What Is the Best Way to Gamble with Scratch-Off Tickets?

Everyone’s tried it at least once. You’re in the convenience store, and you see someone else buying a fistful of greyish paper tickets, and you decide, “Why not?” and buy five scratch-off tickets for yourself.

You’re probably already scratching them off as you walk out to your car—if you even made it out of the store before you found a penny and started using it to reveal the hidden win symbols on the scratch card.

Maybe you won a dollar; maybe you won $20, or perhaps you won nothing. It was a few moments of excitement and possibility, but should you play online scratch off games?

The truth is, whether you buy them online or down at the convenience store, smoke shop, or bodega—scratch cards are one of the most convenient and quick ways to get your gamble on.

Speaking of getting your gamble on—if you’re already champing at the bit to try online scratch cards, visit the best real online scratch offs that feature scratch card games.

But if you’re still on the fence about if you should you play online scratch off games or in-person scratch-offs, stick with me while we take a close look at both.

In the real world, scratch-off tickets are specially printed cards with symbols or dollar values that are covered with special ink. Various matching combinations of symbols or dollar values result in the ticket being a winner.

The object is to use the edge of a coin for scratching off the special ink on the card, revealing the symbols. Typically, three matching symbols result in winning a prize.

Many states run their own lotteries. Along with weekly and sometimes even hourly lottery drawings, some states will often print scratch cards that can be purchased (and redeemed) at various retail locations (convenience stores, bodegas, bars, etc.).

And some scratchers can be pretty sophisticated.

For instance, rather than the standard six or eight symbol cards, some cards offered by state lotteries have the players scratching off entire bingo cards filled with numbers or symbols.

Any win larger than that requires a “winning claim form” to be submitted via mail, and (according to California’s state lottery website) it takes between 12 and 14 weeks to receive your winnings.

Prizes for state-run scratch cards can run into millions of dollars. For example, California’s 200X scratch card costs a whopping $30 but offers a chance to win $10 million.

However, most state-run scratch card programs don’t offer nearly that much as a top prize. Most of California’s $1 scratch-off tickets cap out at $5,000.

You’re still debating if should you play scratch off online games, but, obviously, you won’t be physically removing a layer of ink from your online scratch cards.

Instead, you’ll click a buy or bet button (after selecting the denomination you wish to bet). But that’s the only drawback to the online experience—if you consider it a drawback.

Incidentally, the RTP (Return to Player) for most online scratch cards is in the 65% to 70% range, making it similar to electronic keno in that regard.

For instance, the RTP of the popular Sky Patriot scratch card is 67.29%, while that of the Journey of Ra scratch card is 70.12%.

So, should you play online scratch off games? By now, the answer should be obvious. But just in case it isn’t, let’s step through the advantages.

While state lotteries offer huge mega prizes, state-run scratch card programs are an entirely different kettle of fish, offering much lower rewards and far less frequency.

And what’s more, these awards are accessible. As in “in your account and spendable.” And not in 12-14 weeks after mailing in a form. Right now.

When you choose your online casino, you will invariably be offered a sign-up bonus that can easily be worth two to five times your initial deposit. And to earn that sign-up bonus, casinos want you to play there. Fair enough.

So, you’ll be happy to know that everything you wager on scratch-off tickets typically goes toward earning your bonus. And even if you’ve already taken advantage of their sign-up bonus, most also feature “reload” bonuses to keep you loyal.

Something the state lotteries push but the online scratch card designers do not is complexity.

And if you simply enjoy the complexity or just the scratching of stuff off a piece of paper, then go with the state. But if you intend to win money, stick with the online scratch cards.

You can use your cursor to uncover each symbol or click a single button (commonly labeled “reveal all”) to get an immediate look at how you fared.

Scratch-off tickets are among the easiest games to understand. You won’t need math skills or psychology lessons, and there’s no need to learn arcane vernacular to play.

You do know how to scratch, right?

You can play most online scratch-off games for as little as a single penny, and the top payouts are usually in the range of 10,000 x your wager.

Unlike some slot games poorly ported over to the mobile platform, scratch-off games work well on the small screen, almost as though they were invented for it. And that’s because they were.

Incidentally, we’ve compiled a list of the best real money scratch-off apps.

Like paper scratch-off tickets from the convenience store, online scratch-off games offer fixed rewards and progressive prizes—and both can be just as life-changing.

In fact, online scratch cards are even more convenient since you don’t even have to leave the house to play online.

Unlike the few choices you have at the local bodega, online scratch cards come in various themes, rewards, and play types.

BetOnline, for instance, features more than a dozen different scratch card games, some of which offer 12,000 x your bet, and most offer scratch cards that could reward you with free plays.

Okay, maybe it’s not official, but I think we’ve solved the mystery of online scratch offs vs. in person scratch offs.

Everything—from the background music to the sound effects and animation of the scratch-off cursor as it busies itself, uncovering your possible winning combinations—keeps you trying for that big win.

Whether you’re new to the online gaming world or have been gambling online for the past two decades, you’ll find something you’ll like at best online casinos.

Good luck!