A majority of us just pick up a scratch-off at the counter and do not think too much. When a buck is there, a five the other. However, when you begin checking at the prices of the $20 and 30 it is worth thinking twice. Do they really make a better bargain? It is not as simple as it may appear. When it comes to scratch offs in WV, price and prize structure are connected – but neither one tells the full story. Here’s what you need to know before you spend.

What price actually buys you

The West Virginia Lottery scratch-offs range between dollar and thirty dollars. The price increase usually implies two things: increased top price and an increased number of levels of prizes on the ticket. A $30 ticket can carry a top prize of $300,000. A ticket of $5 will generally reach up to a range of between 1,000 and 50,000. The increased levels of prizes also imply the ticket itself is different. Games with higher prices tend to have more play areas and the scratch experience would be more layered than a one-panel game at only a dollar.

But here’s what price doesn’t buy you: better odds. No price point reliably comes with a statistical advantage over another. Odds vary by game, not by cost bracket.

How odds actually work

All scratch-off West Virginia Lottery tickets have published odds. On the ticket itself or on the WVL site under the details of each game, you will see the general probability you are going to win anything on that ticket itself or under the game itself. The total of that is all the prize levels of the game, big and small, including the highest prize.

Two figures are worth comparing side by side before you buy. First, the overall odds of winning any prize. Second, the odds tied to the top prize specifically. A game can have solid overall odds and still have very few top prizes left in circulation.

That last point matters more than most people realize. The West Virginia Lottery lists remaining prizes by game on its website. If a $30 ticket’s top prize has already been claimed, that information is available to you before you spend $30. It takes a couple of minutes to check and it’s worth doing for anything above $10.

The $5 vs. $30 question

There’s a version of this question that comes up a lot: is it better to buy one $30 ticket or six $5 tickets? Neither approach is mathematically superior. What changes is the shape of the play. Six $5 tickets spread your plays across different games and odds structures. One $30 ticket concentrates your spend on a single game with a larger prize pool and more complex layout.

There are others who prefer the versatility of composite tickets. Others desire the longer game length and larger possible amount of a single higher-tier game. Neither is it the miscall. It is only important that you are making a decision based on the actual odds in the game and the prizes left to win, rather than just a feeling.

One thing worth doing regardless of price

Scratch-offs cannot be played online, but the iPLAY application allows you to scan physical tickets and receive points and whether there are ongoing second-chance promotions. So, no matter what ticket you purchase, scan it in the iPLAY. PlayON-points can be earned on all West Virginia Lottery scratch-offs, including non-winners. Points can be used to enter PlayON Reward drawings. It is a simple means to obtain extra out of any ticket, regardless of the cost.

The app is available in the App Store to iOs users. Android users may access it via a Web site of the West Virginia Lottery directly.

Establish a budget prior to playing and follow it. Skatch-offs are games of randomness, where all prices are certain over no result.