Gone are the days where you had to drive across town to a gas Sportsbook or convenience store to pick up your scratch cards, break opens and lotto tickets. Nowadays you can purchase and play scratch off cards from anywhere, simply by using your mobile phone or desktop computer. That’s right, just like almost everything these days, you can buy scratch off tickets online, too.
Here at Odds Shark, we love playing online scratch tickets. They offer players a fun little break with a chance to win lots of real money. Want to know more about playing scratch cards online? Keep reading!
What are Online Scratch Cards?
If you’re familiar with regular paper-based scratch cards, also known as scratchers or scratch tickets, online scratch cards work on the same basic principles.
In most games you’re given a key (or legend) with symbols and a game area with corresponding symbols. Both the game area and legend are covered with an opaque film. The symbols in the legend are revealed by scratching away that film.
You then locate the matching symbol in the game area and scratch that off as well. In order to win, you either have to reveal a certain set of characters or make a specific pattern in the game area.
Some games only require you to scratch off certain portions of the game (like a word search or crossword), while others require you to scratch the whole card.
With online scratch cards, instead of a lucky penny, you use your mouse or the end of your finger to do the scratching. Some games even use the various vibrating features of your smartphone to simulate the feeling of really scratching a ticket. Pretty cool, huh?
How To Play Scratch Cards Online
Playing scratch cards online is really easy once you get set up to do so. You simply pick a game and scratch the symbols. The challenging part is actually finding a good place to purchase tickets. There are many factors to consider.
Most sites will require you to create an account before you play, which means you have to give them your personal information. If you intend to play scratch cards online for real money (which most people do) they may also require you to make an initial deposit in order to try out their games. In order to play scratch cards online, you have to first find a safe and reputable site to play at.
Not all casinos offer the opportunity to play scratch cards online, so you may have to look around a bit before you find a good one. Rest assured, however, that the casinos which appear on the above list are all excellent options. When we review online casinos we look for the following:
- Reputation. We want to know if the casino has a good reputation in the industry. There are a lot of bad properties out there, so this is the first thing we look at.
- Safety and Security. Next, we make sure the casino has the latest in security technology to keep your personal information safe. We also want to see a top-notch customer service team.
- Deposit Options. It’s simple. If you want to play for real money, you have to be able to easily deposit funds into your account. The best casinos will offer multiple ways for you to deposit your money including major credit cards and eWallets like PayPal.
- Bonuses and Promotions. We love a good casino bonus. The best casinos will have always have a lucrative welcome bonus, a great loyalty program, VIP treatment and more promos than you can shake a stick at. Just be mindful of the wagering requirements (but we look at those, too).
- Withdrawal Speeds. When you win, you want your money fast. The casinos on our list all have the best withdrawal times. Depending on the method you choose you could have your winnings within the hour or less.
- Game Selection. The last thing a casino site wants is for you to get bored. That’s why all the leading casinos have first-rate games and lots of them. That way, if you get sick of playing scratch cards online but you like the casino, you can always try out slots or live dealer games to pass the time instead.
Once you’ve selected the casino you want to play at, you simply have to sign up for an account, make your first deposit and select the game you’d like to play from their scratch games menu and follow the game instructions. The only hard part is choosing the game you’d like to play. We make a few recommendations further down the page.
Playing Online Scratch Cards for Real Money
When you play scratch cards in real life, you do it for the chance to win real money, of course. It’s no different with online scratch cards.
As we mentioned above, many casino sites allow you to play scratch off games for real money. You can play all sorts of real money scratch games in almost every possible theme. Just be mindful you’re playing at a safe and reputable site.
Of course, there are pros and cons to playing for free vs. real money. When you play for free, you’re playing just for the fun of it. This is a great way to try a bunch of different games without investing any of your hard-earned cash. The only downside is, if you happen to get a big win, you don’t get to withdraw the winnings to your bank account.
A lot of people are content to play this way, but many others want to play for real money. Playing online scratch cards for real money requires real risk, but the payoff could be huge (think life-changing).
Real Money vs. Free Online Scratch Cards
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages to playing online scratch cards for free vs. real money:
Playing Online Scratch Cards for Free
- Have a little fun with no risk to your gambling account
- Try out games to see if you like them before you wager
- Possibly a limited selection of free games or a time limit
- You don’t get to withdraw any winnings
Playing Online Scratch Cards for Real Money
- Have the chance to win real money
- Unlock a broader selection of games
- There’s a bit of risk involved since you’re playing with actual cash
- You have to find a reputable casino site (don’t worry, we can help)
The Best Online Scratch Card Games
Online scratch games give a bit of a different experience than paper scratch tickets. Top software developers have designed the games to be fun and interactive with great graphics and fun sound effects. Of course, they have to have a great RTP% (return to player percentage), too. Here are our team’s picks for the top three online scratch card games you can play online today:
Merlin’s Millions
As you may have guessed, this game has a medieval King Arthur theme. Play along with the King and his trusty magical sidekick, Merlin. It’s an easy game to get the hang of. All you need to do is scratch the nine game panels. If you find three identical symbols, you win!
We love it for it’s nice design and even nicer RTP%. This game has one of the highest at 95.17% and a huge jackpot of more than $250,000.
Lucky Numbers
This game isn’t the most exciting online scratch card on the market, but we like it for its classic flavour and great RTP of 96.5%. It’s also from Microgaming, which is one of the top game software developers in the world. They’re known for producing top-level games that really pack in the fun.
With this game you can accomplish what you can’t do with paper scratch cards, which is unlock multipliers that increase your chances to win. This makes it a bit of a scratch card/slot game hybrid. What will Microgaming come up with next?
Wish Upon a Jackpot
Fans of Shrek will love this scratch game. In it you’ll find a cast of loveable characters like Puss n Boots, a gingerbread man and even a friendly ogre. This is another offering with bonus games. Two, in fact!
Click the magic orbs to reveal the hidden secrets. If you discover three matching symbols, you win! With an RTP% of 96.06%, that might happen sooner than later.