Scratch-offs vs. casino games: which actually has worse odds?
Slot machines have a reputation as the fastest way to hand a casino your money. A scratch-off feels harmless next to a slot machine, a couple of dollars at the gas station on the way home.
House edge, game by game
Every game of chance comes down to how much of each dollar goes back to players over time. What's left is the house edge.
| Game | Typical return to players | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack (basic strategy) | ~99% to 99.5% | ~0.5% to 1% |
| American roulette | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| Slot machines, Nevada average | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| Penny slots, Nevada average | 91.1% | 8.9% |
| Scratch-offs, US median | 70.1% | 29.9% |
| Scratch-offs, middle 80% of games | 62% to 78% | 22% to 38% |
The median US scratch-off returns 70.1 cents per dollar as prizes, and most fall between 62 and 78 cents. Nevada casinos kept 7.12% of the more than $150 billion played on their slot machines in the 12 months through June 2026, according to the state Gaming Control Board, so slots there returned about 92.9 cents. None of the 2,452 active US scratch-offs with a published payout reaches 90%, which means even the best-paying ticket in the country returns less than the average Nevada penny slot. The cheap ticket by the register keeps a bigger cut than any casino game in that table.
Why people buy them anyway
House edge has little to do with why anyone picks up a scratch-off. A ticket costs a dollar or five, not a table minimum. You can buy one nearly anywhere, with no trip to a casino and no dealer. And it offers a fixed, printed shot at a big prize you uncover yourself in about ten seconds.
A slot returns more per dollar, but the house takes its cut on every spin, including the winnings a player feeds back in, and a machine can run through hundreds of spins an hour. Over a long session that adds up to much more of a bankroll than the 7% suggests. A scratch-off is one bet, and it's over when you finish scratching, unless you trade the prize for more tickets and put it through the lottery's cut again, as we showed in when to cash out a scratch-off win.
If the only goal is keeping money, no lottery product wins, and we'd say so. Most people buying a ticket are paying a few dollars for a small shot at winning a big jackpot. If that's the trade, spend those dollars near the top of the 62-to-78% range. Our payout rankings and ValueScore™ show which games sit there.
Sources
Nevada Gaming Control Board: Monthly Revenue Report, June 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Do scratch-offs have worse odds than slot machines?
On house edge, yes. The median US scratch-off returns 70.1% of sales as prizes, while Nevada slot machines returned 92.9% of the money played in the 12 months through June 2026. Even Nevada penny slots, at 91.1%, beat every scratch-off.
What casino game has the best odds?
Blackjack played with basic strategy has one of the lowest house edges in a casino, about 0.5% to 1% at standard tables, so it returns 99% or more over time. Tables that pay 6 to 5 on a blackjack take more.
So why play scratch-offs at all?
The math isn't the only thing people are buying. A scratch-off is cheap, sold almost everywhere, has no table minimum, and offers a fixed shot at a big prize. For many players that convenience is the point.
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.
