1. Scratch Cards Online
2. Scratch Card Games Online
3. 99 Card Game Rules

A scratchcard (also called a scratch off, scratch ticket, scratcher, scratchie, scritchies, scratch-it, scratch game, scratch-and-win, instant game or instant lottery in different places) is a small card, often made of thin paper-based card for competitions and plastic to conceal PINs, where one or more areas contain concealed information which can be revealed by scratching off an opaque covering.

Every scratch card will have its own rules. Each online scratch card game will have a different price per card and you must have enough money in your account to meet the default price for a card. However, you can also purchase multiple games in an online scratch card to improve your chances of getting a payout.

Applications include cards sold for gambling (especially lottery games and quizzes), free-of-charge cards for quizzes, fraudulent free cards encouraging calls to premium rate phone services, and to conceal confidential information such as PINs for telephone calling cards (otherwise known as recharge cards) and other prepaid services.

In some cases the entire scratchable area needs to be scratched to see whether a prize has been won—the card is printed either to be a winner or not—or to reveal the secret code; the result does not depend upon what portions are scratched off. In other cases, some but not all areas have to be scratched; this may apply in a quiz, where the area corresponding to the right answer is scratched, or in some gambling applications where, depending on which areas are scratched, the card wins or loses. In these cases the card becomes invalid if too many areas are scratched. After losing one can scratch all areas to see if, how, and what one could have won with this card.

• 2Gambling and quizzes

Technology[edit]

The scratchcard itself is made of paper-based card, or plastic, with hidden information such as PIN or HRN (Hidden Recharge Number) printed on it, covered by an opaque substance (usually latex). The original cards were covered with an environmentally unsafe solvent based coating. In the late 1980s, adhesive specialist Jerome Greenfield invented a safe water-based coating still used in scratchers today that can be scratched off relatively easily, while resistant to normal abrasion. Other types of scratch panel are scratch labels, hot stamp foil or 'sandwich' label which are technologies that is easy to produce for manufacturers without specialised equipment for applying latex panels. Unlike silkscreen latex panels that bond with the card body, labels are distinctly separate to the card body and applied by adhesion which makes them prone to sophisticated and fraudulent manipulation.^[1]

Gambling and quizzes[edit]

Origins[edit]

The original game tickets were produced using manual randomization techniques. In 1974 the American company Scientific Games Corporation led by scientist John Koza and retail promotions specialist Daniel Bower produced the first computer-generated instant lottery game.^[2] In 1987, Astro-Med, Inc. of West Warwick, Rhode Island, received the U.S. Patent for the instant scratch-off lottery ticket.^[3]

Simple prize scratchcards require the player, for example, to scratch off three (or more) areas hiding numbers, symbols, etc. If all the items revealed are the same, a prize has been won. More complicated scratchcards have several different ways to win on one card. Other scratchcards involve matching symbols, pictures or words, or are adaptations of popular (card-)games such as blackjack, poker or Monopoly. Games are also tied to popular themes such as Harley Davidson, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, the National Hockey League, Marvel Comics and FIFA World Cup.

There are currently two major manufacturers of game tickets: Scientific Games Corporation, with production facilities in the USA, Chile, UK, Germany, Canada, Brazil and Australia; and Pollard Banknote, with production facilities in the USA and Canada. There are several other smaller manufacturers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Popularity[edit]

Scratchcards are a very popular form of gambling due to their low cost and the opportunity to win instantly, as opposed to waiting for a drawing like many lotteries. There is a trend^{[citation needed]} towards more expensive scratchcards (20-50 USD) that have prizes in the millions of dollars. However, many such 'instant' tickets sold in the US, especially in Massachusetts and New York, do not pay top prizes 'instantly,' but rather over many years, with no cash option.

The popularity of lottery scratchcards has been increasing at a greater rate than any other form of lottery.^{[citation needed]}

Predictability[edit]

In the 21st century there have been attempts to increase the odds on finding a prize-winning card based on statistics, by tracking the amount of prize money won and cards sold to calculate accurate current odds. There have been a number of instances where a series of cards are still available although all major prizes have been won. Some lotteries make this information available to all free of charge to help promote their games ^[4] Hypothetically, large early payouts may exceed ultimate sales before expiration of the game card series. However, the low odds of winning – typically from less than 1 in 5 to about 1 in 2.5 – and players who buy cards unaware of the low return offset these losses, so the lottery still makes a profit.

Second-chance sweepstakes[edit]

Many state lotteries also run a second-chance sweepstakes in conjunction with the retail sale of state lottery scratchcards in an effort to increase consumer demand for scratchcards and to help control the litter problems associated with the improper disposal of non-winning lottery tickets.^[5] Since lottery tickets and scratchcards are considered in the United States to be bearer instruments under the Uniform Commercial Code,^{[citation needed]} these scratchcard promotions can be entered with non-winning tickets that are picked up as litter.

Break opens[edit]

Break Opens, also known as breakopens, break open cards, strip tickets, nevada tickets or in some Bingo Halls as 'pickles' are lottery or bingo cards on which there are concealed letters, numbers, or symbols that have been predetermined as winners. The cards are often made of cardboard and contain perforated cover window tabs, behind which the combinations are printed. The purchaser must 'break open' the card, or pull up the pull-tabs, to see the information printed within, and then must confirm with winning combinations printed on the back of the card, various cards may have come from the printer highlighted as winning under the tabs. The winning combination will be highlighted, making the identification of winning tickets easier.

Online gambling scratchcards[edit]

By around 2010 online versions of virtual 'scratchcard' (not physical cards) gambling games which utilized Macromedia Flash and Java to simulate scratching a card on a computer were available. Virtual cards could be bought, and prizes collected, over an Internet connection.^[6]

Fraudulent practices[edit]

A widespread misuse of scratchcards is the free-of-charge distribution of cards offering a range of prizes, ranging from extremely low-value to very desirable; for example from time-limited discount vouchers redeemable only through a specified agent to cars. Cards always reveal that a prize has been won, but the nature and value of the prize can only be determined by phoning a premium rate telephone claim line costing a significant sum per minute. Calls to this number are designed by the promoter always to take several minutes, and the prize won is, in reality, always of far less value than the cost of the call, and usually not worth claiming. Regulatory authorities for telephone services have been taking action against such schemes, issuing warnings and large fines.^[7]

In February 2018 it was reported that some scratch cards in the UK are still sold even after the jackpots have already been won. Research by The Guardian newspaper found that the £250,000 Gold game, which advertises 15 top prizes worth a quarter of a million pounds each, were still being sold after all 15 jackpot had been claimed. ^[8]

This happened again in May 2018, in which the 20X Cash Scratchcard was still being sold after the last jackpot prize was claimed. ^[9].

Cards hiding confidential information[edit]

Scratchcards can also be used to distribute confidential information, without any element of chance or skill. A common example is the phone card or recharge card sold for a price which provides specified phone call usage. The card itself, unlike a credit card, has no function in itself; it is simply a vehicle to inform the purchaser confidentially of the PIN required to make the phone calls paid for.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^https://www.slideshare.net/NigelPageMIEx/scratching-the-surface-white-paperrecharge-card-security-npagedec2010
2. ^'John Koza Interview – Scratchcards.org'. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
3. ^United States Patent 4,643,454
4. ^Washington's Lottery. Financial Report 2016.
5. ^Tennessee Lottery. Play It Again Program – FAQ.Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
6. ^www.play-scratchcards.co.uk describing different Internet scratchcards. Encourages play, but not associated with any one provider.
7. ^'Scratchcard prizes may be misleading, OFT warns'. the Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
8. ^'Jackpots on some National Lottery scratchcards impossible to win'. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
9. ^'Man Wins £1,000,000 On The Last 20X Cash Scratchcard'. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

External links[edit]

Table Of Contents

In this article, I am going to show you how to win money instantly with free scratch cards on some of the top gaming sites available online in 2019.

This list of free instant win scratch cards is updated at least once a month. If you want to win money playing free scratch cards online, make sure you bookmark it and keep coming back for more offers.

Online Scratch Cards: 2019 List

Although they are not as popular as Slots or other gambling games available at all the best new casinos, an impressive amount of players log into their favorite gaming platforms to play online scratch cards every single day.

Playing scratch cards online you get the chance to win cash prizes instantly in one of the fastest-paced real money games available on the internet today.

And we all love that.

Online scratch cards are nothing but the virtual counterpart of the physical version of the game we all have had in our hands at least a few times.

The only difference?

When you play from your computer you don't need to look for a coin to scrape the surface of the card. You need to point your mouse over the part that hides your potential win and click to reveal it.

It's as easy as that.

The simple gameplay and the unique opportunity to win real money instantly are the keys to the huge popularity of scratch cards in the US as well as in a lot of other countries.

The list below offers you an overview of the best scratch card games online where you can win money instantly as of January 2019.

Important Notice: the first version of this list of scratch card games (published on December 29, 2018) lists games that are not available to U.S. player. If you are looking for scratch cards for US players, be sure to come back to this page for the next updated version of the list.

What are you waiting for? Pick your favorite game, choose the size of your bet, and don't forget to use the welcome bonus to score your first real money win!

Top Real Money Scratch Games Online

The Best Scratch Cards at 888Casino

The Best Scratch Cards at RoyalPanda

Why Play Online Scratch Cards in 2019

Scratch Cards Online

Although scratch cards don't come with the same prospects of huge wins as lotteries and Slots with progressive jackpots, the instant gratification offered by these games is truly unmatched.

If you are not the kind of player who goes online only to play for multi-million life-changing jackpots (in that case you should play Slots), you should try to play online scratch cards.

No other games offer you the same fast-paced action and the same level of gratification than scratch cards.
Coming under different names according to where they are played (people call them anywhere from scratchies to scratch offs and scratch and wins) scratch cards are the easiest game to discover the fun of real money internet gambling.

Continue reading to learn how to play scratch cards and how to identify the best deals to win real money instantly on the best scratch offs of 2019!

Scratch Cards Rules: How to Play Scratch Cards Online

Scratch Card Games Online

I'm not sure there's a real need to go through the way online scratch cards work but, in case you have doubts, you should know that the internet version of the game works exactly as the physical one.

You buy one card, scratch off the surface, and discover if you picked the right scratch card or not.

Each scratch card you find online comes with a different mission, an objective that you need to meet if you want to bring home a real money win.

Scratch cards goals vary from one game to the other and can include matching symbols or particular combinations that are linked to different prizes.

The rules of the scratch cards are always clearly explained in the info section of each game. Make sure you read it before you invest your money on a scratch card game.

When the mission is clear, go ahead and scratch your card. To do so, simply follow the instructions on the screen and click right where you need to reveal the prize.

The rules of scratch cards online do not change.

Although there is a countless number of scratch card games with different themes available on the internet, all scratch cards follow the same rules.

The only part that changes is the multiplier some games apply to your winnings. This too is always highlighted in the games' rules.

Scratch Card Strategies to Win

Let's face it: online scratch cards are quick games where everything is about luck.

Much like the paper version of the game, there are no proven strategies to win at scratch cards online.

Unless you believe in myths like secret lucky numbered series, lucky coins, or small printing errors that reveal millionaire wins, you should know that scratch cards are the quintessence of gambling.

You bet your money, scratch the card, and discover if you won something or not. Nothing more than that.

The lack of effective winning strategies, however, does not mean there aren't ways to increase your chances of winning money on scratch cards.

As it happens with most gambling games, there are some tips that can help you more. Read on to discover them and make sure you apply every scratch off tips included in this article the next time you put your money on a scratch card online.

How to Choose the Right Games

This strategy advice applies to online scratch cards as much as to any other real money gambling game.

As I mentioned earlier, different games come with different multipliers. When you choose a new scratch card game to play, check the multiplier and make sure it meets your expectations before you play.

The fact you are going to play only a few cents doesn't mean you should throw your money away. Pick the game with the largest multiplier and make sure you always try to get the best bang for your bucks.

How to Size Your Bets

Differently from the physical version of the game, online scratch cards do not come with a fixed bet. You decide how much money to invest in each game.

99 Card Game Rules

While you should never spend more than you can afford to lose, there are a few betting rules that you need to keep in mind when you play scratch cards online.

There is a direct correlation between the size of the prizes you can win and the money you bet. Higher bets give you access to higher prizes.

Even better: jackpot games like Wack-a-Jackpot require to place the maximum possible bet in order to play for the jackpot.

Whenever you play scratch cards online, ask yourself: why are you doing that?

If you are playing to have fun, you only need to apply the basic principles of bankroll management to succeed and enjoy your games.

Otherwise, if you play scratch cards to win money fast, you need to find a game where you can afford to play for the maximums. Do this, and you'll be always playing for nothing but the top real money wins available.

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