Play online scratch cards for instant wins

Scratchcards are instant win games which usually involve revealing numbers or symbols by ‘scratching’ off the covering. They are simpler and easier to play than slots and table games.

Even though online scratchcards are digital, you can still use the mouse or your fingertip to wipe away the overlay and reveal the stuff underneath.

Alternatively, you can press the 'Reveal All' button to jump forward and learn if you’ve won a prize. Some games have very basic 'match a number' rules, while others like Ted Big Money have multiple games and the chance to trigger the well-known bonus feature from the Ted online slot.

Scratch games are a fairly new addition to online casinos, and only currently available from a small selection of providers. At the most recent count, PlayOJO has roughly 60 scratch cards in the UK, though we're adding more every month.

The return to player for UK scratch cards is generally lower than it is for online slots, with scratch card RTPs ranging from 70% to 90%. As a general rule, the bigger the top prize, the lower the RTP.

Because of their link to incredible popular online slots, Blueprint Gaming’s King Kong Cash Scratchcard and Fishin’ Frenzy Scratchcard are two of the most popular scratch games online. You can play both at PlayOJO from 10p per card, and you’ll get money back on every card with no strings attached.

Let's take Lucky Number X16 scratch game as an example. The game costs £3 to play, and if you match any of the winning numbers, you win a prize. In every 6.75 million cards, the game is programmed to pay out 1 X £250k prize, 7 x £40k prizes, 14 x £20k prizes and so on, all the way down to 1.68 million x £1.50 prizes.

By adding up all of the prizes from the rules, we know that 44% of cards will win a prize, or 1 in every 2.25 cards will be winning scratch cards, on average.

Many scratch cards have top prizes of over £50,000, and because cards can cost less than £3 to play, you don't need to be a high roller to have the chance to win these big prizes. The Ted Big Money scratch game has a 50,000x max win, while DOND What's In Your Box is one of several scratchcards connected to the Jackpot King progressive jackpot, which often has over £2m up for grabs.

Another with a large top prize is Lucky Number X16, a £3 card with a top prize of £250,000. Gold Rush also has a £250,000 top prize, and Wolf Gold Scratch Game has a £1 million top prize.

Not every scratchcard has a demo, but at PlayOJO, many of the top UK scratch card games have free versions, including Age of the Gods, Aztec Gold Mines, Blitz Scratch, Empire Treasures, Fruity Flurry and It's Bananas. You’ll need to create a PlayOJO account to play free scratchcards online. Once you’ve logged in, head to the Scratch Cards section and look for the Try For Free option in the individual game panel. When you’re ready to play for real money, you can buy scratch cards online from as little as 10p.