We’ve heard recently from a couple players who both had the same confusion about the scratch tickets they played. They hadn’t completely scratched off the security coating in the play area on their ticket and mistakenly thought they’d won a big prize.
The issue is especially important in “Crossword” and “Bingo” scratch games, where a number or letter could be mistaken for another.
On a Crossword ticket, it’s important to completely remove the security coating on the “Your Letters” area providing the letters you can play. In the ticket image shown here, I highlighted the Your Letters area with a yellow circle.
If you leave some of the security coating in place, it can lead to a mistake. For example, an E might be mistaken as an F, a Q might be seen as an O, or what is actually a B might be mistaken for a P.
On a Bingo ticket, it’s important to completely remove the security coating in the “Caller’s Card” space and any areas such as a “Bonus Numbers” or “Wild Number” spot.
Those areas provide the numbers you can play in the ticket’s Bingo puzzle, and leaving some of the security coating in place could cause you to confuse one number for another. For example, a 7 might be mistaken for a 1, or an 8 could be seen as a 6 or a 3.
The same careful approach is important when you’re playing any scratch ticket, but it can make a big difference in a game like Crossword or Bingo.
If you ever have a question about how much you think you’ve won on a ticket, remember there are multiple ways to check. One of the easiest is by scanning the ticket on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app. You can do that from anywhere.
You also can use a self-checker or self-service kiosk at a business where lottery tickets are sold, or you can have the ticket checked at a lottery terminal.
