Online scratchcards UK guide

What online scratchcards are and how they differ from shop cards

An online scratchcard copies the familiar paper card: a panel of hidden squares that you clear with a swipe, a tap or a reveal-all button. The difference is in how the result is made. A shop card is printed in advance as part of a batch with a fixed number of winners. An online casino card has no physical batch; each card you play is created at that moment by a random number generator, so the odds are the same on every card, whoever played before you.

Scratchcards sit among the instant win and casual games in a casino lobby, alongside games covered in our casino games hub such as online keno and crash games. They are quick, cheap per card and simple, which is part of their appeal and also why costs can add up faster than players expect.

How online scratchcards work, step by step

1. Open the card from the lobby and read the rules: the price per card, the winning rule (for example, match three symbols), the prize table and the RTP.
2. Choose the card price where the game offers a choice. Prizes scale with the price.
3. Buy or start the card. At this moment the outcome is fixed by the game server.
4. Reveal the symbols by scratching, tapping each square or pressing reveal all. The order you reveal them makes no difference.
5. Any prize is shown and added to your balance; your net position for the session updates.
6. Start the next card yourself if you want to continue. UK rules do not allow cards to be played automatically in a run.

Types of online scratchcards at UK casinos

Studios that make slots often make scratchcards too. Hacksaw Gaming, for example, lists scratchcards and instant-win games among its products, as our Hacksaw Gaming profile explains, and Peter & Sons lists scratch cards among its products.

Online scratchcard odds: how to read a prize table

The headline figure on many cards is the chance of winning any prize, for example 1 in 3. That figure includes prizes equal to the card price, which give you nothing more than your stake back. The prize table is what tells you the real value. Here is an illustrative £1 card, not taken from any real game:

Three things stand out. First, more than half of all wins on this card only return the stake. Second, the top prize contributes 10p of the 90p average return but is won once in 10,000 cards. Third, the card returns 90p per £1 on average, so the house keeps 10p per card over time. The same approach works on any real card: multiply each prize by its chance and add them up. Our expected value glossary entry explains the method.

Scratchcard RTP compared with other casino games

Each online scratchcard states its RTP in the game rules, and figures vary from card to card, so check before buying rather than assuming. A card at 90% costs 10p per £1 on average; a slot at 96% costs 4p; European roulette costs 2.7p. Our RTP explainer covers how these figures are produced, and the list of lowest house edge games shows where the cheapest games sit.

Because scratchcards are fast, the cost per hour depends heavily on pace. Twenty £1 cards at 90% RTP have an expected cost of £2; two hundred cost £20 on average. Variance is high on cards with big top prizes, so most sessions finish below the average return while a few finish well above it.

UK rules for online scratchcards in 2026

Online scratchcards at UK casinos are non-slot casino games. Since 17 January 2025, the Commission’s extended game design rules mean autoplay is banned, net position and session time must be displayed, and each game cycle must last at least five seconds, as set out in the Commission’s speed of play decision (opens in a new tab). Our page on online game design rules gives the full list.

The Commission’s guide to gambling using a credit card (opens in a new tab) explains the shop exception, and our credit card ban page sets out what is covered online. The £5 and £2 slot stake limits apply to reel-based games, so scratchcard prices are set by each game rather than by those caps.

Scratchcard myths that cost players money

• Scratching in a certain order changes the result. The outcome is fixed before you scratch.
• A card that has not paid for a while is due. Online cards have no batch and no memory; every card has the same odds.
• Near misses mean you were close. Two out of three matching symbols is a losing card, and near misses carry no information about the next card. See our near miss glossary entry.
• Dearer cards have better odds. Prizes scale with the price; check the RTP, which may be the same at every price.
• A stake-back win is a win. It returns your money with no profit; count it as a break-even card.

More in our guides to gambling myths and the gambler’s fallacy.

Setting a scratchcard budget: a worked example

Scratchcards are among the fastest casino games, which makes a budget especially useful. Suppose you decide on £15 for an evening and play 50p cards at 90% RTP. At five seconds per card at the very least, you could get through 30 cards in a few minutes. The expected cost of those 30 cards is £1.50, but the typical outcome on a card with a top-heavy prize table is to lose more than that, with an occasional larger win pulling the average up.

Set a deposit limit (casinos have had to prompt you before your first deposit since 31 October 2025), keep stake-back wins in perspective, and stop when the budget is used. Our gambling budget guide shows how to plan it, and signs of problem gambling lists warning signs worth knowing.

Where to play online scratchcards in the UK

Scratchcards are usually found under instant win, casual or arcade tabs at UK-licensed casinos; ranges vary by site, so search the lobby. Of our partners’ offers, Casumo’s 50% match up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more is the only one paid as bonus funds, with 10x wagering within 7 days and a £5 maximum bet; game restrictions apply, so read its terms to see whether scratchcards count. The latest Casumo offer page has the details.

PlayOJO gives new UK customers (excluding Northern Ireland) 80 spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of at least £10, and Coral gives 100 spins at 10p after you bet £10 on slots. Both pay winnings without wagering but are for slots only. 18+, terms apply. If instant games are becoming hard to put down, the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is free and open around the clock.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.