The Rise Of The Online Scratchies
Scratchcards have been a childhood favourite for many and has continued into our adulthood. With it’s exciting “russian roulette” vibe, not knowing which scratch will make your bank account go BOOM, it entices most scratchers to know that the next scratched number could be your million dollar jackpot!
We have all gotten a scratchcard from a friend or family member, that excitement makes us all want to share our winnings with our piers as the winning amounts are huge. It’s such a brilliant gift to buy for others as the adventure and nerves of scratching is a gift itself even if you don’t win. If you do win…. Well, it may just be the BEST gift you have ever been given.
They are also a brilliant pick me up gift for yourself as it doesn’t feel like you’ve lost much by buying one because scratchies are so affordable. Now scratchcards have become bigger than ever with the rise of the world wide web. Most people nowadays prefer playing scratchies online because:
- You can decide when, where and how you would like to scratch without having to go to a shop and worry about it’s opening times.
- It’s far more environmental friendly, no need for all those paper scratchies going to waste, it’s a double win for you, jackpot winner and environment enthusiast!
- The scratchie cards winnings online are HUGE.
The Internet Lotto websites offer scratchies to anyone who’s willing to settle that itch. The lotto websites offer a wide range of scratchies that are licensed by the government to make sure that the scratchies players and the lotto companies are protected. The lotto companies are earning so much money now being online as the scratchcard players can play whenever they want, no need to rush to the shop anymore as you can go online. Simply go onto your favourite lotto website and pick a scratchcard to get going, and if your luck wasn’t on your side that time, then you can play again and again and again…. You know how it works.
The beauty with playing a scratchcard is that you get an instant result along with being able to play them at anytime instead of waiting for you your “once a week” results via the standard lottery game.
You would think that there’s only one type of scratchcard but no, there are numerous different kind of scratchies games and various denominations. By having this wide range of choice you as a scratchies player can choose a game that you like and can afford. The themes and prizes continuously change so you will never be bored. Although the themes and prizes are different the gameplay is pretty much the same, so you don’t need to worry about learning anything new if a different prize or theme interests you.
For those who haven’t played scratchies, you will most likely scratch the card using a coin or perhaps a key. What you are looking to do is to reveal special numbers, keywords, symbols or to complete some sort of puzzle that have identical combinations to win your big prize.
Sometimes the scratchcards are more complex and come with a several games options to get more chances of winning for the losing scratchies holders. Always hold onto these cards if you buy one because regardless if you win or not, the second game could be hiding a double win! How fantastic would that be?
Surprisingly, sometimes the winning combinations can be slightly confusing for the scratchies holder that have chosen to play a scratchcard with pictorial symbols. Once a scratchies player took the lotto company to court for the confusing symbols and lack of explanation if they had won or not. In the end, it was a win for the scratchies player as they ended up taking home an amount of 100,000 thousand dollars.
In the end of the day, if you are unsure then go to the vender and ask for help as they should know the “ins and the outs” on if it’s a win or a lose. But be careful, there have been cases where the scratchies holder have had a win and the vendor has told the scratchcard holder that it’s a lose so they themselves could benefit from the price. This is why it’s always best to ask a close relative or a friend who might be more familiar with the scratchies rules to avoid any disappointment or trickery. The vendors nowadays have a machine where they scan the scratchcard for you, so you know if they’re telling the truth or not. Avoid buying scratchcards from vendors that lack the scratchies machine that determines if you’ve won.
If you have managed to grab yourself a winning scratchcard then all you need to is to go to a reliable vendor that will redeem the scratchcard for cash or for new scratchcards. If the cash amount that you’ve won is a jackpot then you might have to contact the state lottery to collect your winning amount. Remember to always sign your scratchies card ticket so no one can trick you into thinking the winning ticket isn’t yours.
Playing scratchies online works in a similar way accept that online the lottery website uses a standard click or touchscreen (if you’re using your mobile phone) method to get scratching. To start playing scratchies online instead of going to a vendor all you need to is to register online with your favourite lottery website. Once you’ve registered an account with the online lottery company you’ll normally find a category called “other casino games” where the scratchcards are hiding. Even though the scratchies are very popular they still don’t get the same attention as some casino games like slots and other table games so you might have to search through some “sub categories” to find the scratch games online.
Scratch games will also allow you to play them in “free play mode” so you know if the scratch game is to your liking before deciding to pay for one. Online scratchcard games also allow you to pick the size of your scratchcard before playing. When you’ve picked your scratchcard and denomination, you hit the “new card” button and a brand new scratchies card will be generated just for you.
There are two ways to play your scratchies game online. One way to reveal your winnings is to use the mouse to “scratch” your card, the second option is to press the button that will instantly tell you if you’re a winner or not. It’s simply up to you how you would like to play, one day you might want to build up the excitement by using the mouse yourself to scratch your card whilst another day you might just want to instantly find out if you’ve won or not.
The recommended way to play by the gaming authority is to pace yourself by scratching the card yourself. This way you don’t lose too much money by quickly buying another one, you should always enjoy your gameplay. The good thing by playing a scratchcard online is that the computer will tell you if you’re a winner or loser so you don’t need to be worried about getting scammed from a vendor.
The thought of being the next million dollar winner is one of the most exciting thoughts to have. In the midst of trying to attain a “normal” lifestyle, the scratchies cards has us dreaming of a possible life with royal treatments.
According to a Roy Morgan study, buying a lottery ticket or a scratchcard is one of the most popular ways to gamble in Australia. Let us take a look at some of the biggest Aussie scratchies wins:
| Date | Jackpot | Winners |
| August 2018 | $100 million | 2 |
| August 2018 | $70 million | 2 |
| January 2018 | $55 million | 1 |
| July 2017 | $50 million | 3 |
| June 2017 | $40 million | 1 |
| August 2016 | $40 million | 2 |
| January 2016 | $70 million | 1 |
| August 2015 | $60 million | 3 |
| July 2015 | $50 million | 1 |
| May 2015 | $50 million | 1 |
| August 2014 | $70 million | 2 |
| December 2013 | $70 million | 1 |
| November 2012 | $111 million | 4 |
| July 2009 | $80 million | 2 |
| June 2009 | $106 million | 2 |
The study showed that in 2018 over half of the Aussies (10.6m people) over the legal gambling age, gambled in some form. Out of the 10.6m people, 7.7m Australians bought a scratchies card in hope to win the big bucks.
It’s great how we have such a strong belief in winning when gambling considering we have a better chance of being struck by lightning so when you think about it, we can’t only be coming back for the jackpot but for the fun and love of gambling.
How much are Aussies spending on their scratchies cards? You would think it’s a lot but no, Australians have proven that you don’t have to “break your bank” to gamble and have fun in hope of winning. Even though scratchies cards are a more popular form than any other gambling, the spend is considerably lower than lets say poker machines that take up around 60% of Aussies overall gambling amount. The research has also shown that the scratchies card fans tend to spend on average 100 AUD on draws where the jackpot was higher. On days where the jackpot was not as high, the scratchies players would spend 10 AUD or even less than 5 AUD.
Who plays this lovely gambling game one might wonder? This is what the Roy Morgan study source says:
| Quarterly Purchase on Scratchcards | |
| Age Groupe | % of participants |
| 18-24 | 12.6% |
| 25-34 | 27.2% |
| 35-49 | 39.2% |
| 50-64 | 55.6% |
| 65+ | 50.7% |
| Average total | 39.9% |
Gambling was invented as a game to have fun with but unfortunately like anything in life, people can get very addicted to gambling. People who already have addictive behaviour should avoid gambling as addiction can be easily transferred from one addiction to another. Addictive gambling has disastrous consequences on your personal life and household finances. There are cases when gambling addicts have taken out mortgages on their homes or gambled away their life savings. Behaviour like this can be lifethreatning as gambling addicts can even develop suicidal thoughts because there have been cases where they’ve lost their families due to their risky play.
Luckily, the gambling regulators and the casino/lottery companies always work hard to avoid this from happening by following strict rules and an addictive behavioural pattern that warns them early on someone that might quite possibly have a gambling problem. Due to this brilliant system many gambling companies have stopped this kind of behaviour from spiraling and made sure these players have gotten help in their early stages of addiction.
The Melbourne Institute made a study in 2017 where the pin-pointed four categories of addictive gambling behaviour:
- Non-problem Gambling
- Low Risk Gambling
- Problem Gambling
Out of the “problem gamblers” the study shows that 1.5% are men and 0.8% are women. If a relative or a friend shows any signs of a gambling addiction or if you feel like you might be affected, don’t hesitate to call or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au confidential talk.