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N.C. Lottery to introduce $10 scratch game
North Carolina Lottery: N.C. Lottery to introduce $10 scratch game
Officials hope bigger prize will rub off on more people North Carolina will soon join the majority of state lotteries with the kind of pricey scratch-off game that has helped boost game revenue nationwide. The $10 game will begin in November, N.C. Lottery Executive Director Tom Shaheen said. North Carolina is surrounded by states selling $10 tickets. In South Carolina, $10 games have been the state's top sellers since debuting in 2004. Top prizes reach $1 million — a more lucrative purse than the usual sub-$5,000 prize on a $1 scratch-off. S.C. lottery revenues rose 20 percent this year, in part, because of the new scratch-off games. Nationally, once-lagging scratch-off ticket sales have begun outpacing games based on drawings, such as Powerball and Pick 3, according to published reports. Twenty of the 42 states with scratch-off games currently offer $10 tickets, while 15 sell $20 tickets. Texas and Connecticut pitch $30 tickets. In North Carolina, the most expensive lottery ticket — $5 — has accounted for a third of sales, second most of all the games, since the games debuted March 30. The $1, $2 and $5 games will remain. North Carolina has no definitive plans for its $10 game, though Shaheen said the top prize will exceed the $100,000 offered on a $5 ticket. "Many people see it as an investment," said Philip Cook, a lottery expert and public policy professor at Duke University. "They believe you have to spend money to make money. But to get people to spend that much, the prize needs to be something more life changing — especially to get more affluent players." South Carolina considered a $20 game last year to follow a growing national trend, but the state lottery commission took a pass because scratch-off players tend to have the lowest income. "It was too much," commission Chairman Tim Madden said. "There are a lot of things we can do to sell tickets and keep revenues high, but we try to be sensitive to everyone who might play." South Carolina didn't get a $10 scratch-off game until nearly three years after the lottery started there. North Carolina will have one just seven months after the lottery's debut. "We have an unusual situation where we have a lottery on every border," Shaheen said. "People are very familiar with lotteries and we have people asking every day, 'When are you going to have this type of stuff?' " Top Scratches Priciest current scratch-off lottery ticket and its top prize from the Southeast: | State | Highest Price | Top Prize | | North Carolina | $5 | $100,000 | | Louisiana | $10 | $200,000 | | Tennessee | $10 | $250,000 | | South Carolina | $10 | $1 million | | Virginia | $10 | $1 million | | Georgia | $10 | $2.5 million | | Kentucky | $20 | $200,000 | | West Virginia | $20 | $200,000 | | Maryland | $20 | $1 million | | Florida | $20 | $100,000 a year for life | | Texas | $30 | $3 million |
Charlotte Observer
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21 comments. Last comment 3 years ago by .
Mobile, AL and Jasper, TN United States Member #13647 April 5, 2005 1562 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 11:25 am - IP Logged |
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I've played Florida's $20 Gold Rush. It's a great game with great prizes. I've won $100 4 or 5 times. Overall odds are 1:2.9. You have a 1 in 15 shot of winning either $50 or $100. I only buy one because if you lose that's a lot of money to lose at once. (For a college student anyway). You have about 1 in 175 chance of winning $500. Those odds have me "begging" for more. LOL How are you going to win if you don't play?
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Coastal Georgia United States Member #2703 October 30, 2003 1868 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 12:17 pm - IP Logged |
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Is North Carolina going to pay lump sum ? South Carolina pays lump sum on their $10 tickets : A cool million ( less taxes ) looks better to the scratchers than 20 years of $50 K.... BTW, Georgia is annuity only. Man, I just proofread my post and I sound frighteningly like someone else we all know .....
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United States Member #12856 March 18, 2005 2060 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 1:12 pm - IP Logged |
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I'm sure it will be popular, but I don't really like to play $10 or higher scratch-off tickets.
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New Member  southern pines, nc United States Member #29156 December 22, 2005 9 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 2:24 pm - IP Logged |
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North Carolina Lottery needs a daily game badly - these scratch offs are a joke. I live here and I frequently buy scratch offs - a $50 investment will yield you about $7 dollars in winning. I've tried on a consistent basis and all I see in my winnings is $2, 5$, $7 and $10 every 50 scratch offs. I'm finished with NC lottery - I'll take my chances somewhere else. If you live in North Carolina play the South Carolina or Virginia Scratch offs their Lottery is much more stable. North Carolina is just collecting money!!!!! Genius: “One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius”
Play numbers that mean absolutely nothing to you, you'll win more!
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United States
Member #16902
June 2, 2005
3493 Posts
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| Posted: July 10, 2006, 2:39 pm - IP Logged |
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I hope these $10 scratchers in NC help boost their revenue. I hope this scratcher is lump sum. CA highest scratcher up to this point is $5.
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NC United States Member #41782 June 15, 2006 27 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 3:32 pm - IP Logged |
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North Carolina Lottery needs a daily game badly - these scratch offs are a joke. I live here and I frequently buy scratch offs - a $50 investment will yield you about $7 dollars in winning. I've tried on a consistent basis and all I see in my winnings is $2, 5$, $7 and $10 every 50 scratch offs. I'm finished with NC lottery - I'll take my chances somewhere else. If you live in North Carolina play the South Carolina or Virginia Scratch offs their Lottery is much more stable. North Carolina is just collecting money!!!!! I agree that we need a daily game. Pick 3 and/or Pick 4 would be fantastic! Will they actually do it? Who knows. I'll keep playing powerball, but I'm finished playing scratch offs.
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Amity, Oregon United States Member #3070 December 13, 2003 1193 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 4:50 pm - IP Logged |
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We have the $10 scratch-its here in Oregon and the most I have won this year on one is $50. The top prize on the ticket was $100,000. Scratch-its are just like any other game when your time is to win you will win whether you buy a lot or just one ticket.-weshar75
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North Carolina United States Member #43356 July 10, 2006 63 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 5:02 pm - IP Logged |
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North Carolina really needs a daily game. They are some of my favorites, but i guess it will take time, since the Lottery here is very new.
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United States
Member #380
June 5, 2002
11297 Posts
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| Posted: July 10, 2006, 5:10 pm - IP Logged |
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AFAIK North Carolina's payout percentage is 52% on scratch offs, which might be the lowest instant game % in the country. Would the $10 game also pay 52%?
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Raleigh, NC United States Member #41371 June 9, 2006 70 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 10, 2006, 6:44 pm - IP Logged |
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Wouldn't 52% though be better than daily pick-3 pick-4? Illinois has pick 3, 1000 possibilities, $500 prize = 50% if my math is right.
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United States
Member #380
June 5, 2002
11297 Posts
Offline
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| Posted: July 10, 2006, 7:00 pm - IP Logged |
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Wouldn't 52% though be better than daily pick-3 pick-4? Illinois has pick 3, 1000 possibilities, $500 prize = 50% if my math is right.
But people usually take their scratch wins to buy more tickets, like pumping quarters in a slot machine.
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Raleigh, NC United States Member #41371 June 9, 2006 70 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 11, 2006, 7:23 am - IP Logged |
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I'm pretty sure pick-3 winners keep playing pick-3 too.
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north carolina/virginia United States Member #2134 August 17, 2003 53 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 11, 2006, 8:50 am - IP Logged |
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I agree with Lottogenius, and alot of people in my community(here in NC) agree, these scratch off tickets are not producing any good winners, alot of people are talking about how you can't win anything but 2.00 3.00 or Ticket. I can't see putting 10.00 on a ticket feeling the way I do about these scratch offs. Seems to me by looking at the NC website, there have been more winners in the powerball with NC than our own scratch tickets. To me I guess its proving that with picking your numbers you have a greater chance than waiting on the big win from a scratch ticket. Yes I am ready for the other numbers games!
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Raleigh, NC United States Member #41371 June 9, 2006 70 Posts Offline |
| Posted: July 11, 2006, 10:27 am - IP Logged |
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You can talk all you want about your buddies not winning anything but 2.00, 3.00 or ticket, but here's a page of nothing but winners, most with scratch off: http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/winners_board.aspx
It doesn't prove that picking your own numbers gives you a greater chance to win. 52% return is still higher than 50% return. $1000 invested in a 52% yielding SCRATCH game will yield a theoretical $520, while $1000 invested in a daily pick-3 game will yield a theoretical $500. It's just math, not voodoo. Both are extremely poor returns in any case - but that's the lottery for you, if you want better odds, drive up to Atlantic City.
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