.

Koza was a computer scientist and Bower was a retail promotion specialist. Through their company, Scientific Games Corporation, they introduced the concept of the lottery scratch card in 1974. It was a computer-generated card, prompting players to scratch off a thin layer to reveal hidden numbers and symbols underneath.

When the company started selling the scratch offs, the cards proved to be wildly popular. People would stand in long lines to purchase them. Once the Massachusetts Lottery Commission adopted the cards, they became even more popular. The lottery’s sales doubled, from $1 million weekly to $2.7 million.

Soon enough, other state lotteries began using the scratch-offs. Then, they went global, starting with Europe in the 1980s, and then the rest of the world. Of course, these days we can play online scratch cards simply by accessing them on your phone or laptop.

Understanding Scratch Cards

Scratch cards are lottery tickets that hide numbers and symbols under a scratchable coating. The coating for physical cards is typically made from latex-based or metallic material, and printed on paper or card stock. Digital scratch cards are generated by computers using complex random number generation algorithms and played on computers and mobile devices. The mechanism to reveal the symbols is the same and just like the physical cards only a certain percentage of them will feature winning symbols.

Here are the types of lotto scratch offs you can expect to encounter:

• Traditional scratch cards: These cards have symbols arranged in grids. If they find the winning symbol, they get their prize.
• Match and win scratch cards: These are a little more complex, with players having to scratch sections of the card to reveal matching symbols to win their prize.
• Multiplier scratch cards: These are similar to classic cards, but they have a multiplier feature. When the player reveals the multiplier (a number), their winnings are multiplied by it, boosting them in the process.
• Themed scratch cards: As the name suggests, these custom scratch-offs usually have a theme attached to them, such as football, Halloween, movies, or Christmas. They can be classic, match and win, multiplier, or any other card type.
• Interactive scratch cards: These have an element of gamification to them, where players complete tasks to reveal their prize. Some of them have storylines to make them more fun and engaging. These are usually online scratch cards.
• Progressive jackpot scratch cards: Another type of online scratch card, where the prize continues to grow until someone wins the colossal amount. These cards have a combination of different rules and themes, but the base game usually involves unveiling three or more matching symbols to win.
• Multi-game scratch cards: Classic scratch-offs can be thought of as cards with a single game. With multi-game scratch cards, players have two or more games on the scratch card that they must play to reveal the prize.

Basic Rules of Scratch Card Games

The aim is for players to scratch off the coating using a coin or other object to reveal a winning combination of symbols and numbers. The biggest selling point of scratch cards is the instant results, whether it is a win or a loss. 

Here’s how it works:

• Purchasing: The player, who is of legal gambling age, purchases a scratch card from an authorized and legitimate physical or online retailer.
• Scratching: The player scratches the coating on the card to reveal the numbers and symbols underneath.
• Check the combination: The player then checks to see what combination they have formed.
• Determine if it is a winning combination: The player checks the combination against the predefined winning combinations to see if they have won. Online scratch-offs will remove the guesswork by letting you know immediately if you are a winner.
• Claim prize: If a player has won, they claim their prize. This is usually from the retailer they bought the scratch card from. However, they may sometimes have to go to the lottery organization that provided the ticket for the retailer to sell. Again, online scratch-offs make this simpler by paying out instantly.

Strategies to Ace Scratch Card Gameplay

Although scratch cards are ultimately left to chance, you can still employ a few strategies to help you win.

The first and most important tip is to know which scratch-offs are best for you.

You need to consider purchasing the price, making sure it is within your budget. However, you should understand that different-priced cards have different prize structures. 

When purchasing what is the best scratch card for you, make sure the retailer is reputable and legitimate. And always check the expiration date to ensure the card doesn’t expire on you. If you are playing online you will be able to easily see if you are playing with a legal casino.

Then, you should look into the rules of the game, making sure the complexity matches your level of preference. Don’t pick a complex game unless you’re willing to put in the time to understand it, as it will significantly lower your chances of winning if you don’t .

You should also research the odds of winning, as not all scratch cards have the same winning probabilities. Pick the cards that give you the best chance to win. Information on the odds can be found with the retailer. Set your expectations realistically, keeping in mind that cards with bigger prizes will cost more and probably have lower odds of winning.

Also, check recent winners for the game you’re about to play. Looking at how many people have scratched and won in the past can give you a good idea of your odds.

Common Myths and Misconceptions

Some things can work against your chances of winning when playing scratch cards. One of them is believing some common myths and misconceptions surrounding them. Here are the most common ones:

• Certain retailers sell winning cards: No one retailer is luckier than the other. These scratching cards are randomly distributed. That means you’ll have the same odds of winning no matter where you buy them. That goes for online casinos as well!
• Newly-released cards have higher odds: All scratch cards of the same type have the same odds of winning, whether new or old.
• Playing the same scratch cards increases the odds of winning: The winning card is a product of randomness. There’s no relationship between the cards.
• There’s a pattern: There are no patterns in lotto scratch cards. The numbers and symbols are printed on the cards randomly.
• Scratch cards are rigged: Cards purchased at a reputable and legitimate retailer aren’t rigged. These retailers answer to regulatory authorities that ensure fairness. Online scratch-offs have to follow their own set of rules which ensures that these cards pay out correctly and are just as fair as their physical counterparts.
• Scratch cards have a winning streak: If you win once, it does not positively affect the chances of winning on the next scratcher you purchase.
• Expensive tickets have higher odds: Usually, the more expensive a scratch card is, the lower the odds of winning. 

Where to Find and Play Scratch Cards

Many physical stores sell scratch cards, including grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, supermarkets, and gas stations. Some stores are specialized lottery retailers that sell a variety of lottery tickets and cards. There are also online platforms, such as casinos and bingo rooms, that sell online scratch cards. Scratchful is probably the most famous example of a social casino with a focus on online scratch cards.

Before you purchase scratch cards, you have to be of legal gambling age. This varies depending on your geographical location. In the US, you have to be at least 21 years old, while in many parts of the world, you have to be 18 years old and above.

You should only purchase cards from authorized retailers. These retailers are licensed and regulated to ensure they meet a variety of standards. These include fairness, responsible gambling practices, and consumer protection laws.

Scratch Card Alternatives

If you want to try similar games to scratching cards, there are several that you can check out. We’ll cover a few popular examples bellow:

• Pull-tab tickets: These are similar to scratchcards, only that you reveal the numbers or symbols by pulling a tab instead of scratching.
• Dice games: The concept is simple: Dice are rolled, and if the player guessed the outcome correctly, they win an instant prize.
• Instant bingo: These are pre-printed bingo tickets. When purchased, players check their numbers against predetermined outcomes to see if they won.
• Quick draw games: In these games, you pick a series of numbers and instantly find out if they match the numbers that are drawn.
• Virtual sports betting: You bet on virtual sports games, which are computerized and random, and find out the results instantly.

FAQs about Scratch Card Gameplay