FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions - Scratch

Scratch

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How can I tell if my Scratch game has expired?

Players have 180 days after a game has ended to claim a Scratch prize. In order to determine if your game is still valid, go to the Scratch section of this Web site and click on "All Current Games." If your game is listed there, it is still valid. Games that have ended will have a "Last Day to Claim" listed under the game. You can also check here: http://www.coloradolottery.com/documents/retailer_forms/uploads/ScratchUpdate.pdf

How can I find out how many top prizes remain in a Scratch game?

You can find this information on the Colorado Lottery's Web site in the Scratch game top prizes remaining section or you can ask any Colorado Lottery retailer for a Scratch Game Top Prizes Remaining report, which is available on their terminal.

Where can I find information on winners on your Web site?

Information on winners can be found listed under the "Winners" section of our Web site.

Where do I find Second Chance Drawing information?

Click here.

If the odds for a Scratch game are 1 in 4, why don't I win if I buy four tickets?

The odds of winning Scratch games vary. If the odds of winning in a game is 1 in 4, this doesn't necessarily mean that if four tickets are purchased, one would be a winner. Odds are based on the total number of tickets available for sale in a game, not on an individual purchase.

How are Scratch tickets distributed?

Our Scratch tickets are produced and distributed in a completely random, double-blind system. First, prizes are scattered randomly throughout the entire run of the ticket. No one at the Lottery, or the printer, knows where the winning tickets are placed - that is generated through a random number generation system. Next, the tickets are shipped to our warehouses for distribution. Tickets are randomly pulled from the entire ticket run and shipped to random retailers. There is no rhyme or reason to the ticket distribution. So, randomly placed prizes are randomly distributed to random retailers. We have no way of knowing where the winning tickets are shipped or where they will show up. The reason it seems as though some locations have more winners is simply a matter of sales - if more tickets are purchased in the Denver Metro Area, it would follow that a commensurate number of winners would be located in the Denver Metro Area - and those retailers who sell a lot of tickets will have a greater likelihood of getting a pack with a winner in it just because they sell that many more tickets and have to replace them with new packs of tickets.

I bought x number of tickets in a row and didn’t hit one winner. How can you say the odds advertised on your tickets are accurate?

We’re sorry to hear that didn’t have better luck with your ticket purchases. Please keep in mind that odds listed on our tickets apply to the entire universe of tickets, not individual purchases. The odds also include break-even prizes. Your non-winning tickets may be eligible for one of our second-chance drawings, which provides another shot at the top prize. For a listing of games that include second-chance drawings and information on how to enter, follow this link or paste it into your browser: https://www.coloradolottery.com/index.cfm/ID/55/Second-Chance-Drawings/

Can citizens receive sample void Scratch tickets from the Lottery?

No. Ticket printing costs prevent the Lottery from making sample or void tickets available to players.

Roxy Huber, Executive Director