Scratch Off Lotto Tickets-Good deal or Not?

Scratch off lottery tickets are very popular with lottery players. Some of the prizes offered are substantial and players can find out instantly if they have won a prize. Scratch off lottery tickets come in various prices and generally the higher the ticket price the larger the top prize is. There are $1 tickets, $2 and some states even sell $10 and $20 dollar scratch off lottery tickets. Some of the more expensive scratch off tickets have fantastic prizes like New York's $1,000,000.00 A Year for Life. Because of their low price and better odds compared to mega jackpot games like Powerball and mega Millions scratch off lotto tickets are extremely popular with regular lottery players. Recent trends point to more expensive scratch cards with jackpots typically in the millions of dollars.

In the past scratch cards were mainly purchased by impulse buyers but with the advent of higher priced cards and large jackpots many lottery experts are researching the odds for various scratch off games. Some state lotteries post the odds for scratch off games to help market scratch off lotto games. Some online casinos also offer virtual scratch off games powered by flash and java technology to simulate offline scratch off games.

Scratch off games have their detractors too. Recently one blogger pointed out that New Jersey was still selling $20 scratch off tickets after all the prizes have been won. The blogger points out, "The six top prizes were awarded months ago, but the $20 tickets are still on sale, the best prize available today is $10,000." In New Jersey a player who spends $20 on a scratch off ticket for this particula5r has a zero chance of winning any prize. Many other states are coming under fire for doing the exact same thing; selling scratch off tickets after all the prizes have been awarded.

Almost half of the states that have lotteries continue to sell scratch off tickets after all the top prizes have been awarded. States that have engaged in this practice include Florida, New Jersey, Michigan and Tennessee. In contrast some states like California, New York, Massachusetts end scratch off games when all the prizes have been awarded. Some states ended the practice of selling scratch off tickets with no chance of winning only after lawsuits were filed. The resulting publicity forced states to change the way scratch off games were run. Any lotto player who is considering the purchase of one of the higher priced scratch off tickets may want to do a little research first.