Scratch card tickets, also known as scratchies, scratchers, or instant win games, have exciting origins. These instant lottery games were invented during the 1970s by Daniel Bawer and John Koza. These gentlemen perfected a novel method of concealing random symbols with a scratch-off silver coating on the cards.

Scratch card games go by the nomenclature instant win games because they offer instant rewards to players. It’s the type of entertainment attraction that provides instant gratification when players reveal winning symbols beneath the silver coating. Initially, scratchers were only available in paper card format. This was the case for decades. Then came the digital boom, and scratch cards became a worldwide sensation.

How Scratch Cards First Took the World By Storm

Nowadays, there are more scratch and win games than you can shake a stick at. They’re incredibly popular because they are engaging, immersive, and interactive. Players feel that their physical or virtual scratching of spaces on the cards has a magical effect on the symbols hiding below. Of course, all physical scratch cards are pre-printed. RNGs randomly determine which cards are winners when batches are produced in the thousands.

It may be a percentage of every batch or a mega batch. It all depends on how high or low the scratch card providers set their figures. If 10% of all scratch cards are winners, an even smaller percentage of those scratch card-winning tickets may be mega-winning tickets. Regardless, these are fun-filled entertainment options for players.

We already know that John Koza conceived the idea behind scratch cards in the 1970s. Lottery-style systems inspired these games. But unlike lotteries, scratch card tickets offer instant prizes. When you purchase a scratch card from the supermarket, a lottery ticket provider, or play an online scratch card game, you know immediately whether you have won a prize.

In other words, you don’t have to wait for the weekly or monthly lottery draw. The United States patented the scratch-off concept whereby a film is placed over alphanumeric symbols on scratch card tickets.

From Supermarkets to Screens: The Digital Card Boom

The meteoric popularity of scratch card games took off in the 1980s. Thanks to John Kosa’s ingenious concept, a multitude of lottery commissions across the world adopted this form of entertainment. It wasn’t until 1985 that the continental United States introduced an official lottery system involving scratch cards. Many other countries followed soon thereafter. The 1990s were characterized by massive and unprecedented fanfare around instant games. It was a veritable global sensation.

Then came the paradigm shift, and it was phenomenal: virtual gaming platforms began offering online scratch card games. Players across the board discovered this fancy way to play lottery-style games. And the evolution continued unabated with the introduction of social casinos. Now, it’s possible to enjoy authentic Vegas-style scratch card games for free, with all the thrills and expectations of traditional scratch card tickets.

The only difference is that social casino scratch card games don’t involve real money. They are fun-play, free-play entertainment extravaganzas. Judging by the widespread adoption of social casino gaming, it’s fair to say that scratch card tickets rank among the preferred instant-win attractions.

This begs the question: How do you play scratch cards? The answer is a lot easier than you might expect- without complicated T&Cs:

• Choose a scratch card ticket that you want to play. There are traditional paper scratch cards and online scratch cards. To try your luck for free, learn the rules and play social casino scratch card games.
• Scratch off the ticket’s silver coating either physically or virtually. It’s just as much fun online when you scratch to reveal hidden symbols individually.
• Now comes the fun part! Match your revealed symbols with the winning symbols on the scratch card ticket. For example, three bicycles might be the maximum prize.
• Collect your rewards if you have a winning ticket. These could be virtual gold coins at a social casino (use these virtual coins to play all your favorite social casino games) or other prizes with lottery-style games at a kiosk.

Of course, scratch card games come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are little itty-bitty tickets, and others are super-sized tickets with varying rewards. Generally speaking, you can expect four different types of scratch card tickets, notably:

• Classic scratchies
• Multiplier scratch card games
• Interactive scratch card tickets
• Progressive jackpot scratch card games

Why Online Scratch Games Are Gaining More Fans

Now that we’re in the digital age, many more people are switching to online scratch card games. It’s sensible, and it’s also the most convenient way to play. Simply log into your favorite social casino and play scratch card games.

Online scratch card games are a lot more fun than paper scratch card games because they are interactive with audiovisual overlays, 3D animation, and exciting gameplay. Still, some people prefer the tactile pleasures of holding cardboard scratch card tickets, and taking a coin or a key, and removing the silver film over the blocks.

It’s your call. There aren’t any specific strategies to play scratch card games, but you might want to pick multiple cards and have lots of fun with social scratchies. If nothing else, they teach you how to play these games with hands-on instruction, and you can score virtual gold coins in the process. When you have an itch to scratch, scratch card games are your winning ticket!