Phil Nageotte
Phil Nageotte is a writer covering scratch-off odds, expected value, prize data, and more. He joined ScratchCheck in 2026 after years of tracking lottery payouts in spreadsheets of his own.
Articles by Phil Nageotte(79)
Four in 10 scratch-off wins only give you your money back
Across every active US scratch-off, 39.6% of printed prizes equal the ticket price exactly. On $1 games it is 49%. What that does to the published odds.
August 26, 2026
Crossword scratch-offs win more often, but pay back less
Across 143 crossword scratch-offs, the format wins more often than other tickets at every price above $2 and returns less money. The trade, priced out.
August 25, 2026
Expensive scratch-offs usually have better payouts than cheap tickets
Scratch-offs run from $1 to $50, and the price is not just the stake. The more a ticket costs, the more of every dollar it returns and the bigger the top prize.
August 23, 2026
We tested the most common lottery superstitions against 2,315 drawings
Lucky numbers, birthday picks and lucky socks, tested against 2,315 Powerball and Mega Millions drawings. One superstition turns out to cost real money.
August 22, 2026
Do licensed scratch-offs like Monopoly and NFL teams pay worse? We reviewed the data
Licensed scratch-offs average 68.6% payout against 70.0% for everything else. Compare them at the same ticket price and that gap disappears entirely.
August 21, 2026
Is it true that you're likelier to be struck by lightning twice than to win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot?
Two lifetime lightning strikes work out at about 1 in 234 million against 1 in 292 million for a Powerball ticket. The claim holds, and the comparison is still rigged.
August 21, 2026
Where a $1 million lottery win goes furthest: every state's tax rate compared
The same $1 million scratch-off win keeps about $630,000 in Texas and closer to $482,000 in New York City. The gap is entirely state and local tax.
August 19, 2026
Which Florida scratch-offs win the most? The answer is about payout, not luck
The Florida scratch-offs that "win the most" are the ones that pay back the most of every dollar. Several return close to 80%, and the $50 tickets lead.
August 16, 2026
There is $2.8 billion in unclaimed scratch-off grand prizes sitting on shelves right now
Across the US, 458 scratch-off games still have a million-dollar top prize unclaimed, worth $2.84 billion combined. Here is where the biggest ones are.
August 15, 2026
Which Tennessee scratch-offs win the most?
The Tennessee scratch-offs that win most often, by overall odds, led by Mega Play Jumbo Bucks Crossword at 1 in 2.57. $3,000 Loaded pairs great odds with the top ValueScore.
August 14, 2026
Scratch-offs, pull-tabs, and Fast Play: the instant lottery games explained
Scratch-offs are not the only way to win instantly. Pull-tabs at the bar and Fast Play tickets from the lottery terminal are close cousins that work in very different ways. Here is how each one plays.
August 13, 2026
The best $10 scratch-off in every state right now
The single best $10 scratch-off in all 44 lottery states, ranked by ValueScore. New Hampshire, Iowa and West Virginia top the list.
August 13, 2026