Can you guess today's word?
Scratchcards — From the Corner Shop to Your Phone
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We've all done it. Stood at the counter for your lotto ticket, spotted the scratchcards by the till, and thought, go on then it's just two quid.
That's how most of us met a scratchcard. A few pounds at the Co-op or the Tesco while you were in a queue for your lottery ticket, scratched with a two-pence piece on the walk home. A festive one in your birthday card off your nan. A little flutter you never thought of as gambling at all.
They're the same idea online — buy one, reveal it, see if you've won on the spot. No draw to wait on, no numbers to remember. Instant, which is the appeal.
I'll be honest, I've never won much on them, a few quid at most. But that was never the point. It's the little moment of scratching one off and hoping — the same daft flutter, be it a paper one from the shop or a digital one on your phone.
They've been on the bingo sites a long time, too — "instants," they often call them. The early ones on Jackpotjoy were the sort I'd have a go on between games, a quick scratch for a change of pace. Part of the furniture almost as long as online bingo.
Not quite scratchcards any more
There's a catch, though. A lot of the online ones have drifted a fair way from the card you'd scratch with a coin. Less scratch-and-reveal, more spin-and-tap-to-win — flashing symbols, bonus rounds, the lot. Some barely have a scratch panel at all, and you'd struggle to tell them from the slots two clicks over. Fine, if that's what you're after — but not always what you think you're getting.
Some are still the simple sort, and those are the ones I'd point you to. But it pays to know what you're getting — a game that plays like a slot behaves like one, and it's easier to keep tapping than you'd think.
A word before you scratch
Same rule as with the slots, then. A scratchcard's a bit of fun, not a plan for the mortgage. Set a limit before you start, keep it to what you can spare, and enjoy it for what it is — a quick thrill and a maybe.
“They've been on the bingo sites a long time, too — "instants," they often call them”
And like Slingo, a lot of these instant-win games are classed as casino games rather than lottery, so they'll count towards any slots or casino limit you've set. Handy to know.
Anyway. If you fancy that scratch-and-see thrill without leaving your chair, have a scroll through the ones we like and we'll point you where to play.
Keep your two-pence pieces in your purse — you won't be needing them here.
