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Scratch Off Lottery Games Big Business !
Scratch Off Lottery Games Big Business !
Scratch off lottery tickets are probably the most commonly played lottery games. The first scratch off lottery games were targeted at ‘impulse buyers’ who will sometimes buy a scratch off lottery ticket with other purchases at convenience stores. Unlike mega jackpot games like Powerball and Mega Millions scratch off lotto games offer players significantly better odds of winning a prize. Although the jackpots may not be as big scratch off players can win significant amounts of cash instantly. In June 2010 a Puerto Rican man vacationing in Connecticut won $1 million dollars after purchasing two “$100,000,000 Diamond Mine” scratch off lottery tickets. After taxes he took home a cool $400,000. A Las Vegas resident purchased a $50 scratch off lotto ticket in Texas and won $10 million dollars. The lucky player has won the Texas lottery four times with total winnings of $21 million.
Every scratch off lottery game has its own odds and generally the higher priced scratch off tickets have much better odds in favor of the player than lower priced scratch off games do. Most scratch off lottery games have odds clearly listed on the tickets. In the US most lottery jurisdictions offer various scratch off lottery games with varying ticket prices. Scratch off lotto tickets are available at all lottery retailers. The first scratch off lottery games, called the ‘Instant Game ‘were offered by the Massachusetts lottery in 1974. The game was an instant hit and delivered something no other lottery game could-instant cash. Scratch off games became popular and by the 1980’s 16 states sold scratch off games generating revenues of over $1 billion dollars a year. Typically scratch off lottery tickets are priced at $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, and even higher.
Scratch off lottery games have varied themes including sports, holiday and seasonal themes and many others. In 2009 the classic rock group Aerosmith offered a series of scratch off lottery games with concert tickets and backstage passes as prizes. It is common for players to purchase several scratch off tickets at the same time and use winnings to purchase more tickets. The graphic design of scratch off lottery tickets has spawned a new hobby; lotology or the collecting of lottery tickets. Recently two artists created a series of unique sculptures using recycled scratch off lottery tickets. Because scratch off lottery tickets generate billions for state lotteries they are likely to be with us for some time to come.
Everything about Scratch Card Games
Scratch card games are the most popular version of lottery in the United States. But, what are they exactly? Can you really increase your winning odds?
We all know what a scratch-card is; this is a small, paper card covered with an opaque material, which can be scratched off to reveal the info it’s hiding. Whats this info you ask? Well, there is a reason why these cards are also called “instant lottery”. Basically, if you manage to find three same symbols on a scratch-card, you won the payout of those symbols. In some ways, they are like slot games. Some symbols pay less, some pay millions. With each card, you get a chance of being a millionaire. Or, you know, the chance of scratching another card!
Believe it or not, scratch-cards are fairly new inventions and they all have one producer: Scientific Games Corporation (SGC). In 1974, the company patented the first computer generated lottery game. (In other words, they got a patent for the number/symbol randomization and generation for the scratch-cards.) 13 years later, in 1987, worlds first scratch-card was released by the same company. They became popular almost instantly. The cost per card was low, payouts were high and you had an opportunity to win instantly, whats not to like? Scratch cards are the most popular version of lottery and their popularity continues to grow each year. Here is another interesting fact: if you manage to win millions, they dont pay you “instantly”, but rather over many years. (Always read the small prints.)
There are online scratch card games too, which are available in online casinos. Rules are the same and you really “scratch” them with your mouse, but they pay you with multiplier values, not coins. Each symbol has a multiplier value (for example, x30) and if you manage to find three same symbols, you get paid 30 times total bet. In the long run, online scratch cards are more profitable.
Now, the question you are all waiting for: is it possible to use a strategy to win every time? The short answer is no, dont be silly. But you can increase your chances of winning. First of all, always check the back of the card before scratching. By law, companies must print the winning ratios on these cards. For example, 1: 5 or 1: 20. This means 1 out of every 5 or 20 cards will be a winner. As you can guess, choosing the card with lowest values is the wise strategy. Another thing to remember is to stay away from the really low-cost cards. Yes, they cost almost nothing but when you win, you get almost nothing too. Their winning odds are low too; a one dollar scratch card will pay maximum 25.000 USD and odds for getting this prize is 1 in 1.400.000. On the other hand, a 20 dollar scratch card will pay maximum 200.000 USD but your odds are 1 in 300.000. Also, stay away from the “million” cards. Their maximum payout may be millions of dollars but the possibility of winning the big prize is around 1 in 1,750,000.