Scratchers games are easy to play and instructions are printed right on the ticket! A Scratchers game is played by scratching a layer away from the ticket to reveal a series of numbers or symbols and their corresponding prizes. Scratchers Here! If you have a winning ticket for which the prize-redemption period expires during the Governor's declared state of emergency, the Lottery will validate and pay the prize as long as you file your claim by mail or in person at a Customer Service Center no later than 30 days after Virginia's state of emergency order has been lifted.
Scratch off cards have come a long way since the 1970s when the first card was released by the Massachusetts lottery. There are now thousands of cards to choose from at lottery retail outlets across the country. You can now also play these games online. States with regulated online casinos and online lottery games give you access to online scratch offs. These add colorful themes and entertaining gameplay to the original idea.
Prizes for scratch offs can be huge. Retail cards with $1 million+ top prizes are available. Online you can win10,000x your buy-in or more in multiple games.
This page has everything you need to get the best from online scratch offs. This includes information on which states offer them via regulated casinos, the most popular games, and how the online games compare to the retail scratch offs we know and love.
Legal online casinos are already available in many states. With regulation and licensing underway, the list of states where you can enjoy online scratch offs is growing. You will find them alongside slots, table games, virtual betting games, and video poker.
The current list of states with online casinos includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia. Some states also have online lottery games – residents of Michigan can access scratch offs via the Michigan lottery website. National and international brands partner with local casinos in the regulated states. They develop apps that can host hundreds of different games. You can enjoy scratch off and novelty games at brands including BetMGM, FanDuel, andSugarHouse casino in New Jersey.
Online scratch games are an ideal way to take advantage of casino bonuses. Real money online casinos in the regulated states offer a mix of no deposit bonuses, matched welcome bonuses, and ‘no lose’ deals based on your first day’s play. While table games and video poker are often excluded from bonus clearing, online scratch offs contribute 100% to your bonus play-through target.
Keep in mind that the ongoing benefits are important. Once you find a casino online that offers the mix of scratch cards, slots, and other games you enjoy – those loyalty rewards and player promotions will make a big difference to your bankroll over time.
Online scratch offs allow for play over multiple ‘rounds’. They have entertaining themes, quirky gameplay and sometimes add elements from ‘gems’ type mobile games or even sports into the mix. The core of these games is the same as retail scratch offs — only with a lot more features.
The examples of online scratch offs below show how diverse these games are. Many of them can be accessed in demo-mode, allowing you to find the games you like best before you commit to playing scratch offs for real money.
This IGT online scratch off is loosely based on mobile gems games. You start by selecting a stake between $1 and $10. A grid then fills with colored blocks. You have 8 ‘turns’ where a block is selected and you are awarded all the matching colored blocks which are joined to the selected one. These can be auto-selected, or you can click each time. To the left of the blocks are the prizes. You collect blocks in groups to fill lines – and can win up to $250,000. Bomb symbols explode to give you all the adjacent blocks. Star symbols supply instant wins.
This online scratch off takes the familiar 3×3 grid idea to a new level. It is based on the Ghostbusters movie franchise. You get five picks to match as many ghosts as possible. The Stay Puft man has the biggest prize of 15,000x your bet. If you find Slimer you get an instant win. Other ghosts have prizes for between two and four of a kind. The animations are amazing for this game, with the different monsters coming to life on the screen. You can pick a location to search or take one at random.
Instead of scratching to reveal pictures, you get to catapult rocks at a medieval castle in this game. Each rock you throw will smash a hole in the walls, revealing gems. These move to the left, where they accumulate in lines triggering prizes. The top prize is 25,000x at $10 per ticket, or 15,000x at $1. There is a bonus game, which is triggered if you reveal a dragon. You get to pick from three piles of treasure, which will give you either more gems or an instant win.
You need to match three symbols to win in this online scratch off from UGT. These symbols include red sevens, stars, bells, and lucky horseshoes. The big win potential comes in when you get three of the logo/badge symbols. This will trigger five free games at the same bet size used for your current card. For those five games, the prizes are tripled. This boosts the top prize (for three diamonds) from 1000x to 3000x. Bet sizes for DoublePlay SuperBet range from 3c up to $50.
You will see a classic Irish redhead on the 3×3 grid of this game. It is a classic scratch off format, where you must match three symbols to win a prize of up to 1000x your bet. Those symbols show classic luck of the Irish symbols. They include a four-leaf clover, leprechaun’s hat, and a pipe. If you are lucky enough to find pots of gold, then you win five free games. These are based on the bet amount of your triggering card, with a multiplier added to each win.
In Greek myths, the Medusa was a hideous creature whose hair was made of snakes. This NextGen online scratch off uses a far more glamorous picture. This game uses the classic nine squares, with prizes awarded for matching three of the symbols. Those symbols include buildings, coins, and warriors. You can click on each square in turn, or auto-play, which reveals them all instantly. Get three logo symbols for five free cards with 3x win multipliers.
Merlin was the wizard involved in the legends of King Arthur. The version used by NextGen for this online scratch off has a friendlier demeanor. This is a classic scratcher game setup, where you need to match three symbols from a grid of nine to win a prize. The top prize (for matching three Merlin symbols) is a generous 1000x your triggering bet. If you match three orbs, you get three free cards, where all of your prizes are doubled.
You will recognize the logo from the famous TV game show, though the gameplay is brand new. There are two main games, and two bonus games to enjoy. You set your bet, then click two rows of prizes. If you match three cash amounts, that is what you win. The second game uses squares with question marks. They show objects with prizes – here you win the ones in gold. If you get three mountain signs in either game, you play a ‘cliff hanger’ bonus game. There is also a wheel spin bonus called ‘Showcase Showdown’ which gives you a shot at winning up to 100x your original prize.
This online scratch off is based on the TV talent show. It shows a row of seven red chairs, with prizes above each. You get seven rounds, with each round seeing between one and four of the chairs turning around. They reveal one or more colored music notes, which line up in rows above the chair. Prizes are triggered when you hit the top of each column. You can also receive instant wins.
There are two phases to this scratch card style game. You spin the iconic Wheel of Fortune wheel to start. This gives you three prizes – one for each predetermined word. You then see a row of cards, which flip to reveal letters. If you complete your word, you win that prize. The designers of this game keep you on edge by making sure one or more words only needs a single letter to complete. There is an additional random bonus wheel round, where your wins can be multiplied.
Many online scratch offs closely resemble the gameplay of their physical counterparts. There are some significant differences, especially when it comes to the complexity of the gameplay and the ability to have extras like bonus rounds or win multipliers.
Here are some of the key reasons to enjoy online scratch offs:
Here are the key advantages of retail scratch offs:
You can’t. The odds are stacked against you. To demonstrate this, we’ve provided a chart below comparing the odds on the highest paying scratch tickets across the US.
State | Lottery Corp. | Ticket | Price | Top Prize | Top Prize Odds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | No lottery | ||||
Alaska | No lottery | ||||
Arizona | Arizona Lottery | $200 Million Cash Explosion | $20 | $2.5 million | 1 in 2,273,203 |
Arkansas | My Arkansas Lottery | Ultimate Millions | $20 | $1 million | 1 in 570,000 |
California | California Lottery | $10,000,000 Bankroll | $30 | $10 million | 1 in 3,000,000 |
Colorado | Colorado Lottery | $3,000,000 Mega Money | $30 | $3 million | 1 in 600,000 |
Connecticut | CT Lottery | Connecticut Millionaires Club | $20 | $2 million | 1 in 912,000 |
Delaware | DE Lottery | Money Frenzy | $25 | $250,000 | 1 in 150,000 |
Florida | FLA Lottery | $15,000,000 Golde Edition | $30 | $15 million | 1 in 6,473,610 |
Georgia | GA Lottery | Super Max the Money | $30 | $10 million | 1 in 4,200,00 |
Hawaii | No lottery | ||||
Idaho | Idaho Lottery | 100x The Cash | $30 | $300,000 | 1 in 167,118 |
Illinois | Illinois Lottery | $2,000,000 Jackpot | $20 | $2 million | 1 in 2,040,000 |
Indiana | Hoosier Lottery | Ultimate Multiplier | $50 | $5 million | 1 in 2,018,460 |
Iowa | IA Lottery | $300,000 Platinum Cash | $30 | $300,000 | 1 in 125,754 |
Kansas | KS Lottery | Premier Cash | $30 | $250,000 | 1 in 103,778 |
Kentucky | KY Lottery | Gold Rush | $30 | $3,000,000 | 1 in 2,400,000 |
Louisiana | Louisiana Lottery | Moneybag Multiplier | $10 | $200,000 | 1 in 404,667 |
Maine | Maine Lottery | $50,000,000 Cash Blowout | $25 | $50 million | 1 in 2,600,000 |
Maryland | MD Lottery | Rose Gold Black | $30 | $2 million | 1 in 1,237,463 |
Massachusetts | Mass Lottery | Supreme Millions | $30 | $15 million | 1 in 7,560,000 |
Michigan | MI Lottery | Royal Millions | $30 | $4 million | 1 in 2,110,772 |
Minnesota | MN Lottery | Mega Crossword | $20 | $300,000 | 1 in 487,216 |
Mississippi | MS Lottery | Mega Ca$h | $20 | $200,000 | 1 in 24,273 |
Missouri | MO Lottery | $3,000,000 Golden Ticket | $30 | $3 million | 1 in 1,610,160 |
Montana | Montana Lottery | Loaded | $30 | $500,000 | 1 in 80,000 |
Nebraska | NE Lottery | Ultimate Bonus Crossword | $20 | $200,000 | 1 in 90,000 |
Nevada | No lottery | ||||
New Hampshire | NH Lottery | Granite State Platinum | $25 | $2 million | 1 in 522,996 |
New Jersey | NJ Lottery | $3,000,000 Ultimate Riches | $25 | $3 million | 1 in 2,904,673 |
New Mexico | NM Lottery | $200,00 Fortune | $10 | $200,000 | 1 in 628,755 |
New York | NY Lottery | $5,000,000 Mega Multiplier | $20 | $5 million | 1 in 4,449,600 |
North Carolina | NC Lottery | $10,000,000 Colossal Cash | $30 | $10 million | 1 in 3,960,000 |
North Dakota | No scratch offs | ||||
Ohio | Ohio Lottery | 40th Anniversary Millions | $30 | $10 million | 1 in 1,585,311 |
Oklahoma | OK Oklahoma Lottery | $250,000 Explosion | $20 | $250,000 | 1 in 881,550 |
Oregon | Oregon Lottery | Diamond Crossword | $10 | $100,000 | 1 in 114,811 |
Pennsylvania | PA Lottery | $3,000,000 Money Millionaire | $10 | $3 million | 1 in 1,200,000 |
Rhode Island | Rhode Island Lottery | $500,000 Payout | $30 | $500,000 | 1 in 86,404 |
South Carolina | South Carolina Education Lottery | $500,000 Jackpot | $10 | $500,000 | 1 in 660,000 |
South Dakota | South Dakota Lottery | 100x The Money | $20 | $400,000 | 1 in 150,000 |
Tennessee | TN Lottery | Gigantic Jumbo Bucks 300X | $30 | $4 million | Not Available |
Texas | TX Lottery | $200 Million Ca$h | $20 | $5 million | 1 in 1,357,585 |
Utah | No lottery | ||||
Vermont | VT Lottery | Mega Bucks | $25 | $60,000 | 1 in 183,000 |
Virginia | VA Lottery | Extreme Millions | $30 | $10 million | 1 in 1,366,523 |
Washington | WA Lottery | Jackpot Fortune | $30 | $2 million | 1 in 905,940 |
West Virginia | WV Lottery | Money Bags | $10 | $5,000 | 1 in 12,000 |
Wisconsin | WI Lottery | Wisconsin Millions | $30 | $1 million | 1 in 160,000 |
Wyoming | No scratch offs |
If you’re playing online, the outcome is controlled by random number generator software, which means you cannot affect your chances. There is no strategy involving betting more after losing or varying your bets in specific ways that will influence how often you win. As with all games, the house edge is a mathematical fact.
You can do this by playing only with money you can afford to lose, making sure you are not showing signs of problem gambling, and finding the games that are entertaining to play — then seeing any wins as an extra.
The concept of instant win games started with Pull-Tabs. All this would change in 1973 when two inventors — John Koza and Daniel Bower — combined forces to create the first modern scratch off games. There was more to this than simply creating a surface to scratch. Math was needed to develop games that had fair returns and to randomize the outcomes for the lottery operators.
Scientific Games was created in 1974 to market the new cards. This company went on to become one of the biggest names in gambling. Their modern brands include Bally, WMS, and Barcrest slots — plus Shuffle Master for devices for casino table games. The first cards were produced for the Massachusetts lottery, though they would soon become hugely popular across multiple states with lottery games.
Cards are now created by lotteries across the country. A new format saw these cards move online in the early 2000s. With online casinos not available in every state in the USA, it is only recent state-level regulation that has seen them become available. You can enjoy game show themed novelty games, plus cards which are closer to the original concept of revealing three matching symbols online.
Reviewing the best online lottery scratchoff sites that are legally licensed to accept USA players.
Since the dawn of mankind, people have found ways to gamble. History shows us that even in ancient civilizations like Egypt and China and Rome, people gambled on a wide variety of games. While our games in 2016 might look a lot better, be more plentiful, and a lot more easily accessible thanks to the Internet, the fact is that we're no different culturally than our ancestors who loved to play games of chance. There's a thrill provided when you're risking money for a shot at winning a lot more money. Gambling deals directly with our base instincts as human beings to have more. We want those millions of dollars. We want to win while gambling.
Legal Betting Online recognizes that gambling is a widespread genre, not only dealing with sports or online casino games. This is why we try to touch on a little bit of everything, even scratch off lottery tickets. Earning billions of dollars in revenue every year, scratch-offs are huge in the United States, and most states allow them. Some only cost a buck and might pay out a few thousand dollars, while some tickets cost $20 or more and can turn you into an instant millionaire. But can you buy online scratchoff lottery tickets legally in the US? Our guide answers all the questions you have and even the ones that you wouldn't think to ask.
In all the gambling topics we have ever covered, scratch off lottery tickets are perhaps the easiest to explain. In essence, these are pieces of paper that have winning or losing number combinations on them. The numbers are covered up by a sort of thick film that must be scratched off. This covering keeps the tickets a mystery, and so people who buy a scratcher don't know if they've won or lost until after they've scratched off the covering, typically using a coin or their fingernail. With online scratch off tickets, the same principle applies. Only you will use your computer's mouse, or finger on a touchscreen, to scratch away the covering.
These tickets are produced typically by states, or at least sanctioned by the state, and they are available in dozens of varieties. You can find tickets for $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, and some tickets might even cost you $50 to try your luck! Your odds of winning depend on the ticket you buy. It should tell you what your chances of winning are; e.g. '1 in 4 tickets win; 1 in 6 tickets win, 1 in 2 tickets win.' This usually also depends on the amount. For instance, if you're paying $20 for a ticket, you'll probably find that 1 in 4 win, whereas a $1 ticket might have odds like 1 in 10 winning. Winning amounts also depend entirely on the ticket itself. Some pay out a few hundred or few thousand dollars, while some have very large jackpots that can reach a million or more.
Is Playing Online Scratch Off Tickets Legal In The US?
Two very quick, very simple points to make here. Point #1: It is perfectly legal, no matter where you live in the US, to play a scratch off lottery ticket and to be eligible to win. No states, nor the federal government, have laws which stop you from purchasing a scratch off ticket where you can find one legally offered. So, yes, they're legal for you to play as a US citizen. Point #2: Not every state offers legal tickets. This doesn't mean they're illegal for you to play if you live in that state; it just means your state doesn't offer them.
To point 2, there are six states in the USA that do not allow legal lotteries like scratch off tickets: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah. One can understand the morality police in Utah not offering scratchers, but what's with Mississippi and Nevada? These states have hundreds of legal on-location casinos. And that's the crux. These states want you supplying revenue to their brick-and-mortar establishments. They don't want you putting money into a lotto machine. Though if you're in Mississippi and go buy you some scratch offs from Louisiana, you're operating perfectly within the law, per point 1.
Betonline is a household name in the sports betting industry. And in early 2015, they started offering their players online scratch card games. They award all new players an amazing 200% bonus up to $5000 free, and have many scratch off games to choose from.
Pros
Cons
Site | Review | Bonus Offer | USA | Visit |
---|---|---|---|---|
Poker Sites | ||||
Read Review | 200% Max $5,000 | Play now | ||
Read Review | 25% Max $3,000 | Play now |
Which Tickets Are Good Options? - Some people believe there are ways by which you can spot a winning ticket before buying it. They believe that winning tickets have thicker ink lines between the perforations. They believe that if you hit a winning ticket on a reel, you must wait until 4 or 5 more tickets go off the reel before getting a winner. They believe they have a system. However, when these tickets are made in the factories, they're completely random. You might purchase a roll of 20 and not hit a single ticket, and the person behind you might buy a roll of 5 and hit on every one. It's all random. If you're looking for a good ticket options, what you're looking for are odds vs. payouts.
For instance, let's say a $1 ticket gives you a 1 in 8 shot of winning, with an average prize of $5. So, this would be hard to profit on. You buy 8 tickets, only win $5, you're out $3. You'd have to be very lucky to hit something like $20 or $50 to come out on top in the long run. A $10 ticket, on the other hand, might give you a 1 in 3 shot at winning, with the average prize being $20. Still not ideal odds in your favor, but a heck of a lot better. Now, a $20 ticket may give you a 1 in 2 shot of winning, with the average prize being $50. These odds are more in your favor. However, these odds are created to entice you to play for more money, so be careful shoveling sawbucks into the machine. Just because the odds are 1 in 2 doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win 50% of the time. And just because the average win is $50 doesn't mean anything in the aggregate. You can win $5, with every 10 $5 winners getting $500, and it's still an average of $50, though meaningless to the 9 who hit $5. You can lose 10 in a row, and since the odds are calculated over millions of tickets made, it's just your bad luck. Your best ticket option will be something that gives you decent odds of hitting a winning ticket without having to spend too much money. This will typically be in the $5-$10 range, but there are simply no guarantees.
Can I Play Scratch Off Tickets Online? -Technology has been consistently improving in the realm of online games, and today's gaming sites do provide a range of options for playing scratch off tickets. Now, that's not to say that every online casino will provide this option. It's still much more of a niche game. Because scratch off tickets are so widespread throughout the nation, with only a handful of states not offering them, the online market for such a game/activity isn't very large. It's not like, say, poker, where only a few states offer this on location. Most people can find scratch off tickets everywhere, and so the demand has never forced the Internet to create a big supply. However, many sites do offer these tickets.
An online scratch off ticket is essentially the same as one you'll purchase at a store. It's digital, of course, but how the game operates is still the same. You will receive a card that has number combinations under a covering. You will remove the covering to reveal the numbers, and then see if you won any sort of prize. Purchasing your tickets online, you should be able to find tickets with different odds, different dollar amounts, and different prize amounts.
Are Scratch Off Tickets Fair? - Now for the million-dollar question, possibly literally: Are scratch off lottery tickets fair? Many reports exist out there about tickets not having enough winners per tickets purchased, and some states like Illinois are actually so dysfunctional that they are not paying lottery winners. By and large, however, most tickets are fair. Most ticket lines do provide winners per their estimated win scale, and most will pay you if you win and the bar code scanned says your ticket is a winner.
Online tickets may operate by different standards. To know if these are fair, it really depends on the website on which you're playing these tickets. For instance, if the casino where you find scratch off tickets isn't reputable and isn't received well, then you shouldn't expect that the tickets are going to be fair. They are probably more tilted in the house's favor so that they can collect more money. Contrarily, an online establishment with a solid reputation for fair play is going to provide you with fair lottery tickets. So it boils down to location and reputation. For a reputable site, it really doesn't make any sense to cheat players. They already make hundreds of millions of dollars per year, and by default lottery games are a guaranteed winner for the house anyways.
How Do I Collect Winnings? - If playing online, everything is instant. Meaning you can instantly scratch off the tickets, and you will instantly get paid when you win. For example if you win $100, your available balance would increase by $100.
Understanding Bonus Terms - It's very important that you understand the terms and conditions of any promotion you take advantage of. For example Betonline offers players an incredible 200% bonus up to $5000. In order to be able to cashout any winnings, you must rollover your deposit + bonus a certain amount of times. This essentially stops any abuse from players who are looking to take advantage of a casino, without genuinely risking their own money.
Pick Your Ticket - Picking your ticket isn't always going to be as simple as putting the money in and selecting which ticket you want. Technically speaking, that's all there is to the process of buying a ticket, but what's more important here is that you purchase a ticket whose odds are more in your favor. You're never going to have quite even-money odds, or the odds in your favor explicitly, but, for instance, a ticket that's 1 in 4 is better than 1 in 8, so choose tickets based on your likelihood of winning. If this means spending $5 instead of $1, it will pay off more in the long run.
Scratch it Off - Okay, this step seems axiomatic, and there's really no reason for us to say anything about it, right? Well, we want to urge some caution here when scratching. If you damage the numbers or the bar code by handling a real ticket too roughly, you may end up having difficulties when cashing it in. So scratch off gently, just hard enough to remove the covering.
Look Carefully at the Rules - Look very, very carefully at the rules. Some tickets don't want you scratching off more than one column or section, and scratching off the entire ticket will render it void. Some tickets have complex rules, like you have to add up all numbers in a row to beat the dealer's (house/card) number, and so you might win while actually thinking you've lost if, for instance, you overlook a number. Again, this is another one that seems axiomatic, but it's always best to exercise caution and to read the fine print so that you understand how the ticket is played.
Legal Betting Online knows just how insanely popular scratch off tickets are, and we know that a lot of our base, even if they primarily play poker or blackjack, also love to play the scratchers. We hope this guide has given you some important information about the genre. Don't forget to check out our casino reviews to find the most reputable sites to buy your tickets!
If you are looking for the regular lottery tickets such as Powerball and Megamillions instead of scratchoffs, check out our Legal US online lottery guide that contains everything you need about where to buy these tickets.