How To Play Scratch Cards Guide 2024
Learn how to play scratch cards online with our expert guide on finding the best scratch-offs for Canadian players. Our scratchies guide will help you find top-rated scratch cards and teach you how to buy tickets, play for instant cash prizes as well as how to choose the best tickets for you.
Our Canadian scratch-off experts have created a guide filled with winning strategies, tips and tricks. While playing scratch cards online is purely for entertainment and based on luck, you can win some epic prizes if you choose the right cards. So let’s get started!
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How To Play Scratch Cards
To start playing scratch cards online, you need to register with an online casino that offers this lottery-like game. So, the first step is to choose a reputable casino. You can choose any of our recommended casinos and create an account. Once you have made a deposit, you can purchase a scratch card of your choice.
You will then need to scratch the card using your cursor or click the ‘scratch’ option on the screen, which automatically scratches the card. After this action, a string of symbols is revealed. Should you have a winning combination, you’ll be allowed to claim a prize. Prizes can be in the form of real money or casino prizes such as merchandise, free spins or big jackpots.
The process of figuring out whether your scratch card has winning symbols is much easier when playing online than using a physical scratch-off. This is why many gamblers go through several scratch cards in one session.
Pro tip: When purchasing a scratch card, always check the variance. Scratch cards either have low or high variance, and this relates to the payout. So, low variance cards have lower payouts or smaller prizes, whereas high variance scratchies have higher payouts. Of course, higher variance tickets are slightly more expensive, but the choice is up to you. You need to decide if you want to spend smaller sums of money to achieve smaller wins or work towards a large jackpot.
How to Claim Your Scratch Card Prizes
Claiming your scratch card prizes online is a quick and easy process. Upon registering your account, you will have made a deposit using one of the many casino banking options available. Once you have made real money winnings from your scratch-offs, the funds will be credited into your casino account. You can then withdraw your funds using the same banking method or a different one. The choice is entirely yours. If you have won prizes such as merchandise or free tickets to the next ice hockey game, for example, you will need to contact customer services.
Which Scratch-offs Have The Best Odds?
As mentioned earlier, variance plays a large role when selecting scratch tickets. Variance is closely tied with the odds of each card. We have created a quick table that can help you understand the odds of different types of tickets. These are based on hypothetical ticket prices and prizes and also outlined the expected odds.
| Ticket Type | Top Prize | Odds of Winning a Prize | Odds of Winning a Prize |
| CA$1 | CA$1,000 | 1 in 70,000 | 1 in 4 |
| CA$2 | CA$25,000 | 1 in 825,000 | 1 in 4 |
| CA$4 | CA$50,000 | 1 in 600,000 | 1 in 4 |
| CA$5 | CA$100,000 | 1 in 666,667 | 1 in 4 |
| CA$6 | CA$300,000 | 1 in 600,000 | 1 in 4 |
| CA$10 | CA$500,000 | 1 in 500,000 | 1 in 4 |
| CA$15 | CA$1,000,000 | 1 in 1,500,000 | 1 in 3 |
| CA$20 | CA$200,000 | 1 in 300,000 | 1 in 2 |
You should note that when getting involved in playing scratch cards online, there is no way to improve the odds of specific scratch cards. As a player, you must assess the game and choose a scratch card that matches your desire of risk.
For example, you see that a CA$1 ticket shares the same odds of a CA$6 ticket, a 1 in 4 chance. The difference is the expected prize. You need to decide whether you want to purchase the more expensive tickets with higher risk or vice versa.
Statistically speaking, the odds of winning any prize increases when more money is spent on a scratch-off. Therefore, we suggest saving up your cash to purchase more expensive tickets where your chances for an increased payout is greater.
Advantages of Real Money Scratch Cards
Real money scratch cards are common among Canadian players as there is a great variety of different scratch cards, and it is a good way to pass the time between other real money casino games. Apart from the convenience and thrill of it all, online scratch cards have other advantages such as:
Easy Gameplay: Scratch cards are not complex to figure out and do not include several rules that you need to learn. It does not require any knowledge or skills, which is why players enjoy them
Small Investment: You do not need to use large sums of money to start playing scratch cards online. Tickets start from as little as CA$1 per round.
Opportunities to Win Big: You can win some great prizes when playing scratch cards virtually. Casinos like offering big rewards and jackpots for scratch card players.
Other How To Play Guides
Learn how to play different online casino games thanks to our Canadian gambling experts at CasinosOnline-Canada. Become a pro at table games, lottery games and slots:
How To Play Scratch Cards FAQs
To determine whether you have a winning ticket, you need to have a string of the same symbols. Winning symbols are shown to you on the screen. After your card has been scratched, you will see a line across several symbols, which means you have won a prize.
Yes. Random number generators are used to create the winning sequences for virtual scratch cards. This is also why it is impossible to cheat the system.
The price of the ticket you are willing to buy is dependent on your bankroll. If you can afford to buy the more expensive tickets with the higher payout, then go for it. As a strategy, we would suggest starting off with lower-priced tickets to help build your funds and then moving over to more expensive ones.
The following games have the best overall odds for Canadian players: 200X, Ultimate Millions, and Pac-Man Scratchers.
Some say that this is the best way of increasing your odds. We know that others have been successful with the method of purchasing ten or more tickets for the same game, but we do not think it is the best way forward. This is because online casinos use RNG systems to generate tickets and winning numbers.
The choice is yours. You can scratch the card using your cursor or select ‘scratch,’ and the game will do it automatically.