Scratch Cards Terminology: A Complete Glossary

Online scratch cards can now boast more variety, interaction and fun than was ever available in the purely physical cards. This brings with it a greater degree of complexity and more specific terminology than a lot of us may be used to. However, in this guide we will explain what all these words mean so that you can fully understand what is going on when playing scratch cards.

Essentially the basics of a scratch card remain the same as they ever where, a number of covered symbols are on the card and the player must remove the covering to see if they have won. Whereas before you might have used a coin or your nail, now it is your keyboard and mouse that does the job. What is new is that with most online scratch cards you can now bet variable amounts, meaning that you can tailor the amount you spend to suit your budget. The use of modern games programming also allows for a greater variety of styles and branding and also animations and sound effects to bring the most immersive gaming experience. Furthermore, you can easily play the games on your mobile device, meaning that they are always instantly accessible.

Scratch cards are still one of the simplest, easiest and fastest games on the market with no complicated skills or techniques to learn and we hope that this guide will help you to get the most out of them and ensure that you are fully equipped to understand the intricacies and details of what they offer.

B

Bonus Game – An additional play area on some scratch cards offering extra opportunities to win. It might be that the bonus game is only available if the player has won the main or primary game, or it may be offered to all players regardless of the result in the main game.

D

Download-Based Online Scratch Card – This is a form of scratch card for which the user first has to download an application and install it on their device. Once installed the app will then connect to the online scratch card provider.

H

House Edge – This term refers to the percentage of money wagered over a long period of time that is not returned to players as winnings. Essentially this is the percentage of money spent by players that is kept as profit.

J

Jackpot – This is the maximum possible prize a player can win on a scratch vard. With physical scratch cards the jackpot is usually only on one of the cards printed in a run. For online scratch cards the likelihood of winning the jackpot will be shown in the paytable.

L

Layout – This refers to how the different sections of the card are presented. Usually a scratch card will have the symbols laid out in a grid pattern but they can also be displayed in a number of different patterns and shapes.

Lines – Some scratch cards offer multiple games on one card with each of these games being referred to as a line. Each line on the card operates almost as if it were a separate game in its own right with its own payout. Before purchasing the card simply select how many lines you wish to play.

M

Max Bet – This is the maximum amount that a player is able to bet on a single scratch or round.

Min Bet – This is the smallest amount that a player can bet on a single scratch or round.

O

Odds – This refers to the amount a player would win based on the amount wagered. They are often shown as a ratio such as five to one. This means that for every €1 bet the player would receive €5 in winnings. The better the odds the more a player stands to win.

Online Scratch Ticket – This is a scratch card that can be played online either through a browser or an app. Because they don’t have the same physical limitations as printed scratch cards they can contain extra bonus features and winnings can be collected instantly.

P

Paytable – The paytable lists the financial information about that particular card such as the payouts that are up for grabs, and possibly the RTP, Min Bet and Max Bet.

Play Caption – These are letters or words usually shown underneath the play symbols to describe what the play symbols mean.

Play Symbol – This refers to the symbols shown on the scratch card once the scratch panel has been scratched off.

Printed Scratch Ticket – The traditional form of scratch cards found in shops, these are physically printed on card with the scratch panel made of latex, paint or plastic, which is then rubbed off with a coin or fingernail.

Prize Symbol – This refers to whichever of the Play Symbols needs to be revealed in order for the player to win a prize.

Prize Tier – Some Scratch Cards will have tiers of prizes with the top tier being the jackpot. The top tier prizes are higher but with lower odds of winning, whereas players are more likely to win prizes at the lower tiers but these prizes are smaller.

R

RTP – An acronym for Return to Player. This is the percentage of money spent on a particular scratch player that is returned to players. In regards to online scratch cards, it is calculated over a huge number of rounds. For example, if a scratch card has an RTP of 96%, then for every €100 bet, €96 is returned to players.

S

Scratch – The action of revealing what is on the scratch panel. For online cards this is done with either the keyboard/mouse or by clicking a button, or sometimes happens automatically.

Scratch Panel – The part of a scratch card that is removed to reveal the symbols. On a store bought card this will be a layer of paint or latex that has to be physically scratched off but with an online card it is removed with the mouse or by clicking a button.

Scratchie – A slang term for a scratch card or scratch ticket.

W

Wager – Another term for bet. This is the amount spent by the player on the card. Typically the higher the wager then the greater the possible prize. Many scratch cards have a fixed bet amount but some cards give several options for the bet amount. The higher the amount bet then the greater the return in winnings.

Web-Based Online Scratch Card – A scratch card that can be played through a browser without the need to download any extra software. A player simply needs to access their account and can then play using several different devices, such as desktop computers or smartphones.