Online scratch tickets are quite a specific branch of gambling. At first glance, they seem absolutely inconspicuous – pieces of paper with attractive design and a pleasant game principle based on the element of surprise. Although these are still gambling games, they are also something that is suitable to give to your family, friends and loved ones for various life events, holidays and similar occasions. This is definitely not the case with other gambling games. This is the fact that makes scratch tickets appear to be such a "less dangerous type of gambling game". They seem absolutely harmless. But is it really so?
Scratch tickets are a form of gambling entertainment, just like slot machines, lotteries or casino table games. But even though it is the same type of game, scratch tickets are somewhat different. As we described in the introduction to this article, scratch tickets carry the mask of a certain harmlessness. People buy them while shopping for groceries, while waiting at the post office, at a tobacco shop as part of their regular shopping,... They simply have an inconspicuous but special place in the lives of players. And it's no wonder – scratch tickets are created with thoughtful games and graphics so that they catch your eye at first glance, arouse curiosity and ideally attract you with the height of possible winnings, which is highlighted in the graphics of the given ticket so that your gaze immediately fixes on it.
It is precisely because of their pleasant appearance, simple games and promised high winnings that scratch tickets not only became a common part of the lives of many of us, but also became suitable gifts. You can simply style scratch tickets into various gift packages, bouquets or greeting cards to please your loved ones. This is something that other gambling games simply cannot offer. Giving free spins would probably not make your mom happy under the Christmas tree. But with a Black Pearl from Sazka or one of the scratch tickets from Maxy or Play Games, you will definitely bring a smile to her face.
In recent years, however, this popular form of gambling entertainment has increasingly moved into the online environment. At various lottery companies and online casinos, you increasingly come across a section with tickets, where you will find an offer of various online tickets. Why is this happening?
Well, for quite logical reasons. Moving scratch tickets to the internet allows companies to save both money that would otherwise go to printing and manufacturing large quantities of tickets, as well as bring scratch tickets closer to players. As with other branches of gambling, the closer a player has a game available, the more often and more likely they will reach for it. When online tickets are so accessible, companies assume that you will buy and play some ticket more likely from the comfort of your home than you will get up and go to one of the company's sales points. And this naturally increases the earnings of the companies that bring these tickets to market.
Online scratch tickets also create no waste and thus save the company money and troubles with how to handle unwinning and especially unsold tickets that expire. The savings on production costs and possible disposal of physical tickets are reflected in online scratch tickets in both the price, which often starts at just a few crowns, and the size of jackpots, which often exceed the winnings promised on physical tickets.
Online tickets also work perfectly as an expansion of gaming options. This is well understood by online casinos, which increasingly include them in their regular gaming offerings.
After all those slot machines, which despite all their differences ultimately seem kind of the same, and table and live games, scratch tickets are what will help many players clear their head.
With scratch tickets, you don't have to think about any strategy or rules, you just buy a ticket, scratch it and immediately know whether you won or not.
As we hinted at in the point above, online scratch tickets have become in recent years one of the most accessible and fastest ways to play something uncomplicated in an online casino and immediately see the result. It is this simplicity and speed that appeals to players so much. But how do online tickets work and how is their fairness ensured?
Unlike physical tickets, where you have the result and possible winnings pre-printed under a scratch layer, with online tickets the result of each piece is determined by a random number generator. In fair online casinos, this is regularly tested and certified, ensuring fairness and unpredictability.
Although the random number generator opens up a certain possibility that winnings could be completely random, it is not. Or at least it shouldn't be.
For each online ticket there should be available a game plan, which should provide certain information about the probability of winning, the amounts of individual winnings and the number of copies issued in a given series. In the game plans of online (and physical) tickets, you will not only read what winnings a particular ticket offers, but also how many copies of a given series contain a specific winning combination.
Evaluating results is not the only thing that distinguishes online tickets from physical ones. The online environment allows ticket developers to create, in addition to more interesting graphics, also various animations, sound and interactive elements, which can turn even ordinary ticket scratching into a thrilling and much more interesting game. It is not uncommon for online tickets to include various mini-games that can bring you various smaller rewards and winnings. Thanks to these "improvements," online ticket gameplay gets a somewhat livelier character than is the case with classic physical tickets from tobacco shops and other sales outlets.
With online tickets, players can also choose whether they want to scratch the ticket slowly and uncover it gradually, or simply click to immediately display the result. This will certainly be appreciated by those who prefer faster-paced gambling. Scratching online tickets is usually very similar to traditional ticket scratching using a coin or other object. Most companies try to closely replicate the experience of classic tickets in online tickets and so with online tickets you literally "hold" a coin, which you gradually use to uncover the playing area. Or, as we already mentioned, you can quickly reveal the entire playing area with a single click.
It is precisely this speed that is one of the further differences from physical tickets, which have their charm for many players in the gradual unveiling, which for many is almost ritualistic, but they don't offer such dynamics.
From what we have described and revealed to you here about online scratch tickets, several major differences that the move of tickets to the online environment brought are certainly evident. What are the most prominent differences?
If you searched, you would certainly find more differences, but these are the biggest ones in our view. What is important to keep in mind about the differences between online and physical tickets is the fact that the differences also exist between the physical and online versions of the same ticket. Even if you buy a ticket with the same name, from the same manufacturer and possibly the same price, it is still two different products/two different games. Each of these tickets will be governed by a different game plan, will have its own payout table, its own probability of winning and the number of copies issued in a given series.
Although both online and physical scratch tickets really seem like a small harmless entertainment for a few crowns, the truth is that it is still a gambling game. This means that despite their harmless appearance, scratch tickets carry certain risks. Even more so in their online form, which is more accessible, cheaper, faster and therefore more addictive. What specifically are these risks?
In short – online tickets are still a gambling game. Regardless of the benefits and the appearance they bring to the gambling market. It is still a game that you should be careful about and be aware of the steps you take when buying and playing. Like in the entire gambling world, you should always have firmly set boundaries here that you should respect.
We already know how scratch tickets work, what the biggest differences are between physical and online scratch tickets, and we have told you something about the risks of online scratch tickets. But so we don't leave this article with just knowledge of the risks and with a negative atmosphere, let's look at the advantages that online tickets bring you.
The world of both online and physical scratch tickets goes hand in hand with various terms that you may not know from other areas of the gambling world. So you don't have to laboriously search for individual terms and wonder what they really mean, we have prepared for you at the end of our today's article a short glossary of terms.
Game plan is a mandatory document that contains all information about a given series of tickets. The game plan should contain information about the number of copies issued in the series, the price of one ticket, the winning and gaming fund, the principle of play on the given ticket and similar information.
Series is a specific sequence of a given ticket with a specific number of issued copies, a specific payout table and validity period.
Payout table is a summary of information that gives players the opportunity to get an overview of the specific amounts that can be scratched on a particular ticket. The payout table contains not only information about the amounts of winnings, but also the number of ticket copies that contain that particular winning combination.
Simultaneous wins refer to a situation where you win multiple smaller winnings in the main and secondary games on a ticket. There are tickets that allow simultaneous wins