ScratchCheck Blog
Analysis, strategy, and stories from the editorial team.
Latest articles
She Bought Her First Scratch-Off Ever and Won $100,000
Kahla Jeffries of Gastonia stopped for gas, bought the first scratch-off of her life, and won a $100,000 top prize. The game she picked still has 58 of its 80 top prizes unclaimed.
by Jessie Jurado
Ohio Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
One Ohio game stands head and shoulders above the rest: Millionaire Blowout still has 56 million-dollar top prizes unclaimed and a ValueScore of 97.2. Here is the full picture.
by Jessie Jurado
A North Carolina Man Almost Cried After a $250,000 Win on 500X The Cash
Kevin Pavel of Clayton bought a $50 500X The Cash scratch-off on his way to work and won $250,000, taking home $180,039 after taxes. The game we rate 91.4 still has all five $10M top prizes left.
by Jessie Jurado
Pennsylvania Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
Pennsylvania runs one of the deepest scratch-off catalogs in the country, and several of its games still have both plenty of top prizes left and elite ValueScores. Here are the standouts.
by Jessie Jurado
How to Play 100Xtra, Georgia's New $20 Scratcher
Georgia's new $20 100Xtra scratcher (game #1907) has a $2 million top prize, multipliers up to 100X, and an instant-cash symbol. Here is exactly how to play it, and why it scores so well.
by Jessie Jurado
A Georgia Player Just Won $3 Million on GRANT, and Two Top Prizes Are Still Left
A Georgia player claimed a $3,000,000 top prize on the GRANT scratcher on July 17, taking $1,546,986 cash. The ticket came from Parker’s #28 in Hinesville, and two top prizes remain.
by Jessie Jurado
Can a Store Refuse to Pay Your Winning Scratch-Off?
A clerk says the machine will not pay you, or hands the ticket back. Do you have any rights? Here is what a retailer can and cannot do with a winning scratch-off, and what to do if something feels off.
by Jessie Jurado
Powerball Players Are Threatening to Quit Over the UK Expansion
American Powerball players flooded social media with anger after the game launched in the UK, many vowing to quit. But for US players the price, the odds, and the payout choice all stayed the same.
by Jessie Jurado
Georgia Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
Georgia’s game with the most top prizes left is also one of its worst values, a perfect illustration of why the count alone can fool you. Here are the numbers, and how to read them.
by Jessie Jurado
Texas Lottery Just Launched 2 New Scratch-Offs: a $20 Crossword Game and $5 Ms. PAC-MAN
Texas launched two new scratch-offs on July 20: $1,000,000 Crossword ($20, $1M top prize, ValueScore 86.8) and the $5 Ms. PAC-MAN. Prices, top prizes, odds, and which is the better buy.
by Jessie Jurado
The States That Pay Out the Most on Scratch-Offs, and the Ones That Pay Least
Payout percentage is the share of scratch-off sales returned to players as prizes, and it varies a lot by state. We averaged it across the active games we track. Massachusetts leads; New Mexico trails.
by Phil Nageotte
Alabama May Finally Vote on adding the Lottery as Residents Keep Crossing State Lines to Play
Alabama is one of only five states with no lottery, and lawmakers may take one up soon after an Alabama player won $720,000 across the line in Tennessee. Residents keep driving out of state to play.
by Jessie Jurado
Georgia Just Launched 4 New 'Xtra' Scratch-Offs
Georgia launched four new Xtra scratch-offs on July 21: 100Xtra ($20, $2M top prize, ValueScore 81.3), 50Xtra ($10), 25Xtra ($5), and 15Xtra ($2). Prices, top prizes, odds, and value.
by Jessie Jurado
Powerball Just Launched in the UK Today
Powerball sales began in the UK this week, the first lottery outside the U.S. to feed the jackpot. But UK tickets skip the lower tiers, the prize structures differ, and British winners get no cash option.
by Jessie Jurado
Ohio Just Launched 4 New Scratch-Offs, Led by a $10 Gold Rush Rated 74
Ohio launched four new scratch-offs on July 21: Gold Rush ($10, $500,000 top prize, ValueScore 73.8), 5 Times Lucky ($5), Magic 8 Ball ($2), and Crazy Cash ($1). Prices, top prizes, odds, and value.
by Jessie Jurado
How to Read Scratch-Off Odds and Prize Data Like a Pro
Learn to read the odds, prize table, and prizes-remaining data every state lottery publishes, and you can size up any scratch-off in about a minute. Here is how.
by Phil Nageotte
A Michigan Woman Sat on a $1 Million Powerball Ticket for One Year, Then Claimed It With Just Hours to Spare
Theresa Lynchosky, 63, of Rochester Hills matched five white balls in the July 14, 2025 Powerball drawing to win $1 million, then claimed it just hours before her one-year deadline.
by Jessie Jurado
A Minnesota Ticket Just Won a Record $34.12 Million Lotto America Jackpot
A single ticket sold at a Holiday gas station in Coon Rapids won Saturday's Lotto America drawing, worth $34.12 million (about $15.15 million cash), the largest Lotto America jackpot ever won in Minnesota.
by Jessie Jurado
Lump Sum vs. Annuity: Which Should You Take If You Win the Lottery?
The cash option is smaller but gives you control; the annuity guarantees income and is hard to mismanage. How to decide between lump sum and annuity when you win.
by Jessie Jurado
Maryland Just Launched 2 New 'Green' Scratch-Offs, Led by a $20 Game With a High ValueScore™
Maryland launched two new scratch-offs on July 17: Extreme Green ($20, $1M top prize, ValueScore 86.3) and In the Green ($5, $50,000). Prices, top prizes, and odds.
by Jessie Jurado
Idaho Lottery Hands Public Schools a Record Payout
The Idaho Lottery awarded a record $56.25 million dividend to K-12 public schools, up from $46.9 million, part of $90 million in payouts for education and state buildings.
by Jessie Jurado
What to Do First If You Win a Big Lottery Prize
The first steps that protect a big win: sign the ticket, stay quiet, take your time, assemble advisors, and understand the taxes before you claim.
by Jessie Jurado
A Maryland Couple Constantly Checked Which Top Prizes Were Remaining, Then Won $500,000 on a Lottery Scratch Off
A Dundalk, Maryland couple won $500,000 on Gifts of Green after the husband checked which scratch-offs still had top prizes, exactly what ScratchCheck tracks.
by Jessie Jurado
How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy Lottery Tickets in Georgia?
You must be 18 to buy any lottery ticket in Georgia. How the rule is enforced, whether you can gift a ticket to a minor, and what happens when a minor's ticket wins.
by Jessie Jurado
Why You're Playing Scratch-Offs Wrong (and How to Play Smarter)
Most people buy scratch-offs on autopilot. The common habits costing you, starting with the biggest: never checking how many top prizes are still unclaimed.
by Phil Nageotte
Two Former South Carolina Store Employees Charged in a Lottery Scratch-Off Theft Scheme
SLED charged two former convenience store employees in an alleged scheme to steal and cash South Carolina Education Lottery scratch-off tickets. Both are presumed innocent.
by Jessie Jurado
Georgia Lottery Raised a Record $1.54 Billion for Education in Fiscal 2026
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the Georgia Lottery raised a record $1.54 billion for education in fiscal 2026, its 11th straight year over $1 billion, all for HOPE and Pre-K.
by Jessie Jurado
A 'Vision' Told a South Carolina Man to Buy a Ticket, and He Won $500,000
An Upstate South Carolina man said a vision told him to buy a lottery ticket, so he bought two $10 scratch-offs at a Greenville store. One was a $500,000 Gold Vault Extra Play winner.
by Jessie Jurado
Where Every Dollar You Spend on a Scratch-Off Actually Goes
Follow a single scratch-off dollar: how much goes to prizes, how much the state keeps, what the store earns, and why the split is worth knowing before you buy.
by Phil Nageotte
How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy Lottery Tickets in Florida?
You must be 18 to buy any lottery ticket in Florida. How the rule is enforced, whether you can gift a ticket to a minor, and what happens when a minor's ticket wins.
by Jessie Jurado
A Brooklyn Woman Won $3 Million on a Scratch-Off Bought at a Newsstand
Christiane Butcher of Brooklyn claimed a $3 million top prize on the New York Lottery's 100Xtra scratch-off, bought at a Brooklyn newsstand. Three top prizes still remain.
by Jessie Jurado
Both Powerball and Mega Millions Jackpots Surpass $500 Million
Mega Millions ($672M) and Powerball ($526M) are both over $500 million at the same time, more than $1.2 billion combined. The odds, the cash option, and what a winner actually keeps.
by Jessie Jurado
The Life Cycle of a Scratch-Off Game, From Launch to the Last Top Prize
A ticket that was a great buy at launch can be a poor one a year later, with the same printed odds. How a scratch-off game moves from its first ticket to its last prize.
by Phil Nageotte
South Carolina Woman Charged With Trying to Cash Stolen Scratch-Off Tickets
SLED charged a woman accused of stealing scratch-off tickets from the South Carolina store where she worked and trying to cash them at other gas stations.
by Jessie Jurado
An H-E-B Customer Just Won the Last $20 Million Top Prize in a Texas Scratch-Off
A New Braunfels H-E-B customer claimed the fourth and final $20 million top prize in the Texas Lottery's $20 Million Supreme scratch-off, the last big prize the game had.
by Jessie Jurado
Oregon Just Launched 3 New Scratch-Offs in July 2026
Oregon launched three new scratch-offs on July 14: Fast Cash Poker ($10), 20X Blitz ($5), and Potion Payout ($2). Prices, top prizes, and each game's ValueScore.
by Jessie Jurado
How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy Lottery Tickets in Texas?
You must be 18 to buy any lottery ticket in Texas. How the rule is enforced, whether you can gift a ticket to a minor, and what happens when a minor's ticket wins.
by Jessie Jurado
Delaware Lottery Adds Self-Service Sports Betting Kiosks at All 89 Lottery Retailers and 3 Casinos
The Delaware Lottery has rolled out self-service sports wagering kiosks at all 89 Sports Lottery retailers and its three casinos, powered by Caesars Sportsbook.
by Jessie Jurado
Are Scratch-Offs Rigged?
The honest answer to whether scratch-offs are rigged, how the fairness actually works, and why "not rigged" still is not the same as "a good bet."
by Phil Nageotte
New Jersey Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
New Jersey's biggest scratch-off top prizes still in the pool, ranked with each game's ValueScore and odds, so you can buy before the best prizes are claimed.
by Jessie Jurado
Michigan Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
Michigan's biggest scratch-off top prizes still in the pool, ranked with each game's ValueScore and odds, so you can buy before the best prizes are claimed.
by Jessie Jurado
What a $5-a-Day Scratch-Off Habit Really Adds Up To
Five dollars a day does not feel like much in the moment. Here is the plain math on what a daily scratch-off habit adds up to over a year, no lecture attached.
by Jessie Jurado
How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy Lottery Tickets in California?
You must be 18 to buy any lottery ticket in California. How the rule is enforced, whether you can gift a ticket to a minor, and what happens when a minor's ticket wins.
by Jessie Jurado
She Won $4 Million on a Scratch-Off Right After Her Divorce. Her Ex Fought All the Way to the State Supreme Court
The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled a woman who won $4 million on a scratch-off weeks after her divorce does not have to share it with her ex-husband, ending a years-long fight.
by Jessie Jurado
North Carolina Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
North Carolina's biggest scratch-off top prizes still in the pool, ranked with each game's ValueScore and odds, so you can buy before the best prizes are gone.
by Jessie Jurado
How to Tell If a Scratch-Off Has Already Been Played or Tampered With
Most tickets are fine, but here is how to spot one that was already played or tampered with, and why the scanner is the only thing that settles it for sure.
by Jessie Jurado
Florida Scratch-Offs With the Most Top Prizes Still Unclaimed
Florida's biggest scratch-off top prizes that are still sitting in the pool, ranked with each game's ValueScore and odds, so you can buy before the best prizes are gone.
by Jessie Jurado
This Oregon Family Store Made $32,000 After Selling a $3.2 Million Winning Ticket
A family-owned Prineville store, R & R Grocery and Sporting Goods, earned a $32,000 bonus from the Oregon Lottery for selling a $3.2 million Megabucks jackpot ticket.
by Jessie Jurado