Greetings. I am new to this forum, so forgive me if this is an old topic.
I frequently play scratch-off games in New Jersey (where I live) and New York (where I work). I am completely frustrated with the payout system of these games. Some examples:
- Caribbean Cruise Poker ($2, NJ): beat the dealer's hand in all 5 of my hands! $1.00 win for each hand ($5.00 total) for this incredible feat
- Lucky Lines ($3, NJ): completed 5 lines, $1.00 win on each line ($5.00 total); in my opinion, the odds on this game are longer than advertised (all three versions I've played over the last couple of years have been tough to beat - much more so than other scratch-offs)
- Be An Instant Millionaire ($5, NY): just this morning, uncovered a diamond (5X prize win) and uncovered $2.00 ($10.00 total win)
- Sizzling 7's ($2, NJ): found a black "7" in all 10 play areas! $1.00 win for each ($10 total)
I an go on and on. I have a gripe with seeing a dollar amount on a scratch-off ticket that is less than the price of the ticket. Why should $1.00 be a prize on a $2.00 ticket? (I know, you'll win more than once when you see $1.00, as you can't win less than the price of the ticket.)
Take my Caribbean Cruise Poker example. I would rather win $5.00 on one hand than $1.00 each on five hands. Psychologically, when you win multiple times on one ticket, you expect to be moving into "big prize" territory.
I also have written to both the NJ and NY lottery commissions (with no response), suggesting a "high stakes" scratch-off, with higher minimum payouts (e.g., $5.00 min on a $2 game, $10 on a $3 game, $20 on a $5 game, etc.). Of course, there would be more losing tickets, but winners would be more valuable. Further, you can greatly lessen, lower or eliminate the top prizes, allowing for more "mid-level" prize winnings. For example, make the top prize $1,000 - $5,000 (instead of hundreds of thousands). Most scratch-off players know they'll never win the big one, and would be happy with better odds of hitting in the $50 - 500 range (I know I would).
I know, I know: the lottery intentionally puts lots of small winners into the pool, because they know people will just use those winnings to buy more tickets (effectively increasing their typical 35% share). But, why not release a few games that are geared more to the seasoned player? It's not like they go against the rules (same overall payout percentages would apply).
Just my $0.02. Thanks for reading.