Best Scratchies To Buy
Known as scratchies, scratch-its, scratch ‘n’ wins, scratchers and scratch offs, a scratch card offers players the chance of an instant win and the potential for some seriously big prizes.
- Best Scratchers To Buy In Ca
- Best Scratchers To Buy In Missouri
- Best Scratchies To Buy Now
- Best Scratchies To Buy Near Me
Available as physical cards or playable online as virtual games, the odds of winning on a scratch card can be as low as 1 in 2.
In this guide, we take a look at the ways you can play the scratchies in Australia, some stats behind the games and the best odds for cashing in a prize.
Sep 07, 2021 If you want to know the best chances to win anything on your scratch off, the overall odds are the way to go. The overall odds are available from the Mass State Lottery website. If you had spare time, you could collect the overall odds on each game. Create yourself a ranked list. Just make sure to update your list as new games come out. Do you know anything about scratch card games at casinos? Join us to find out what it is and how to play effectively in this article! The head occasionally flips from side to side when in use. Best Bang for the Buck. Extendable Telescopic Bear Claw Metal Back Scratchers, 4 Pack. An unbeatable deal: four telescopic back scratchers, user-friendly design, reasonable reach, low price. Welcome to the Scratch Off Odds Lottery Analyzer for California! Here you'll find an overview of the best (and worst) scratch off tickets. The best tickets to buy typically have a larger percentage of top prizes remaining compared to how many tickets are still in circulation.
Your Invitation to the Best Online Pokies in Australia
Like a punt on the slot machines?
Our top rated slots for October 2019 are the smash-hit online pokie sites: Ruby Fortune and Jackpot City Casino.
These sites include some impressive matched bonuses – up to $750 and $1600 respectively! With the potential for some seriously big wins, here’s your chance to get a piece of the action:
What is a ‘Scratchie’?
A ‘scratchie’ or scratch card is an instant win form of lottery game. Often run by the same operators who provide lottery gaming, they are made from a piece of card with a surface covering the prizes. This allows the game player to scratch off the covering to reveal their win.
Scratchies come in a variety of artwork styles and offer game play from $1 to $20. Image via TheLott.
Originally introduced in America in 1974, the scratch card was first patented in 1987. Despite the global popularity of the game, there are just two main producers of the scratch card; Pollard Banknote and the Scientific Gaming Corporation. The latter was the founding company of the scratchie and has facilities in Australia as well as Europe, North and Central America.
The scratch coating is water-based and solvent free. It was invented by Jerome Greenfield in the 1980s and is still in use today. It replaced the original solvent-based coating which was not very environmentally friendly.
They are a popular form of gambling in Australia mainly because of their widespread availability and instant gratification as well as big potential jackpots. Unlike the lottery where players are required to wait for a draw, a scratch card can easily be picked up from a retailer to reveal an immediate win. Prizes can also be claimed swiftly with smaller wins being redeemed straight from the retailer where the card was purchased.
Larger wins must be redeemed from the scratch card operator by sending the card by (registered!) post. If you do get a jackpot win then it is worth contacting the operator first to ensure that you follow the correct procedure for redeeming your prize.
Traditional scratch cards have a simple premise; scratch away the surface to reveal cash amounts. If you match three then you win that amount.
Most scratchies have odds in the order of 1 in 4 with smaller wins as well as big jackpots. Image via Flickr.
However, the popularity of scratch cards over the last ten years has seen a huge increase in the variety of designs and game play.
Scratch cards now come in a huge range of styles and sizes and different denominations. Popular games include those whose artwork is based around sports, pop culture and classic games. Game play for these kind of scratchies varies accordingly with some cards based around matching symbols, number or values and others linking to games like Monopoly, Scrabble or crosswords.
Scratch Cards: The Odds
The odds of winning a prize on a scratch card varies by game but is generally in the range of 1 in 3 to 1 in 5. Of course, those are the odds of winning any kind of prize with many tickets simply returning the cash stake. The chances of winning a jackpot prize are less likely and more like 1 in a million for big wins.
Every scratch card you buy is required by Australian law to clearly advertise the odds of a win and you can find further details on each operators’ website.
Buying Physical Scratch Cards in Australia
You can buy scratch cards in Australia from Lotto retail outlets. These vary state to state depending on who is running the lottery there.
Physical scratch cards are available to buy at Lotto retailers. Image via TheLott.
Tattersall’s Lotteries
Tatts sells scratch cards in New South Wales the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania. They also run the Golden Casket lottery in Queensland.
Scratch cards (also known as Instant Scratch-Its) are sold for $1.10, $2, $4, $5, $10, $15 and $20 with the potential for wins up to $1 million.
Odds are as follows:
Top Prize | Odds of Jackpot Win |
$10,000 | 1 in 600,000 |
$25,000 | 1 in 1,250,000 |
$50,000 | 1 in 1,000,000 |
$100,000 | 1 in 750,000 |
$100,000 | 1 in 1,700,000 |
$1,000 a week for 5 years | 1 in 1,037,500 |
$250,000 | 1 in 600,000 |
$150,000 | 1 in 390,000 |
$2,500 a week for 5 years | 1 in 694,050 |
$5,000 a week for 5 years | 1 in 800,250 |
$200,000 | 1 in 300,000 |
$1,000,000 | 1 in 630,000 |
You can find your nearest Tattersall’s store using the website’s ‘Find a Store’ service.
With the exception of WA, Tatts runs all of the lottery scratch cards in Oz. Image via ScratcheClub.
South Australian Lotteries
South Austrailain Lotteries operates under a license appointed to the Tattersalls Group. They sell a virtually identical range of Instant Scratch-Its to the main Tattersalls operator with the exception of the $15 Live the Life game.
Lotterywest
The state-owned lottery of Western Australia, Lotterywest also sells a variety of scratch cards, known as Scratch’n’Wins.
Tickets are sold at a price of $1, $2, $3, $5, $10 and $20.
Popular games, odds and prizes include:
Top Prize | Odds of Jackpot Win |
$10,000 | 1 in 600,000 |
$20,000 | 1 in 600,000 |
$50,000 | 1 in 600,000 |
$100,000 | 1 in 450,000 |
$200,000 | 1 in 350,000 |
$300,000 | 1 in 200,000 |
You can find a location to purchase a ticket using the ‘Find a Store’ service.
Other Scratchie Operators
As well as the main lottery operators, scratch cards can also be sold (under state license) by any other organisation and are a popular way for charities to raise money for their organisation.
These kind of scratchies may not offer the same level of jackpot wins that come with the big name Lotto but they do offer similar (or sometimes better) odds of winning. And, if you don’t win, you can feel virtuous that you’ve at least donated some money to a good cause.
Outlets selling these kind of instant win cards varies but are often the same places you buy other scratchies.
Playing Online Scratchies
Just as most traditional forms of gaming are also available online, you can also play virtual versions of the humble scratch card.
Most of the big online casino operators offer online scratchies and game play takes the same form. Pay for a card and follow the instructions to reveal your prize. Winnings are added to your casino account and the odds for each game are published in the terms and conditions.
Online play is covered by the Interactive Gaming Act meaning operators must be licensed in Australia in order to advertsise cash prizes. However, much like offshore casino operators, websites based abroad do accept Australian players.
Here is a selection of some online scratchies casinos which offer a good range of ways to play:
Scratch 2 Cash With over 3 scratch card games to play and a variety of stakes and prizes, Scratch 2 Cash offers a good range of gaming. Licensed in Malta, the site has been running since 2005 and offers Australian players several ways to deposit funds. They also offer slot and arcade games. |
Mansion Casino Operating from Gibraltar, Mansion Casino runs a variety of scratchie games as well as providing traditional table and card games. Founded in 2004, the site is popular and has a responsive site with a good design. |
Platinum Play Casino Operating under license by the Maltese gaming commission, Platinum Play is part of the Fortune Lounge network. They offer a small but solid range of scratchies as well as casino games. |
Casino Mate Founded in 2001, Casino Mate was voted the best online casino in 2017. They have a diverse range of games available with a reputation for great offers, promotions and bonuses. The scratchcard range is varied and offers some good payouts. |
Scratchies in Stats
The Lott has recently produced its annual report detailing the luckiest postcodes in Australia when it comes to big wins.
So, here are the stats for 2017 (net of Western Australia).
Over $9 million in jackpot prizes have been won by a total of 126 people with Queenslanders accounting for the lion’s share; 37 people netting wins of $3.616 million.
New South Wales recorded more individual jackpot wins at 45 but only amounting to $2.502 million.
In Victoria, a total of $1.295 million was scooped over just eight prizes.
All six top prize winners in South Australia hailed from Northern Adelaide with total wins of $275,000.
The luckiest postcodes in Queensland were revealed as follows:
Region | Postcodes |
Brisbane Northern Suburbs | 4017,4018, 4053, 4054 |
Sunshine Coast | 4519, 4551 |
Moreton Bay | 4021, 4506, 4509 |
Toowoomba & Darling Downs | 4350, 4380, 4387, 4390 |
Cairns | 4865, 4868, 4882 |
Logan City | 4114, 4154, 4131 |
Central Queensland | 4680, 4700, 4720 |
The Live the Life range of scratchies are very popular…for obvious reasons. Image via TheLott.
In New South Wales, the fortunate winners were situated in the following areas:
Region | Postcodes |
Central & Northern Sydney | 2035, 2067, 2095, 2099, 2100, 2107, 2112, 2204 |
Hunter & Central Coast | 2259, 2283, 2285, 2296, 2299, 2320, 2324, 2330 |
Illawarra & South East NSW | 2502, 2525, 2527, 2530, 2538, 2576 |
South Western Sydney | 2168, 2170, 2573, 2567 |
Western Sydney & Blue Mountains | 2142, 2756, 2760, 2763 |
The luckiest postcodes in Victoria were:
Region | Postcodes |
Melbourne West | 3016, 3032, 3702, 3337 |
Melbourne North | 3076, 3081, 3757 |
With figures like these, jackpots are being won at a rate of two per week or, with a population of 24.13 million people in the country, 0.00052% per person. The odds are low, but the prizes are high and with stakes starting at just $1, scratchies are here to stay.
Featured image via TheLott.
It's THE most important decision you can make. If you choose the wrong ones, you seriously hurt your chances of winning. Here's how to find the best scratch off tickets to play.
It's NOT:-
- the newest one
- the shiniest one
- or the one the retailer wants to sell you!
It's also not '3 of these, 2 of those, er, one of the crosswordones, and er, how much do I have left..?' (Are you guilty ofthis? When you only went in to buy a loaf of bread..?)
You can throw money away on scratchers. OR you can buythe ones that are most likely to have you walk away with alife changing sum.
Which would you prefer? ;-)
OK, So What Are The Best Scratchers To Buy?
You need to know 2 things:-
[1] Only play the games with 'big enough' prizes.
What is 'big enough'..? That's up to YOU - because enough tobe life changing varies from person to person. For most peoplethis means you should never play the cheapest tickets. Ever.
Why? Because you have to win again, and again, and againto reach that position of a life changing win. Yourodds of winning over and over are far worse thanjust aiming for the right prize in the first place!
[2] Which scratch off tickets have the best odds?
Ticket Price | Best Odds? |
---|---|
Scratchers Best Odds | |
$1-$2 | No |
$5 | Better |
$10-$20 | Best (see below) |
$30-50 | Best (see below) |
There's more to this though - it's not just the best overall odds OR even about the best jackpot odds.
What you really need to know is which ticket is best TODAY.That's because the odds change all the time as tickets are sold, and prizes are won.
And there's more to figuring this out than you might think. There's even a niceformula we can use. (But there's also, potentially, a massive shortcut, whichI'll get to in just a moment!)
You may have already heard the tip to 'only play games withlots of big prizes remaining'?
It's a decent tip. (i.e. don't be that person blindly playing agame where all the big prizes have already gone - this happens a lot!)
But you can do a lot better than this!
Most lottery companies in the US give out some fairly detaileddata on scratchers. It's right there on their websites. Sometimeshidden away, but it is there.
Best Scratchers To Buy In Ca
What we can do with this data is figure out at any given timewhich are the best scratchers to buy today. Not by the odds when thosegames started. But by the odds TODAY. Based on how manytickets have been sold. And how many prizes have been won.Both big AND small prizes.
That's a big deal, because this 'ratio' approach tells you whichgames have most winning tickets left OVERALL. It tells youwhich games have a higher percentage of winners versus losers.
So you simply avoid the games with the worst win ratios, andonly play the ones with the best win ratios. The result - you willbuy more winning tickets.
It takes a little extra effort, but it's worth it.
IMPORTANT: These tips are part of a much bigger series. Make sure you get all of them by entering your email here: how to win at scratch offs (it's totally free, I just got fed up with all the terrible advice out there!)
p.s. the link opens in a new tab/window so you can do it now and not lose your place here. I can wait... ;-)
How To Work Out For Yourself
Which Are The Best Scratchers To Buy
If you like messing around in spreadsheets, you can calculatethis stuff for yourself. (But that super easy shortcut is below ifthis sounds like hard work..! Note: it's only currently available to those in the USA though, sorry.)
Best Scratchers To Buy In Missouri
Firstly you need to find where they keep all the scratchers data.Head for your lottery companies official website, and startdigging. You may find a nice table, but more likely you will needto dig in to the details of each ticket available one at a time.
What you want to do is make up a spreadsheet of all this data.That is, the ticket name, price, number of top prizes, top prizesremaining, number of other prizes and other prizes remaining.
You might also want to store the date the ticket went on sale,and how much the major prize amount is too.
The formula you then want to apply is basically this:-
Best Scratchies To Buy Now
(top prizes remaining / number of top prizes)
divided by
(other prizes remaining / number of other prizes)
This 'ratio' gives you a useful figure to compare games. Thehigher that number is the better.
Best Scratchies To Buy Near Me
It is vital however to keep updating this data regularly. Everyweek is fine. But leaving it a month can turn the best scratch ticketinto one of the worst.
What's The Super Easy Shortcut?
The easy way to do this is to just get Dave's reports. He runs aservice that does all this number crunching for you. And it's aridiculously cheap $20 for a whole year. For that you get a freshup to date report every week specially for your own state.
Even if you only buy 1 scratcher a week it's a no-brainer at thatcrazy cheap price (just don't tell Dave I said that!)
This option is currently only available to players in the USA though. If you're not in the US, all is not lost, you'll just have to put in a little manual effort and DIY it - here's how.
IMPORTANT: To make sure you don't miss any of my scratchers tips, head over here now. Put all of these into place and it can make a serious difference to your chances of scratching a big winner.
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