About Serious Scratchers
Data-driven tools for smarter lottery play.
Our Mission
Millions of Americans buy scratch-off tickets every week, but almost nobody checks the odds first. State lotteries publish detailed prize data — how many tickets were printed, how many prizes remain at each tier, overall odds — but it's buried in hard-to-read PDFs and clunky web pages.
Serious Scratchers turns that raw data into clear, actionable rankings. We calculate expected value, track prize availability, and score every game so you can make informed decisions about which tickets to buy — and which to skip.
Data Sourcing
All of our data comes directly from official state lottery websites. We run automated scrapers that pull prize tier information — remaining counts, original counts, prize amounts, and odds — on a nightly or daily basis depending on the state.
We never estimate or fabricate data. If a state doesn't publish certain information (like total tickets printed), we note that transparently in our metrics rather than guessing.
Methodology
Each game is ranked using a composite score that weighs current return rate, probability of large wins, game health, and other proprietary signals. Scores are normalized within each price tier and state so rankings reflect what's currently on sale, not historical games. Paid members can choose from four ranking modes tailored to different play styles.
For full details on our scoring formula and what each metric means, see How It Works.
Disclaimer
Serious Scratchers is an independent data analysis service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any state lottery commission or organization. We do not sell lottery tickets. All lottery data is sourced from publicly available information on official state lottery websites. Scratch-off tickets are a form of gambling — our rankings help inform decisions but do not guarantee any outcome. Please play responsibly.