ScratchCheck Blog
Analysis, strategy, and stories from the editorial team.
Latest articles
Texas launched 4 new scratch-off tickets for August 2026
Texas put four new scratch-offs on sale August 17. Million Dollar Loteria rates 90.6, and the $5 Houston Texans ticket pays back more than the identically priced Cowboys ticket.
by Jessie Jurado
How much do state lotteries actually give schools?
US lotteries sent about $28.4 billion to beneficiary programs in fiscal 2025, down from almost $30.6 billion. Georgia and Idaho set records anyway, and Tennessee went the other way.
by Jessie Jurado
An unclaimed $1 million Powerball ticket sold in New York is expiring soon
A Powerball ticket worth $1 million, sold at Village Grocery in Port Jefferson, expires September 1, 2026. It matched five numbers from the Labor Day 2025 drawing.
by Jessie Jurado
What the three-letter codes on Massachusetts scratch tickets mean
Codes like TYH and OHR are not in any official list, because Massachusetts does not publish one. What the three-letter codes are actually for, and why the barcode is the only answer that counts.
by Jessie Jurado
Oregon launched 3 new scratch-offs, and one ranks as the 7th best in the country
Oregon put three new scratch-offs on sale August 11, and One Word Crossword rates 97.0, seventh among the 2,833 active US games we score.
by Jessie Jurado
How often do new scratch-offs come out?
New scratch-offs launch far more often than most players notice. Across the US, states put out roughly 160 new games a month, most on a monthly or twice-monthly cycle.
by Jessie Jurado
A $3 million scratch-off sold in Erie County, Pennsylvania
A $3,000,000 Golden Ticket sold at a Country Fair in Union City won $3 million, and the store earns a $10,000 bonus. Pennsylvania winners have no legal right to anonymity.
by Jessie Jurado
A family trip to Massachusetts turned into a $1 million lottery win
Cory Choquette of Maryland won $1 million on a $10 Massachusetts 100X ticket while visiting family, and took the $650,000 cash option. The store earns a $10,000 bonus.
by Jessie Jurado
Why are people buying losing lottery tickets on eBay?
Some buyers pay real money for stacks of worthless lottery tickets on eBay, using them to fake gambling-loss deductions. A tax professor calls it clearly fraud, and the tickets do not even work.
by Jessie Jurado
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.
by Phil Nageotte
How lottery winners lose it all, and the people who prove it happens
The "70% of winners go broke" stat is a myth, but real research shows big winners were more likely to go bankrupt within five years. How the money disappears, and the people who prove it.
by Jessie Jurado
Tennessee's lottery no longer fully covers the scholarships it funds, a new report finds
A ThinkTennessee report finds the state spent more on lottery scholarships than the lottery earned for the first time, with proceeds down about 22% since 2022. Scholarships are not at immediate risk.
by Jessie Jurado
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.
by Phil Nageotte
The manager of the store that sold the $1.04 billion ticket bought a Powerball ticket too but says he's not the winner
The Quincy Hy-Vee that sold the $1.04 billion Powerball ticket earns a $500,000 bonus. Its manager bought a ticket too, checked it, and joked "sadly, it wasn't me."
by Jessie Jurado
Oklahoma’s 5 new scratch-offs ranked from best to worst
Oklahoma launched five new scratch-offs on August 13, led by the $10 24K Gold at 89.3. Across the Gold series, value climbs cleanly with the price.
by Jessie Jurado
Why Mark Cuban tells lottery winners to skip the cash option and take the annuity instead
Mark Cuban tells lottery winners to take the annuity, hire a tax attorney first, and never start investing. It cuts against what most winners do, and the reasoning holds up.
by Jessie Jurado
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.
by Phil Nageotte
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.
by Phil Nageotte
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.
by Phil Nageotte
One Illinois player just won the $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot, the 8th largest ever
A single Illinois ticket won the $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot, the 8th largest ever. The cash option is $450.5 million, leaving about $261.5 million after tax.
by Jessie Jurado
Massachusetts launched 5 new scratch-offs, led by a $10 game rating 87.9
Massachusetts put five new scratch-offs on sale on August 11, from $1 to $10. Decade of Dollars leads at 87.9 with an 83.3% payout.
by Jessie Jurado
Florida launched 3 new scratch-offs, led by a $50 game with 60 top prizes of $500,000
Florida put three new scratch-offs on sale on August 10, at $5, $10 and $50. The $50 Cash Blitz rates 85.5 and still has 60 top prizes.
by Jessie Jurado
Powerball just hit $1 Billion. Here is how much you actually get after the cash option and taxes
The $1 billion Powerball jackpot has a cash value of $433.1 million. After federal tax a winner keeps about $272.9 million, or $208.9 million in New York City.
by Phil Nageotte
Georgia scratch-offs still have nearly $186 million in top prizes unclaimed
Across 77 Georgia scratch-offs, 180 top prizes worth $185.9 million are still unclaimed. Another 36 games are on sale with every top prize already gone.
by Phil Nageotte
Powerball jackpot reaches near $1 Billion, the biggest of 2026
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot is an estimated $975 million with a $422.3 million cash option. That would make it the 8th largest in the game's history.
by Phil Nageotte
How long does it take to actually get your money from a scratch-off?
Small scratch-off prizes are cash in your hand in a minute. Bigger ones move to a claim center or the mail, where the wait runs from days to about six weeks.
by Jessie Jurado
A Thomaston player won $3 million on a Georgia scratch-off that launched in 2018
A Thomaston resident claimed $3 million on 100X THE MONEY, a $20 Georgia game that launched in 2018. Three of its 21 top prizes are still unclaimed.
by Jessie Jurado
Has anyone won a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot online from a mobile app?
The largest online lottery prize in US history is a $552 million Mega Millions jackpot bought on the Illinois iLottery. A Jackpocket user won $250.8 million on Powerball in 2026.
by Jessie Jurado
Do you need ID and a Social Security number to claim a lottery prize?
Small prizes are paid at the counter with no questions. Bigger ones require photo ID and a taxpayer number, and missing paperwork raises the withholding rather than blocking the prize.
by Jessie Jurado
How bingo scratch-off games work (and how to play them)
Bingo scratch-offs are some of the most fun tickets on the shelf, and also some of the most confusing the first time. Here is how the caller’s card, your cards, and the winning patterns all fit together.
by Phil Nageotte
What "file a claim" or "see lottery" means when you scan a ticket
A lottery terminal that says "file a claim" is not rejecting your ticket. It usually means the prize is too big for the store to pay.
by Jessie Jurado
Florida man wins $1 million on a $5 scratch-off
James Bostick of Lady Lake won $1 million on Florida's $5 Giant Bucks scratch-off and took the $606,600 lump sum. Three of the game's $1 million top prizes remain.
by Jessie Jurado
Georgia family warns after 81-year-old loses more than $10,000 in lottery scam
Scammers convinced an 81-year-old Albany woman she had won $8.5 million, then took gift cards and $10,000 in jewelry over a month of WhatsApp calls. Real lotteries never call winners.
by Jessie Jurado
Is it better to buy twenty $1 tickets or one $20 ticket?
Twenty $1 tickets give you a 99% chance of winning something, and about $12 back on your $20. One $20 ticket keeps $15 and plays for a $577,000 median top prize.
by Phil Nageotte
Maryland man wins $50,000 on a scratch-off, 11 years after his first $50,000 win
A Fort Washington man won $50,000 on the $5 Multiply Your Money scratch-off, 11 years after a $50,000 win he has partly banked ever since. Four of seven top prizes remain.
by Jessie Jurado
Maryland Lottery helped send $1.64 billion to state programs last year, with nearly $700 million for schools
Maryland Lottery, casinos and sports betting contributed $1.637 billion to state programs in fiscal 2026, about $48 million more than last year, with nearly $700 million for education.
by Jessie Jurado
Why you should keep Quiet if you Win Big on the Lottery
Winners who kept quiet collected in peace. Winners who talked lost tickets to photos, prizes to relatives, and years to court fights. The cases keep making the same argument.
by Jessie Jurado
Best scratch-off odds and best value are not the same thing
Iowa sells two $30 games with identical 1 in 2.29 odds. One scores 95.4 on value and the other 59.3. That gap is the whole argument for looking past the odds.
by Phil Nageotte
The DC Lottery launched 3 Commanders scratch-offs, and the $10 one is genuinely good
The DC Lottery launched three Washington Commanders scratch-offs on August 5. The $10 version rates 82.1, unusually strong for a licensed ticket.
by Jessie Jurado
Workers searched 6 tons of garbage to recover a $1.16 million lottery ticket
An Italian woman threw away a $1.16 million winning ticket after misreading a terminal message. The local waste company traced the truck and sifted more than 6 tons to find it, still in one piece.
by Jessie Jurado
Michigan woman says a cashier mistake led to her $100,000 Powerball prize
Barbara Lambert of St. Helen went back into the store because her first ticket was missing Power Play. The replacement matched four white balls and the Powerball, and the 2X multiplier made it $100,000.
by Jessie Jurado
How to play a scratch-off ticket: symbols, matches, and bonus spots explained
If you have ever scratched a ticket and were not totally sure whether you won, this is for you. A plain-English walkthrough of how scratch-off play areas work, from matching numbers to bonus symbols.
by Phil Nageotte
Michigan launched 3 new scratch-offs in August
Michigan launched three scratch-offs on August 4, led by the $20 $2 Million Royale at a ValueScore of 91.2, one of the 35 highest-scoring games in the country.
by Jessie Jurado
Born on the 7th in '77, he bought a Triple Red 777 ticket and won $1 million
Tomas Munoz of Biscoe picked the Triple Red 777 Jackpot ticket because sevens matched his birthday, and won the game's first $1 million top prize. Two remain.
by Jessie Jurado
How long does it take to get your money if you win Powerball?
Small Powerball prizes are paid at the counter the same day. A jackpot check normally takes about two weeks from the day you hand in the ticket, and here is why.
by Jessie Jurado
Undocumented Immigrant woman says uncle kept her $2 million scratch-off prize
Ruby Reyes says she won $2 million on a Santa Rosa scratcher and asked her uncle to claim it because she is undocumented. He is listed as the official winner, and she has gone to court.
by Jessie Jurado
Minnesota launched 4 new scratch-offs on August 4
Minnesota launched four scratch-offs on August 4, led by the $10 Money Bag Multiplier at a ValueScore of 85.2, plus a licensed Ghostbusters ticket at $5.
by Jessie Jurado
A Bluffton woman is accused of stealing lottery tickets from her store and cashing them for $270
SLED says a Circle K employee on Hilton Head Island took six scratch-off tickets from her store and cashed them at a Bluffton Food Lion for $270. She was identified on surveillance video.
by Jessie Jurado