Best Online Scratch Cards UK

The Best Online Scratch Cards in the UK

Find the best casino sites in the UK that offer online scratch cards, instant wins and more fun games. Sign up now to one of our recommended sites below, claim a bonus, join the fun and get a chance to win.

What to Consider When Choosing an Online Scratch Cards UK Site

Online Scratch Cards in the UK

If you love scratch cards, you are in luck. And that’s even before winning prizes! UK players can enjoy some of the world’s best online casinos. So you can have great fun playing scratchcards on your computer or mobile device. And most importantly, all the scratch cards casinos we recommend are licenced, safe and 100% legal.

Scratch Cards Variety

Our team of game experts at Gambling.com scour the web to find for you all the best online scratch cards in the UK. We carefully review each site and rank it by the types of scratch cards and other instant-wins available as well as the overall number and selection of games.

Compatibility to Scratch Cards Players

As most sites that offer scratch cards belong to casino and bingo operators, we check how much effort was made to provide a unique gameplay for scratch-card players. This will include an easy no deposit methods, a variety of scratchcard software providers and the overall design and usability of the site.

Mobile Scratch Cards

Most scratchcard casinos offer a mobile version in addition to their main desktop client. The straight forward layout and interactive gameplay makes scratch cards and instant win games perfect to play on mobile devices. We closely evaluate and review the mobile scratch cards sites and apps, their game variety, connectivity, design, etc.

Safety and Trustworthiness

As your safety is our top priority, we only feature on Gambling.com scratch card casinos that are regulated and licenced by the UKGC (UK Gambling Commission). So you can be sure that all your personal information is protected and the games are always fair.

Find the Best Scratch Cards UK

When it comes to finding the best online scratch card sites, we work hard, so you don’t have to. Read our expert casino reviews, compare sites and find the best scratch card casino for you. While at it, don’t forget to claim one of the generous bonuses offered to Gambling.com visitors.

What are Online Scratch Cards?

Every day, millions of people around the world buy a scratch card and with great excitement and anticipation scratch away the panels to reveal if they won a big prize. Because Scratchcards are a form of gambling that is simple, easy and fun to play, they transcend across cultures and countries. Their colourful varieties and availability in every newsagent, supermarket and petrol station make scratch cards popular with people of all ages, genders and social groups in the UK and around the world.

How Scratch Cards Were Invented

It all started with John Koza and Daniel Bower that joined forces to create the first mass-produced scratch card. Bower was a marketing expert and Koza a computer science graduate. So the duo initially began experimenting with printing random, computer-generated patterns of numbers and symbols. They created an overlay of latex-style material that can be scratched off, and in 1974 they formed the Scientific Games Corporation and produced the first scratchcard prototypes.

Lotteries Adding Scratch Cards to Their Portfolio

The first customers Koza and Bower had in mind were the US state lotteries, with Massachusetts being the first state to add scratch cards to its lottery product range. Massachusetts lottery initially signed a contract to run one single game, which was a huge success and tripled their sales. Before long the rumour spread and more state lotteries approached Scientific Games, until eventually all of them joined up and started to offer scratch cards.

Scratch Cards in the High Street

For several years scratch cards were sold mostly through official booths and licenced sellers. Where you needed to approach the counter and request a card. This changed in 1985 when an entrepreneur named Cal Tigner invented a clear plastic container that securely holds and displays rolls of scratch cards.

These are mounted next to tills in stores where customers can select and purchase from the variety of vibrantly-designed cards. These patented cabinets soon became a staple in many retail stores, and within a few years Tigner was selling more than 200,000 units per year. This innovation of course made scratch cards sales soar around the world.

Scratch Cards Go Online

In 1995 the first online casino site was launched, and a year later the first online bingo followed. Given the simplicity of scratch cards they featured on early online gambling sites and gained popularity with online casino players.

Why Play Scratchcards Online?

For some casino players, online scratch cards don’t come with the excitement and atmosphere of their glamorous casino-game cousins. To others, they still remind of newsagents and supermarket tills. However the online gambling revolution has given scratch cards their rightful place in the limelight.

Innovative online and mobile technology enables today’s online casino and bingo operators to offer a huge selection of scratch cards that boast different themes, immersive graphics and sound effects. Scratch cards are popular because they are fun, easy to play and don’t require to learn complicated game rules. Given scratch cards are inexpensive and available on smartphones and tablets, many UK players try their luck with online scratch cards. And even though these instant win games are based on pure luck, they can still bring some very decent winnings.

Scratch Cards Tips

Getting a winning scratch card is based purely on luck. But there are still a few tips that are worth keeping in mind when trying to scratch your way to a win.

Scratch Cards RTP (Return to Player) Percentage

The RTP (Return to Player) is the statistical measure of how much a scratch card, or any casino game for that matter, will pay out in the long run. It is defined as the percentage of total wagers that will be paid out as winnings. For example, if the RTP of a certain scratch card is 85%, £85 will be paid in winnings for every £100 that players spend. This, while the remaining £15 is kept by the operator.

Traditionally being a lottery game, scratch cards RTP used to be lower than that of casino games. However when scratch cards became popular online, their RTPs started to compete with their casino counterparts. Most of the online scratch cards have an RTP of between 89% and 95%. This is still lower than online slots (which have an average RTP of 96%).

However many software developers are releasing scratch cards with higher than average RTPs. For example Wish Upon a Jackpot by Big Time Gaming has an RTP of 96.06%.

Variance

Variance measures the scratch cards’ risk/reward ratio. A low-variance scratch card will win more often, but will usually yield smaller wins. Whereas a high-variance scratch card will win less frequently, but the winnings will be larger. Therefore low-variance scratch cards offer a lower risk with smaller payouts, vs. high-variance cards that offer higher risk and higher rewards.

Reveal/Scratch All

If you buy a paper scratch card at a shop, you will need to scratch all the game panels. Many players find it a fun and exciting part of the experience, but it can be laborious (especially if you don’t have a coin handy). When playing online scratch cards, you can scratch the game panels by moving your computer mouse or tapping on the screen of your mobile device. Or you can use the ‘Reveal/Scratch All’ option that will instantly reveal your cards. This is especially handy if you would like to race through several scratch card games in quick succession.

Variations of Scratchcard Games

Standard scratch cards follow the basic format of placing wagers and hoping to reveal winning symbols. But online scratch cards come in many different themes, some which based on other popular casino games.

Scratch Cards Based on Slot Games

When playing these scratch cards, you scratch off the game panels which depict slot reels. In order to win, you need to unveil a winning combination of symbols that matches the slot’s payline.

Jackpot Scratch Cards

Similar to progressive slots, jackpot scratch cards offer a prize pool that is partially funded by other player’s wagers. So the jackpot prize keeps growing until won by a lucky scratch card-player. Then the jackpot will reset and start growing again.

Blackjack Scratch Cards

With blackjack scratch cards you will need to scratch the panels off the dealer’s cards as well as your own. If you beat the dealer to 21 you will win a prize.

Roulette Scratch Cards

When playing roulette scratch cards, you will need to scratch panels to reveal the bets placed on the roulette table as well as another panel that will show where the ball landed on the roulette wheel. Winning bets on the roulette table will entitle you for a prize.

Bingo Scratch Cards

Bingo scratch cards are played by scratching the panels off the caller’s numbers and then scratching panels to reveal your bingo cards. If you have a match you will win a bingo on the scratch card.

Scratchcards with Bonus Prizes

Some scratch cards offer free games or other prizes in addition to the base game. It’s a nice surprise that is always welcome.

Scratch Cards Casino Software

Many of the leading casino software companies have an extensive portfolio of exciting online and mobile scratchcards. This means that players can enjoy a huge variety of games that provide state of the art graphics, cinematic sound and engaging features.

Swedish developer NetEnt offers great scratch card games like The Lost Pyramid and Treasure Hunt. Games Global offers Lost Vegas Survivors Scratch, Lucky Leprechaun and many more fun and innovative games. Playtech offers Rocky and A Night Out. More companies that offer great scratch cards are of course inventor Scientific games as well as Section8 Studio, Pragmatic Play and more.

Scratch Cards Casino Security

All of the online scratchcard sites we recommend on Gambling.com are licenced and regulated by the UKGC. This makes them 100% legal and subject to the highest standards of safety, fairness and player protection. To make sure you are only playing scratch cards on safe casinos, we list on our site the UKGC licence number for each operator.

Our featured scratch card sites are also tested by independent bodies to assure their RNG (Random Number Generator) is audited and certified. So you know the games are always fair. We look at the reputation of the operator and its customer service too. So not only are you safe, but you also receive the highest level of customer service.

New Scratch Cards Casino sites in the UK

New online casino scratch card are constantly being launched. To make their own mark, they offer new games, innovative designs, exciting features and generous bonuses. So if you like playing scratch cards online, it’s best to stay updated. We constantly update this page with the newest scratch card sites, so bookmark this page and visit us regularly.

Scratch Cards Mobile Casinos

Many scratch cards players love playing on their mobile devices. As most online scratch cards are built on HTML5 technology, they are responsive and available to play on mobile casino UK sites and apps which are compatible with iOS, Android and Windows smartphones and tablets.

As not all scratch card casinos are created equal, some have much better mobile sites and apps than others. Our experts review the mobile design, connectivity, device compatibility and scratch card selection that is offered by each site and app. This, to make sure we only recommend to you the best mobile scratch-card experience.

Scratch Cards Casino Bonuses for UK Players

Online scratch card sites offer generous bonuses to attract new players, as well as promotions to retain existing customers. Typical deposit bonuses range from £50 to £200 and will also include free spins on casino slots in some cases. These usually give a 100% match on your first deposit. For example, if you deposit £100 the casino will credit your account with an additional £100 bonus. So you have £200 to play with.

Note that bonuses are not always available to use with scratch cards. So we look carefully at the different bonuses offered and check if scratch cards are included. We also look at the terms and conditions to understand the wagering requirements. These are the times you need to play through the bonus before you can make a withdrawal. It typically ranges between 30x to 50x times.

Scratch Cards Casino Deposits and Withdrawals

Scratch card casino sites in the UK offer a range of easy and safe banking methods for depositing funds and withdrawing winnings. Most UK sites offer debit and credit cards, e-wallets such as Neteller, Skrill and Paypal, and pre-paid cards like PaySafeCard. Some sites offer a wider selection which includes bank transfers, pay-by-phone casino methods and even bitcoin. Before selecting a banking method, it is important to check transaction fees, deposit and withdrawal limits, processing times and bonus eligibility.