About Serious Scratchers

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 scans 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.

Who Builds This

Serious Scratchers is independently built and run by me, Benjamin Garner. I write the scrapers that pull prize data off every state lottery site each night, I built the scoring that ranks the games, and when you email support, I'm the one who answers. And the math is just math.

I've had some version of this idea in my head since I was a kid. As an adult I got tired of the insane odds stacked against me in lotto and draw games, so I made the switch to scratchers. Then I noticed the states publish everything: how many tickets were printed, how many prizes are left, which games are already picked clean. It's just buried in PDFs nobody reads at the counter. Building the thing that reads them seemed obvious.

Every number on this site is something I can explain, and I stand behind all of it. Scratchers are fun for me. I hope they're fun for you too. You can reach me at ben@seriousscratchers.com.