scratchcards are also a lottery based game
When we think about the lottery we usually always go to the weekly draws that have lots of prizes and a progressive jackpot that rises into the millions of dollars until it is won. But the draw lottery is not the only type of lottery run by operators. Scratch tickets are also a lottery game, played much differently but still providing large prizes to be won.
A look at scratch tickets
The lure of scratch tickets is based on the concept of an instant and easier win over traditional lottery tickets. And scratching off a ticket takes more time than a draw does, which increases the anticipation of a win. Many ways are used to make scratch tickets fun. Some use a crossword-type game in which the players must scratch off spaces one at a time to reveal letters and hopefully complete a certain number of words to win a prize. Others have you scratch off spaces under the “dealer’s numbers” type of heading, and then scratch off spaces under a “player’s numbers” type of heading. The goal is to match a certain amount of dealer’s numbers to win a prize. This method can also be used to play poker or blackjack type of scratch games, And others have you scratch off spaces to match a certain number of identical symbols or objects, such as three lemons or three stars.
While sales of scratch tickets do not reach the level of the sales of lottery tickets, they are a successful media that brings in a fair portion of the lottery money. And they are also very popular with a section of the gaming public. Playing scratch tickets takes longer to play as the idea is to scratch off one space at a time, so that the suspense of an anticipated win is built up.
Scratch tickets, unlike the lottery, already have all the winning combinations spread out among each package issued for that gaming period. When the packages are sent out to retailers, there are a limited number of winning tickets coupled with a majority amount of non-winning tickets. On average there are four tickets that have the winning numbers, letters, or symbols to win the top jackpot award. Each subsequent lower prize has more tickets available, so that the lowest prize that can be won has the most tickets available to win.
With this format, the odds of winning the jackpot, or any prize, are set just like a draw lottery which are the same for each game. Unlike the draw lotteries, the odds in the scratch lotteries start to get higher (worse) for the player with each prize that is won. As the prize pool diminishes, it becomes harder to have the chance to buy a winning ticket. When the top prizes are won, or the game stops at the ending date or a certain number of prizes are left, all the scratch tickets for that game are pulled from play, and a new set of tickets are issued for the next game.
The best way to play scratch lotteries is to become friendly with your local retailer and try to find out when the new batches of tickets go on sale, or make those sort of observations every time you visit your retailer. Get your scratch tickets as soon as the new game is placed into play. This gives you the best odds of buying a winning ticket, as all the prizes are available to be won at that point.
So don’t ignore scratch tickets as an alternative lottery purchase. Playing scratch tickets can be just as fun, entertaining, and exciting as regular lotteries can be. And if you are in a hurry to play, you can always scratch off more than one space at a time. But really, what’s the fun in that?
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