figuring out how many Scratchers there are in a given game?Prev TopicNext Topic

• Lostson

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  Jan 11, 2023, 11:48 pm

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  Ok, the Idaho lottery publishes on its website the number of winning prizes still available on each scratch-off lottery ticket, and as the particular ticket sells, they also publish the percentage of tickets sold. Lastly, they publish the odds.

  So my question is? Can simple multiplication tell you how many tickets in a given run are still left? For instance, the currently high sold ticket is a $1.00 game called Double Doubler It is 96.74% sold out the overall odds are 4.37, and there are 164 prizes yet unclaimed. 

  Am I off my rocker in the assumption that if you simply multiply the number of remaining prizes by the overall odds... 

  164 X 4.37 =  716.68 does that tell you the accurate number of unsold tickets left in this particular game?

  LS
• cottoneyedjoe

  

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  Jan 12, 2023, 12:26 am

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  In response to Lostson

  Quote: Originally posted by Lostson on Jan 11, 2023

  Ok, the Idaho lottery publishes on its website the number of winning prizes still available on each scratch-off lottery ticket, and as the particular ticket sells, they also publish the percentage of tickets sold. Lastly, they publish the odds.

  So my question is? Can simple multiplication tell you how many tickets in a given run are still left? For instance, the currently high sold ticket is a $1.00 game called Double Doubler It is 96.74% sold out the overall odds are 4.37, and there are 164 prizes yet unclaimed. 

  Am I off my rocker in the assumption that if you simply multiply the number of remaining prizes by the overall odds... 

  164 X 4.37 =  716.68 does that tell you the accurate number of unsold tickets left in this particular game?

  LS

  There's a really easy way to do this. Take this Idaho scratcher as an example https://www.idaholottery.com/games/scratch/single-deck-blackjack-2023

  It says there are 2 top prizes and the odds of winning a top prize is 1 in 239800. All you need to do is multiply 2 and 239800 to get the total number of tickets in the game: 2 x 239800 = 479600.

  Now, if it says 10% are sold, then 90% are left. So that's 0.9 x 479600 = 431640.
• Stat$talker

  

  700 light yrs West of Milky Way Galaxy's Center
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  Jan 12, 2023, 7:37 am

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  In response to cottoneyedjoe

  Quote: Originally posted by cottoneyedjoe on Jan 12, 2023

  There's a really easy way to do this. Take this Idaho scratcher as an example https://www.idaholottery.com/games/scratch/single-deck-blackjack-2023

  It says there are 2 top prizes and the odds of winning a top prize is 1 in 239800. All you need to do is multiply 2 and 239800 to get the total number of tickets in the game: 2 x 239800 = 479600.

  Now, if it says 10% are sold, then 90% are left. So that's 0.9 x 479600 = 431640.

  Naah, just figure the formula out that tellz ya wheaa in whut areaz thoze 2 top prize will most likely be found..!!

            Naaaah, there'z a task fa ya..!!
• Lostson

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  Jan 12, 2023, 3:08 pm

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  Ok, I'm looking at the aforementioned Double Doubler ticket:

  2 (top prizes to start) X 451650 (total odds for top prize) = 903,300 X .9657 (amount sold to date) = 872,317 then 903,300 - 872317 = 30,983 

  Soooo there are 30,983 tickets (for a $1.00 scratcher), still out there? Is that right? That seems extraordinarily high, is it possible they adjust the odds down on the website once one of the top prizes has been won? 

   

  LS
• cottoneyedjoe

  

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  Jan 12, 2023, 3:36 pm

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  In response to Lostson

  Quote: Originally posted by Lostson on Jan 12, 2023

  Ok, I'm looking at the aforementioned Double Doubler ticket:

  2 (top prizes to start) X 451650 (total odds for top prize) = 903,300 X .9657 (amount sold to date) = 872,317 then 903,300 - 872317 = 30,983 

  Soooo there are 30,983 tickets (for a $1.00 scratcher), still out there? Is that right? That seems extraordinarily high, is it possible they adjust the odds down on the website once one of the top prizes has been won? 

   

  LS

  Your math checks out, I got the same answer. To me that does not seem too high to have that many tickets left if they started with about 900K. Scratch offs are the best-selling lottery product in every state. The lottery can forecast how many are going to be bought based on past trends.

  As to your other question, I doubt the ID lottery website refreshes the odds as various prizes are claimed (too much work for them, they won't even post number of claims of lower level prizes), but the best place to ask to know for sure would be the ID lottery itself. Their contact page is here https://www.idaholottery.com/pages/contact
• Lostson

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  Jan 12, 2023, 6:55 pm

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  Thank you, I did call them and the website does NOT update and the math is correct. Apparently, they make an ass load off the $1.00 and $2.00 scratchers. So as mentioned earlier trying to find them all over the state is the big pain in the ass!
• cottoneyedjoe

  

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  Jan 13, 2023, 12:59 am

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  In response to Lostson

  Quote: Originally posted by Lostson on Jan 12, 2023

  Thank you, I did call them and the website does NOT update and the math is correct. Apparently, they make an ass load off the $1.00 and $2.00 scratchers. So as mentioned earlier trying to find them all over the state is the big pain in the ass!

  Are you trying to buy up all the remaining tix for a game that still has top prizes unclaimed?

  I don't know about the Idaho lottery, but I know that with the California lottery, they update the scratchers pages when a prize is claimed, not when it is sold. That means it is possible for all the top prizes to be gone, even if the page reports that some are still unclaimed. The reason being that players might hold on to a winning ticket for a while before heading to a regional claims office. Just some food for thought.