Scratchcards on mobile

How scratchcards on mobile work

A mobile scratchcard copies the paper version. You choose a card and a price, then rub away panels with your finger or tap a button to reveal them all. If the symbols match the winning pattern in the card’s rules, you win the prize shown.

The big difference from paper is where the result comes from. A paper card is printed in advance, from a fixed batch of winners and losers. A digital card in a casino app is a random number generator game: the result is produced by the software for each card, and scratching is just how it is shown to you.

That means nothing you do while scratching changes the outcome. Swiping slowly, choosing panels in a different order or picking a ‘lucky’ card makes no difference. Our scratchcard glossary entry has the short definition.

Casino scratchcards vs National Lottery instant wins

Two quite different products share the name. Knowing which you are playing helps you find the right rules and the right complaints route.

This page covers the first column: scratch games inside real-money casino apps. They are offered by the same UK-licensed operators as slots, and the Gambling Commission’s remote technical standards apply to them.

Scratchcard age rules and how they changed

You must be 18 to play any real-money casino game in an app, and the app must verify your age and identity before you can deposit or play, even on a free-to-play demo. Our page on age verification rules explains how those checks work.

National Lottery products used to have a lower age limit. In its December 2020 response on the National Lottery minimum age (opens in a new tab), the government decided to raise the minimum age for all National Lottery games, including scratchcards and online instant win games, from 16 to 18.

If you are unsure what applies to you, our answer to what age you have to be to use casino apps is a quick read.

Near misses, reveal-all and other UK design rules

Scratchcards are built around the moment of reveal, which is why UK rules pay close attention to how they present results. The Commission’s RTS 7 on random outcomes (opens in a new tab) bans designs that mislead players about their chances, including substituting losing results with near-miss losing results.

In plain terms, a game can’t be built to show ‘two out of three’ jackpot symbols more often than the true odds would produce, just to make you feel close. Results must also come from the game’s published probabilities and paytable, and those can’t change while the game is live.

• No celebrating losses: under RTS 14 (opens in a new tab), a game must not celebrate a return that is less than or equal to your stake. A £1 card that pays £1 back should not fire off a winning fanfare.
• Reveal-all buttons are allowed: the RTS 14 guidance on speed says the ban on shortening the time to a result does not stop ‘reveal-all’ features.
• One game at a time: since 17 January 2025, casino games can’t let you play several games at once, and your net spend and time played must be shown during a session.
• No autoplay: banned on all online casino games since 17 January 2025, so every card needs its own action.

For the wider background, see our page on whether casino apps rig games, and the RTP information rules.

Scratchcard odds and RTP in a casino app

Every UK casino scratchcard must show its rules, prizes and RTP or likelihood of winning before you commit. We have not found a reliable published range for online scratchcard RTPs, and they vary by game, so read the figure for the card in front of you rather than assuming.

Two numbers matter. The RTP tells you how much of your stakes the game is designed to pay back over a very long run. The chance of winning, if shown, tells you how often any prize lands, and many of those prizes will be equal to or smaller than the card price. A card can win often and still have a modest RTP.

These figures are illustrations of the formula expected loss = stake × house edge; use the RTP from your game. For comparisons with other formats, see house edge by game.

Why quick scratch games cost more per hour

A scratchcard is over in seconds, which is part of the appeal and also the main risk. If a non-slot casino game must allow at least 5 seconds per game cycle, that still permits up to 720 cards an hour (3,600 ÷ 5). Few people play that fast, but even a relaxed pace adds up.

Compare that with how it feels. Each card seems to cost ‘just a pound’, but two cards a minute is £120 staked in an hour. Apps must show your net spend in real time, so glance at it regularly. Our guide to checking your net deposits shows where to find the totals.

Instant results can make it easy to keep going. Decide how many cards you will buy before you start, and stop when you reach that number, win or lose.

How many people play scratchcards and instant wins

Scratchcards are among the most widely played gambling products in Britain. The government’s 2023 gambling white paper (opens in a new tab) reported that, in the year to December 2022, 7.7% of adults had played scratchcards in the past four weeks, compared with 5.0% who had played online slot-style games or instant wins.

Those figures mix paper and online play and pre-date the latest rule changes, but they show why instant-win games feature in UK policy discussions. Our white paper summary covers what followed.

Playing scratchcards on an iPhone or Android phone

Scratchcards are a natural fit for a phone. Many are simple enough to play comfortably in portrait, and swiping with a finger is closer to the real thing than clicking with a mouse. If you like games built for one hand, see casino games made for portrait mode.

They are also light on data and battery compared with live casino, because the graphics are simple and there is no video stream. Reveal-all buttons help if swiping is awkward, and our guide to casino app accessibility features covers other settings that can help.

How to check a scratchcard in a casino app before buying

1. Open the scratchcard from the app’s lobby, often under instant win, scratch or arcade.
2. Tap the help or information icon and read the winning pattern: how many matching symbols you need.
3. Find the RTP or the chance of winning, and note what the top prize is at your card price.
4. Check the prize table for how many prizes are equal to or below the card price.
5. Choose a price you are comfortable losing in full, and decide how many cards you will buy.
6. Set a deposit limit in your account if you have not already.

Help with budgets is on our budgeting for casino apps page.

Which casino apps suit scratchcard players

Scratch games are not named in our partners’ store listings, so check the app’s game lobby. The Coral Casino app lists free-to-play games with real-money prizes, and the Ladbrokes Casino app mentions arcade games and free-to-play Instant Spins; those free games are separate from paid scratchcards. The PlayOJO app is a small 25.4 MB casino-only download on iPhone.

Our best scratchcard apps list ranks the options. If you like quick number games, try Slingo on mobile or keno on mobile, or browse everything from the mobile casino games hub.

Scratchcard apps with a welcome offer

None of these partner offers can be used on scratchcards: all three are free spins on slots. If you are joining mainly for scratch games, the offer is a side benefit at most. New customers aged 18 or over only; terms apply.

• PlayOJO: 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza, 10p each, with a first deposit of at least £10. No wagering; winnings are cash. New UK customers excluding Northern Ireland; can’t be combined with other offers.
• Coral Casino: bet £10 or more on slots after depositing to get 100 free spins, 10p each, on selected slots. Accept within 48 hours, use within 7 days, no wagering on winnings. Runs until 1 February 2027; PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don’t qualify.
• Ladbrokes Casino: spend £10 or more on slots after depositing to get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 in total, 10p each. Claim by 23:59 daily; valid for 7 days; no wagering. Deposits by prepaid card, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill or Moneybookers are excluded.

Coral and Ladbrokes are run by the same company, LC International Limited, so holding new accounts at both may not be possible.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.