ScratchCheck Blog
Analysis, strategy, and stories from the editorial team.
Latest articles
Minnesota's new holiday scratch-offs include a $10 ticket that only pays $50 or $100
The Minnesota Lottery added four holiday scratch-offs and a $3 crossword this week, including a $10 Holiday Blowout where every prize is $50 or $100 and the overall odds are 1 in 9.92.
by Jessie Jurado
A $500,000 a Year for Life ticket sold in New Brighton, Pennsylvania is the game's second top prize in a week
A $20 $500,000 a Year for Life scratch-off sold at a Speedway in New Brighton, Beaver County, hit the top prize, a week after a Pittsburgh store sold another one.
by Jessie Jurado
Which Pennsylvania scratch-offs win the most?
Merry Money Match returns 82.5% of sales, the most of any Pennsylvania scratch-off, and the state pays back more than the national average at nearly every price.
by Phil Nageotte
A $2 million "100Xtra" scratcher sold in East Ellijay, Georgia
A $20 100Xtra scratcher sold at a Valero in East Ellijay paid a $2 million top prize, the latest in a run of big Georgia scratch-off wins since August.
by Jessie Jurado
Kansas Lottery's holiday scratch-offs are out, led by a $10 Merry Multiplier 50X
The Kansas Lottery launched four holiday scratch-offs on October 4, from a $1 Just A Buck to a $10 Merry Multiplier 50X with four $75,000 top prizes, plus a $3 Word Blast Series.
by Jessie Jurado
Louisiana's $20 scratch-offs have more than doubled in sales since 2023
Louisiana players spent more on $20 scratch-offs than any other price in fiscal 2026, even with just three $20 launches. Overall scratch-off sales barely moved, and the lottery sent $194 million to the state.
by Phil Nageotte
Which New York scratch-offs have the most prize money left?
New York's 104 active scratch-offs hold about $3.66 billion in unclaimed prizes, led by 300X The Money at $295 million. Another 21 games are still on sale with no top prize left.
by Phil Nageotte
Cherokee County man charged with cashing scratch-offs stolen from an Ingles, SLED says
SLED charged a 27-year-old Cherokee County man with lottery fraud, accusing him of cashing South Carolina Education Lottery scratch-offs he allegedly stole from an Ingles store.
by Jessie Jurado
When is the best time to buy a scratch-off? A game's age tells you less than its prize count
No hour, day, or store changes a scratch-off's odds. A game's age barely does either. Across 2,246 active games, top-prize odds beat launch day about half the time at every stage of a game's run.
by Phil Nageotte
Christmas scratch-offs do not have better odds than regular tickets
Holiday scratch-offs are a seasonal fixture priced for gift-giving. Across 186 of them the payout and the odds match ordinary tickets almost exactly, and the average price is about $3 lower.
by Phil Nageotte
Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern now have their own Connecticut Lottery scratch-off ticket
The Connecticut Lottery's new $5 Connecticut Apizza ticket shows real pies from Frank Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern and has four $50,000 top prizes. Four more new games are listed with it.
by Jessie Jurado
Athens, Georgia man wins $2 million prize on North Carolina's "100X The Cash"
Angel Navarrete of Athens, Georgia, won the last $2 million top prize on North Carolina's $20 100X The Cash with a ticket bought in Hayesville, and the lottery will now close the game.
by Jessie Jurado
What New Jersey scratch-offs pay the most? The biggest prizes on sale top out at $5 million
The biggest New Jersey scratch-off prize on sale is $5 million, with one left on $5,000,000 Fortune. Jersey Riches returns the largest share of sales and still has all three $3 million prizes.
by Jessie Jurado
Four Texans claim $5 million in scratch-off prizes, including the first $1 million on the new "Million Dollar Loteria"
Four Texas scratch-off players claimed top prizes worth a combined $5 million, including the first $1 million prize on the new $20 Million Dollar Loteria. All four chose to remain anonymous.
by Jessie Jurado
Which Oklahoma scratch-offs win the most?
Oklahoma scratch-offs pay back 58% of sales at $1 and 81% at $100, and games at the same price pay back almost identical shares. The $5 Million Jackpot returns the most.
by Phil Nageotte
A $1 million "Snake, Rattle and Roll" ticket sold in Wilkins Township, Allegheny County's fourth big scratch-off win in two weeks
A $1 million Snake, Rattle and Roll scratch-off was sold at a Sunoco in Wilkins Township, about a week after a $3 million ticket in South Park and days after two more big winners in Allegheny County.
by Jessie Jurado
When will Alabama get a lottery?
Alabama is one of five states without a lottery, and its 2026 legislative session ended without a vote. The earliest lawmakers can try again is the session that opens February 2, 2027.
by Jessie Jurado
New Jersey adds a $30 "$1,000,000 Payday" and a $5 "Jersey Legend" ticket tied to Bon Jovi
The New Jersey Lottery launched two scratch-offs on September 30, a $30 $1,000,000 Payday with nine $1 million top prizes and a $5 Jersey Legend ticket that carries a Bon Jovi copyright.
by Jessie Jurado
Circle K worker accused of cashing stolen scratch-offs at the Summerville store where she worked
SLED has charged a 25-year-old Columbia-area woman with lottery fraud. A warrant accuses her of stealing scratch-offs from the Summerville Circle K where she worked and cashing them at the same store last spring.
by Jessie Jurado
Seven California players split $24 million on two crossword scratchers, including one $7 million ticket win from Bakersfield
Seven California Scratchers players won a combined $24 million, two of them $7 million each on Crossword Xtreme, including a ticket sold at a Bakersfield 7-Eleven, and five $2 million each on Instant Prize Crossword.
by Jessie Jurado
California scratchers still hold $4.1 billion in cash prizes
California's 58 active scratchers hold about $4.1 billion in unclaimed cash prizes. Free-ticket prizes make many of them look more generous than they are in cash.
by Jessie Jurado
Two Pennsylvania scratch-offs worth $8.25 million were sold in Allegheny County
Two Allegheny County stores sold scratch-offs worth a combined $8.25 million, a $500,000 a Year for Life top prize in Pittsburgh and a $1 million GAME SHOW EXPERIENCE ticket in Bellevue.
by Jessie Jurado
Which Minnesota scratch-offs are worth buying?
The $50 Money ticket rates highest of Minnesota's 40 active scratch-offs, with 31 of its 50 top prizes still unclaimed. Minnesota payouts rise from 63.1% at $1 to 75.3% at $50.
by Phil Nageotte
North Carolina launches new college scratch-offs, a $5 Tar Heels ticket and a $5 NC State ticket
The North Carolina Education Lottery has launched its first university-branded scratch-offs, $5 Tar Heels and NC State tickets with two $200,000 top prizes each.
by Jessie Jurado
A $1 million 50X The Money ticket sold in Flowery Branch, Georgia
A $1 million 50X The Money scratcher was sold at Gaines Ferry Shell in Flowery Branch. The $10 game has been on sale since 2018, and six of its 54 top prizes have yet to be paid out.
by Jessie Jurado
What the Powerball annuity pays each year, from the first check to the thirtieth
The Powerball annuity is 30 payments that each rise 5%, so the checks start small and end large. On a $100 million jackpot the first is about $1.51 million and the last about $6.2 million.
by Jessie Jurado
Arizona's holiday scratchers are out, led by a $20 game with a 94.3 ValueScore
The Arizona Lottery launched six holiday scratchers on September 29, from the $1 Holiday Cheer to the $20 Perfect Gift, which now rates second of all 57 active games in the state.
by Jessie Jurado
Lottery vending machines are starting to take debit cards. Here is what the research says about paying with plastic
Georgia's lottery vending machines already take debit cards and California's say it is coming soon. Studies of card spending suggest the switch will change how much people put in.
by Jessie Jurado
Michigan's new $50 Ultimate $6,000,000 Blowout! jumps to the top of the state's rankings
The Michigan Lottery put four scratch-offs on sale September 29, led by a $50 game with three $6 million top prizes that now rates first of the state's 109 active games.
by Jessie Jurado
Richland County man accused of stealing $600 in scratch-offs and cashing one for $10
SLED has charged a 37-year-old Richland County man with lottery fraud. A warrant accuses him of stealing two packs of scratch-offs worth $600 from a Columbia Circle K and cashing one of the tickets for $10.
by Jessie Jurado
How much can a store pay on a winning scratch-off?
A winning scratch-off can be cashed at the counter only up to a limit set by each state lottery. In the biggest states that limit runs from $599 to $2,500, and it decides where a small share of tickets carrying a large share of the money gets paid.
by Jessie Jurado
A $1 million 100X scratch-off sold at a Wawa in Brick, New Jersey
A $1 million prize on New Jersey's $20 100X scratch-off was sold at the Wawa on Route 88 in Brick. Only one of the game's three top prizes is still out there.
by Jessie Jurado
Scratch-offs vs. casino games: which actually has worse odds?
Slot machines have a reputation as money pits, but on the math alone a scratch-off keeps more of each dollar than a slot does. Here is how the house edge compares.
by Phil Nageotte
Van Buren County woman wins $1 million on a Bonus Multiplier ticket she left unscratched overnight
A 61-year-old Van Buren County woman won $1 million on a $10 Bonus Multiplier ticket she bought at a Midland Meijer and forgot on her table until the next day. Two top prizes remain in the game.
by Jessie Jurado
How many lottery prizes go unclaimed each year? Colorado Lottery reveals the numbers
Nobody publishes a national count of lottery winners who never collect. Colorado lists every unclaimed draw-game prize, and its current list runs to 3,014 tickets worth $641,320, three quarters of them under $100.
by Jessie Jurado
Is a $10 or a $20 scratch-off the better buy?
The average $20 scratch-off pays back about two points more than the average $10, and it wins that comparison in 36 of the 39 US lotteries selling both. The $10 still has the better odds at mid-size prizes per dollar spent.
by Phil Nageotte
How often do Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have more than one winner?
Of 610 Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots won in our records, 63 were shared by two or more tickets. The share roughly doubles once the jackpot passes $300 million.
by Jessie Jurado
North Carolina scratch-offs return 60.6% back to players at $1 and 81.5% at $50
North Carolina scratch-offs pay back more at almost every step up in price, from 60.6% on $1 tickets to 81.5% on $50 tickets. The overall odds move the other way.
by Jessie Jurado
California names six $1 million Money Mania winners, and only two top prizes are left
The California Lottery named six new $1 million winners on its $10 Money Mania scratcher, three of them from Los Angeles County stores. Two of the game's 13 top prizes remain.
by Jessie Jurado
A Colorado Lotto player won $1.09 million and never claimed the ticket
A Colorado Lotto+ ticket sold at a Berthoud Conoco matched all six numbers on March 28 and was worth $1,090,202. Nobody claimed it before the 180-day deadline ran out on September 24.
by Jessie Jurado
How big does a Powerball jackpot have to get before a $2 ticket is worth it?
Powerball’s eight lower tiers are worth about 32 cents on a $2 ticket. The jackpot has to supply the rest, and after cash option and tax that takes roughly $1.56 billion.
by Phil Nageotte
Oklahoma adds six scratch-offs, and the $30 Triple Winning 7s jumps to second best ticket in the state
The Oklahoma Lottery put six new scratch-offs on sale September 24, from a $1 Magic 8 Ball ticket to the $30 Triple Winning 7s, which now rates second of all 50 active games in the state.
by Jessie Jurado
Woman accused of running over Portland man after a dispute over his $3,200 lottery win
Mary Ann McKinzy, 55, is accused of backing her car over James S. Miller, 75, in a Portland parking lot after a dispute that prosecutors say started with his $3,200 lottery win. She was arrested in California and extradited this month.
by Jessie Jurado
South Carolina man wins $2 million on a Mega Millions quick pick
A Florence man won $2 million on a Mega Millions quick pick bought at the Yana Food Mart on West Palmetto Street. His ticket was the only one in the country to match all five white balls on August 11.
by Jessie Jurado
When should you cash out a scratch-off win instead of buying more tickets?
Handing a small prize back for more tickets puts it through the lottery's cut a second time. With $20 on a $5 game, replaying wins under $50 left 88.9% of players with nothing, against 34.0% for players who kept all their wins.
by Phil Nageotte
Montana auditors say Lottery officials blocked access to emails tied to vendor negotiations
Montana Lottery Director Bob Brown declined to let legislative auditors see emails about his direct talks with Intralot, the lottery's biggest vendor. The deal only got cheaper after lawmakers forced it out to bid.
by Jessie Jurado
The overall odds on a scratch-off barely predict how much money a game actually returns back to the players
Across 2,413 US scratch-offs, published odds and payout percentage are essentially uncorrelated once you compare tickets at the same price. Why the odds mislead.
by Phil Nageotte
A Portsmouth woman won $2 million on her lunch break and went back to work like nothing happened
A Portsmouth woman bought a $20 Platinum 7s ticket on a stressful lunch break in Norfolk, won $2 million, and went back to work. She took $952,000 in cash, and two of the game's three top prizes are still out there.
by Jessie Jurado